Drawn to distraction: A qualitative study of off-task use of educational technology

Today's educational system increasingly integrates digital devices such as laptops and tablets in the classroom on the assumption that the use of these technologies will increase student motivation and learning. However, research shows that students often use technologies for distractive purposes like off-task activity and multitasking. Few studies address the processes involved in this activity. This article offers a postphenomenologically informed qualitative study of students' off-task use of technology during class. Building on interviews with students in a Danish business college about their off-task technology use, findings suggest that off-task activity is not always a conscious choice. Because of deeply sedimented bodily habits, students often experience habitual distraction in the form of prereflective attraction towards certain frequently visited websites (e.g., Facebook). Laptops are experienced as endowed with an attractive allure that “pulls you in”. Students sometimes go as far as closing the lids of their laptops to avoid this habitual distraction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.