looked for an A or an E (more shallow processing). A
subsequent test reflection indicated that students
overall did not change their multimedia use while
studying after receiving the levels of processing
demonstration. Therefore, an in-class demonstration
aimed at promoting better metacognitive awareness of
the negative effect of media multitasking did not lead to
a change in students’ multitasking behavior.
What, then, could be effective and practical strategies
to curb students’ media multi-tasking while studying?
Rosen et al. (2013) findings on students’ anxiety when
unable to check devices clearly demonstrates that
removing them from the study environment is not
effective. Perhaps one of the most successful
strategies may be to encourage students to take
periodic breaks to engage in unrelated texting, social
networking, etc. during study sessions. Evidence
suggests that when students are given a one-minute
opportunity to check their devices for each 15-minutes
spent studying, their attention to the study task and
subsequent learning increased (Rosen et al., 2013). It
is likely that interventions along these lines must rely on
students’ metacognitive awareness. Interventions
aimed at increasing metacognitive abilities may hold the
key to promoting better study habits, by enabling
students to set aside their devices and recognize when
media multitasking is appropriate, and when it is
detrimental to learning outcomes