Consideration Contagion within the Digital Classroom
Consideration contagion is the unfold of attentive and/or inattentive behaviors amongst college students in a studying setting (1). Classroom academics are very acquainted with this phenomenon; particularly when it’s the unfold of inattentive behaviors. It appears to be like like one pupil feeling and listening to the excitement of their cellphone of their backpack and people round shedding concentrate on the lesson. It’s a pupil on their laptop computer at school taking a look at a web site that’s off job and different college students selecting to take care of that stimulus as a substitute of the classroom content material.
These are fairly apparent examples of consideration contagion, however different examples are a bit extra covert. The unfold of inattentive behaviors can even appear to be Billy selecting to not take notes at school and others round him deciding they don’t must take notes both based mostly on Billy’s behaviors. It may also be so simple as one pupil slouching of their chair impacting others’ consideration. I suppose my level right here is that the unfold of inattentive behaviors doesn’t essentially need to happen resulting from outwardly distracting behaviors, which is attention-grabbing for me to think about as a instructor. It’s straightforward for me to inform Billy to silence and put his mobile phone away or to restrict his laptop computer use to solely related web sites. It’s a bit more durable for me to maintain tabs on these less-attentive-yet-not-outwardly-distracting behaviors. I’ve talked about this a bit on this earlier article about consideration contagion.
The current analysis (2) appears to be like on the phenomenon of consideration contagion, not within the brick-and-mortar classroom, however within the digital classroom. When college students attend digital class conferences, does the presence of different college students in ‘webcam video thumbnails’ influence consideration, notice taking, motivation to be taught, and evaluation? That’s the all-important query and one that ought to actually spark curiosity from all studying and educating on-line.
So, right here’s the setup. Contributors (n = 61, faculty undergraduates) watched a 30-minute lecture on-line, which included 4 webcam thumbnails of different college students watching the identical lecture. The 4 confederates have been additionally watching dwell and all would both exhibit attentive behaviors (periodically nodding head, slight ahead lean, no checking telephone or different web site, and so forth.) or inattentive behaviors (bored facial features, slouching, trying away from the video, fidgeting, periodically checking telephone, and so forth.) throughout the lecture. It’s vital to notice that throughout the lecture, the inattentive confederates weren’t loud or appearing aggressively, they simply didn’t actively attend to the lecture presentation. The picture beneath is from the analysis article and illustrates what contributors skilled when attending the digital class. Are you able to guess whether or not this picture is from the attentive or inattentive group? : )
After the lecture, contributors answered a multiple-choice quiz (23 questions) that assessed lecture content material and accomplished a survey concerning their expertise within the digital class. The survey started with demographic questions earlier than shifting into inquiring about their evaluation of the 4 confederates’ consideration and whether or not they thought this impacted their consideration and efficiency on the quiz.
All supplies used on this examine, together with the lecture video and an inventory of all of the survey questions and quiz questions, can be found right here…this can be a tremendous cool side of this examine that I actually don’t discover in loads of the analysis I learn. Kudos to the authors for making these assets obtainable. It permits these of us who will not be acquainted with the main points of conducting analysis a peak behind the scenes.
So, what have been the findings? Listed below are just a few key factors. All survey knowledge is on a scale from 1-10.
- Contributors appeared to understand whether or not the confederates have been attentive or inattentive, score attentive confederates at 8.76 and inattentive confederates at 4.34.
- Contributors’ motivation to be taught seems to have been impacted by the attentive or inattentive behaviors of the confederates. Earlier than the lecture, contributors with attentive confederates rated their motivation to be taught at 7.03 and contributors with inattentive confederates rated their motivation to be taught at 7.58. Nonetheless, throughout the lecture, contributors with attentive confederates rated their motivation to be taught at 7.41, which is an general improve in motivation to be taught with this group. The contributors with inattentive confederates rated their motivation to be taught throughout the lecture as 6.63, which is an general lower in motivation to be taught.
- Contributors’ perceived use of cell telephones and different web sites throughout the lecture additionally seems to have been impacted by being within the attentive or inattentive group of this examine. Contributors with attentive confederates estimated their mobile phone use at .21 minutes and visiting different web sites throughout the lecture at .31 minutes. Contributors with inattentive confederates estimated their mobile phone use at 1.75 minutes and visiting different web sites throughout the lecture at 1.25. The researchers used the time period media multitasking when discussing this matter (3).
- Contributors’ rating on the put up lecture quiz additionally seems to be impacted by being in both the attentive or inattentive confederates group. Contributors with attentive confederates averaged a rating of 79.01 and contributors with inattentive confederates averaged a rating of 66.85.
