An Overview of Effects of Text Messaging on Academic Performance

Aditi Unmesh Vasava 100816477

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University

PSYC 2060U: Cognitive Psychology

Dr. Tanya Karam-Zanders

December 1, 2022
 Effects of Text Messaging On Academic Performance

Cellular phones are routinely brought to class by university students. Wireless

networking is becoming more common in university classrooms, which could hinder student

learning. A ringing cell phone allegedly prevented up to 75% of students from paying attention

in class. A recent empirical study found that students who heard cell phone buzzing during a

class presentation retained the material presented during the interruption less effectively (End et

al., 2010). University mobile device users frequently send and receive text messages during class

hours. Cognitive psychology research has found that frequently multitasking negatively impacts

performance. University students who used text messaging were randomly assigned to one of

two circumstances in the current study: either a group that sent and received texts during a

lecture or a group that did not use text messaging at all while listening to the lecture.

This study hypothesized that greater text messaging proficiency was related to inferior

performance in terms of lecture topic memory.

Descriptions of study methodology

The present study evaluated the effect of text messaging during an academic lecture by

contrasting students' performance on a test of lecture content while texting and while not texting.

Suppose a multiple cognitive resource model is applicable to texting. In that case, participants

who are more adept at texting should do better on the lecture content test because texting should

come more "automatically" to these students and not require as many cognitive resources.

A university in the Midwest randomly allocated a total of 37 students—7 males and 30

females—to each of the two circumstances. The only prerequisites for participating were having

a cell phone and having used text messaging before. The participants' text messaging speed was

measured using a test consisting of 160 characters, or 30 "words." They were told to use any
well-recognized acronyms they typically use while texting, such as "2" in place of "to," "two," or

"too." After that, both groups saw and listened to a ten-minute presentation on video. One group

received and responded to 15 standardized questions sent by one of the investigators via their

cell phone during the presentation. The second group listened to and observed the presentation

without texting. These text message exchanges followed the informal protocol that seasoned text

message users are accustomed to. Following the presentation, each group answered a 21-question

exam, 16 of which were related to the lecture. At the same time, the remaining questions were

about the participants' cell phone models and thoughts on using personal electronics in the

classroom.

Key Findings

The study found, through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), a significant

difference (F = 10.71, p .002) between the groups, with the lecture-only condition performing

significantly better than the lecture and text messaging group (M = 7.44, SD = 3.05). This means

that participants who participated in text messaging performed noticeably worse on the test

covering lecture material than the group that did not send and receive texts. Participants with

higher degrees of text messaging proficiency scored considerably lower on the test than

participants with lower levels of text messaging proficiency. Additionally, it was discovered that

slower texters significantly outperformed faster texters on a test of lecture content.

Implications to Everyday Life and Extrapolation of Future Research Questions

The results of this study indicate that texting during a lecture has a negative effect on

academic achievement. The study aligns with the idea that texting while listening to a lecture

competes for the same cognitive resources. From this angle, it is likely that performance may
temporarily suffer as the student alternates between attending class and texting or vice versa.

When we apply these results to everyday life, we can see how negatively texting during class

influences student results. Texting during lectures affects the results and indicates how a student

needs to recollect information provided during the lecture. In today’s life, students have also

gotten addicted to the internet, which affects their academic performance as well. A study shows

that internet access influences academic standards among students, as those with internet access

have shown a more significant improvement in academic performance than those without

(Amponsah et al., 2022). It seems appropriate to prohibit personal communication devices during

class presentations for more improvement in the students' results.

 References

Amponsah, K. D., Aboagye, G. K., Narh-Kert, M., Commey-Mintah, P., & Boateng,

F. K. (2022). The impact of internet usage on students’ success in selected senior high

schools in cape coast metropolis, Ghana. European Journal of Educational Sciences, 9(2), 1-

18. https://doi.org/10.19044/ejes.v9no2a1

Barks, A., Searight, H. R., & Ratwik, S. (2011). Effects of text messaging on

academic performance. Journal of Pedagogy and Psychology "Signum Temporis", 4(1), 4-9.

https://doi.org/10.2478/v10195-011-0039-0

End, C. M., Worthman, S., Mathews, M. B., & Wetterau, K. (2010). Costly cell

phones: The impact of cell phone rings on academic performance. The teaching of

Psychology, 37, 55–57.