Online Course Multitasking: University Students' Cellphone Use Behaviors, Media Ownership, and Polychronicity

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Empowering Learners' Self-Regulation Skills in Online Learning

Abstract

The main purpose of the present study was to examine how media ownership, time spent on cellphones, problematic cellphone use, and polychronicity predict multitasking behaviors in online courses. A secondary goal was to assess the moderating role of polychronicity. Paper-based surveys were completed by 250 undergraduate students at a large, public university. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that time spent on cellphones, problematic cellphone use, and polychronicity positively predicted multitasking behaviors in online courses after controlling for students’ ages, genders, and GPAs. The results also demonstrated that media ownership did not significantly contribute to students’ multitasking in online courses. Finally, evidence of a moderating effect of polychronicity was not found in this study.

Authors

• Ahlam Alghamdi, Kent State University

• Aryn C. Karpinski, Kent State University - Kent

• Andrew Lepp, Kent State University

• Jacob Barkley, Kent State University