The Role of Media in Multitasking

This is one of the multitasking essays where an author will reviewed an article,in which the main research question was to see if media multitasking while doing school assignments would impact academic performance and executive (cognitive control) function. This research question is important because it could eventually be connected to why students have a hard time studying and doing well in classes. It could also discover why some have trouble with communication. 

In the title, it states media multitasking in Spanish adolescents. This study used over 500 participants and it shows this study could be more accurate than others due to the number of participants. From six different schools, the researchers used over at least 977 students. Their ages ranged from 11 to 18 years old. The researchers mentioned that there is a percentage of 51.9 girls and a percentage of 48.1of boys. They also calculated the mean for the ages which is 14.37. The mean of standard deviation is 1.78. The participants are from six different schools in Girona, Spain. The schools are of the Alt Emporda region. In order to collect the data from the participants, the researchers randomly selected each person. Random sampling has been used for experiments and research studies for a long time. There are plenty of other techniques that could be used for this type of experiment but the researchers decided to use random sampling. By using random sampling, it helps the researchers fairly choose their participants instead of choosing them all individually. 

The participants multitasked while doing homework on social media, this was calculated by the researchers using DEX-SP and three WISC-IV subscales. The grades from the participants were collected, specifically their math grade. The researchers also communicated with them through Spanish to assess their academic performance more thoroughly. The researchers gave the participants ICTs’ scale which asks them what kind of ICT consumer they think they are. The scale helped the researchers collect self-reported measures of the students' level of ICTs consumption. Beside ICTs’ scale, they also brought in the Media and Technology Attitudes scale to explore their emotions and attitudes. The basic research design used is cross-sectional studies. Cross-sectional research is when a researcher studies a group of participants at the same exact point in time. But, eventually the group of participants are compared by their characteristics in order to draw conclusions in the experiment. Within this study, the Spanish adolescents are categorized by age as well as schools. They studied Spanish adolescents ranging from ages 11 to 18 year olds at the same exact time in the study. The researchers throughout this study eventually created four different tables for their results. The data collected in this study was categorized by age, gender, and schools using t-test to evaluate and compare the means. The Chi-square test was used to compare the proportions. The researchers found that media multitasking while doing school assignments was high compared to other studies. For the ICTs scale and the Media and Technology Attitudes scale, participants demonstrated that emotional needs arise as a result of anxious and dependent feelings. That eventually lead the participants to stop doing their assignments to go on their phones. Between the genders, it was also concluded that females are more likely than males to engage in media multitasking. It also showed that younger kids between 11 and 13 years old had a high prevalence in media multitasking. From the researchers DEX-SP findings, their younger groups had more dysexecutive symptoms in their daily routines. They had troubles in decision making and planning as well as lack of involvement with society. The ages didn’t have anything to do with dysexecutive symptoms, but it demonstrated it was more persistent in early adolescents. For WISC-IV tasks, the group obtained scores that also showed lower performance of the executive function. The researchers concluded that media multitasking in the participants is negatively related to executive function and academic performance. Those who media multitask while doing school assignments tend to have more dysexecutive issues in their daily life. Many research studies and experiments will always have some sort of flaw to them. 

In this study, there were certain points in the article that could’ve used more of an explanation. The research ideas were straight forward and so were the techniques used to collect the data. But, there should’ve been more of an explanation behind those techniques because anyone that reads this article can get quite confused on what is specifically being used. Also, for the tables, it was difficult for me to understand the concept of word choices around it. The article was informational and uses good reasoning behind their data. Our generation is constantly growing and so is our technology. Everyday, someone will discover a new app or a new way to make that app better. In a few years, our society will be revolved around technology and social media. Nowadays, adolescents are getting more into their phones and their tablets. It’s getting to the point where children could develop social anxiety due to lack of communication in the world. This research can be used by many people. In education, the research presented can possibly demand stricter phone rules in classes in order for students to have a better academic performance. For parents, it benefits them because they will want better for their children. Parents could possibly see the truth behind media multitasking and cut off phone use limitations in their household in order for their kids to do homework. The researchers in this study proved their point and if their point is proven, others will follow. 

In conclusion, as a young adult, I’ve seen more children glued to their phones than our generation. Their are kids who are afraid to communicate with others and it’s because of technology. Parents usually put their phones in front of them and be done with it. They don’t realize the consequences later. This research study could really be beneficial in changing technology use in daily lives for everyone. This research study was very informational and also a learning experience. I’ve realized that back in high school, I’ve always had trouble studying due to always being on my phone. Everyone in this generation is glued to their phones, no matter how much one denies it. This gives a new perspective on media multitasking and how it can affect a person’s daily life. For future studies, researchers should focus more on younger adolescents, seeing that they develop dysexuctive symptoms faster than older adolescents do. It will bring a new perspective towards younger adolescents, studying more into the fact why they have a high prevalence in media multitasking.