Study: College Students Are Constantly Texting in Class

by Suada Kolovic

In what some would consider the most obvious study of all time, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln confirms that the majority of college students are seriously distracted in class and found that smartphones are to blame: According to the study, the average college student checks his or her phone a whopping 11 times a day in class while a mere 8 percent said they never use their phones during a lecture. Of those students using their phones during class, 86 percent said they were texting, 68 percent admitted to checking email and 66 percent were on social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Despite these percentages, students generally downplayed their overall distraction. Fewer than 5 percent considered it a “big” or “very big” distraction when classmates used digital devices and fewer than 5 percent considered their own use to be a “big” or “very big” distraction. “I don’t think students necessarily think it’s problematic,” said Bernard McCoy, associate professor of broadcasting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “They think it’s part of their lives.”

Being plugged in at all times isn’t a new phenomenon: Students have always faced distractions in the classroom but with smartphones and the constant stream of stimuli they provide, a new challenge on focusing and learning has emerged. Do you have a problem using your phone during class? If so, would you consider it to be a serious hindrance to your education?