A final focal point the researchers checked out was participant publicness, the extent to which they thought of and formed their habits based mostly on the concept that others will have the ability to see them. They requested questions on the survey about this and all knowledge confirmed a nonsignificant correlation between participant’s perceived acknowledgment that they thought of this publicness and it impacting their habits.
So, what does this imply to me as a instructor within the bodily classroom and digital classroom?
The very first thing that jumps out to me is that inattentive behaviors can influence others, even throughout a digital classroom lesson. That is actually value noting and sharing with our college students. It is smart that the plain distractions (chatting college students, know-how misuse, and so forth.) might influence the flexibility for others to attend, however the extra covert distractions additionally influence others and that inattention can unfold. I suppose, intuitively, I believed that focus contagion was an actual presence within the conventional classroom, however that it exists within the on-line world is a little bit of a shock.
I used to be additionally within the discovering that contributors have been in a position to notice and choose the confederates’ attentive or inattentive behaviors fairly simply within the digital classroom and this both positively (with attentive confederates) or negatively (with inattentive confederates) impacted their motivation, judgement of the significance of the fabric, and their post-lecture quiz efficiency considerably. As a instructor, this means to me that I must be attentive to this extra covert inattention and redirect college students when vital. In telling Billy to sit down up and concentrate on the lesson, not solely will Billy be positively impacted, however so will these round him. One inattentive pupil isn’t merely one inattentive pupil, each within the conventional classroom and within the on-line classroom.
And, as I discussed earlier, it’s so vital to inform our college students this info. I consistently share with my college students completely different analysis findings within the space of consideration and reminiscence and studying. How can we anticipate them to vary their behaviors to be extra conducive with studying if we don’t give them cause to take action? I believe it helps college students to purchase into extra wholesome studying habits and lets them know that you just care about this nerdy studying stuff…and them.
Now, the analysis on consideration contagion is proscribed. To the very best of my data, there are at present three analysis research focusing instantly on this matter. The primary was completed in a lab and I’ve written about it right here. The analysis mentioned on this put up on consideration contagion within the on-line classroom represents the second examine. The third examine on consideration contagion focuses on this phenomenon within the faculty lecture corridor with a bigger participant inhabitants. I’ll be writing about that examine very quickly…be looking out for a put up on that. : ) So, the analysis on that is very restricted. We’d like extra analysis with completely different populations earlier than we are able to really feel extra assured generalizing about consideration contagion. Nonetheless, via these three research, some traits have gotten obvious. So, that’s positively a begin.
Consideration is a necessity for studying. What we attend to, we have now an opportunity of remembering. What we don’t attend to, we have now no likelihood of remembering. Figuring out this, as a instructor, I would like to concentrate on conditions the place consideration will be simply ‘stolen’ throughout a lesson and have actual options obtainable to decrease the damaging influence of consideration contagion, each within the conventional classroom and within the digital classroom.
If you happen to’d like extra info on reminiscence processing, consideration within the classroom, and studying methods with a plethora of analysis pointing to their effectiveness…I do know of a REALLY good guide on the topic. Okay, so I’m somewhat biased as a result of I wrote it. : ) It’s referred to as Do I Have Your Consideration? Understanding Reminiscence Constraints and Maximizing Studying. If you happen to entry this hyperlink, you could find extra info on the guide, endorsements from Dr. John Hattie, Dr. John Sweller, Dr. Dan Willinham, and extra, and strategies to order in each the US and UK.
I’ll even be presenting on the subject of consideration contagion in February 2025 at The Educating and Studying Summit hosted by Innerdrive. Extra details about this wonderful convention and strategies for buying tickets will be discovered right here. I’d like to see you there. : )
- Forrin, N. D., Huynh, A. C., Smith, A. C., Cyr, E. N., McLean, D. B., Siklos-Whillans, J., … & MacLeod, C. M. (2021). Consideration spreads between college students in a studying setting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Utilized, 27(2), 276.
- Kalsi, S. S., Forrin, N. D., Sana, F., MacLeod, C. M., & Kim, J. A. (2023). Consideration contagion on-line: Consideration spreads between college students in a digital classroom. Journal of Utilized Analysis in Reminiscence and Cognition, 12(1), 59.
- Wammes, J. D., Ralph, B. C., Mills, C., Bosch, N., Duncan, T. L., & Smilek, D. (2019). Disengagement throughout lectures: Media multitasking and thoughts wandering in college lecture rooms. Computer systems & Training, 132, 76-89.
Characteristic picture by Polina Tankilevitch: https://www.pexels.com/photograph/a-person-sitting-on-the-bed-4443178/
