Multitasking In College Student Analysis

College students today use technology not only in their personal lives, but as a necessity to complete their studies. Students use everything from smartphones, tablets, and laptops to gain instantaneous access to information, to turn in assignments, and other various uses. College students are distracted in and out the classroom by multitasking instead of focusing solely on their studious work. To add to the problem of multitasking and the use of technology is the general busy pace of life itself. This converges into consequences that can impact students’ work. Students may be unaware that there is even a problem because it is a societal norm to use technology and to be busy. In order to regain focus, there are several methods that can be utilized

In Annie Murphy Paul’s article “The New Marshmallow Test: Students Can’t Resist Multitasking,” she discusses how preoccupied students have become by technological distractions. Psychology Professor Larry Rosen conducted an observational study of students in which they were instructed to study for a period of 15 minutes. Despite being aware that they were subjects in a study, students’ attention to the work they needed to complete started to drift approximately 2 minutes into their study period. (Paul 1) Paul explains that the consequences of this inattentiveness to the task on hand results in students’ education suffering in terms of what they master and retain. Research has proposed that our brains work differently converting and accumulating knowledge when we are preoccupied with more than a solitary complex task. Concentration on excogitating can be accomplished by building up to extended periods of attention and the removal of high-tech interruptions. Rosen proposed, “tech breaks” to wean students off of constant device usage. These breaks consist of the removal of any distracting devices and then focusing on tasks for gradually increasing amounts of time. (Paul

Multitasking can be detrimental to learning, and students should start to refocus on their studies in an effort to reap the full benefits of a college education. There are several ways to undertake this, including building up to working longer periods of time spent on one task and putting aside technology altogether. Another method that helps students is to learn to meditate and becoming aware of when they are being distracted. Once one has better focus, he or she can refine the use of his or her time on projects by doing a productivity purge. If these methods are employed students can benefit by sharpened focus and more effectual use of their time not just in college but throughout their