Scott Titsworth

The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning

In this study, we examined the impact of mobile phone usage, during class lecture, on student learning. Participants in three different study groups (control, low-distraction, and high-distraction) watched a video lecture, took notes on that lecture, and took two learning assessments after watching the lecture. Students who were not using their mobile phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Mobile Phones in the Classroom: Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning

This study examined mobile phone use in the classroom by using an experimental design to study how message content (related or unrelated to class lecture) and message creation (responding to or creating a message) impact student learning. Participants in eight experimental groups and a control group watched a video lecture, took notes, and completed tests of student learning. The control and relevant message groups earned a 10–17% higher letter grade, scored 70% higher on recalling information, and scored 50% higher on note-taking than students who composed tweets or responded to irrelevant messages. Sending/receiving messages unrelated to class content negatively impacted learning and note-taking, while related messages did not appear to have a significant negative impact.

Two Meta-analyses Exploring the Relationship between Teacher Clarity and Student Learning

This article reports the findings of two meta-analyses that explored the relationship between teacher clarity and student learning. Combined, the results suggest that teacher clarity has a larger effect for student affective learning than for cognitive learning. However, neither the effects for cognitive learning nor affective learning were homogeneous. Heterogeneous effects were observed for several additional subsets of the datasets. The first meta-analysis reviews the findings of 144 reported effects (N = 73,281) examining the relationship between teacher clarity and student learning outcomes. The cumulative evidence indicates that teacher clarity accounts for approximately 13% of the variance in student learning. The second meta-analysis reports a random-effects meta-analysis of 46 studies (N = 13,501). Moderators were examined and revealed that study design (i.e., survey versus experiment) moderated the impact of instructor clarity on affective learning. No significant moderators were found for cognitive learning. The cumulative results confirm that teacher clarity has a moderate effect on student affective and cognitive learning; however, persistent heterogeneity among the samples implies the presence of one or more moderating variables. Theoretical, practical, and methodological implications are discussed. Recommendations are made for future clarity researchers including a shift back to using low-inference behavioral measurements instead of high-inference perceptual measurements.

Student Misbehaviors in Online Classrooms: Scale Development and Validation

The current program of research included two studies that developed the Student Online Misbehaviors (SOMs) scale and explored relationships between the SOMs and various classroom communication processes and outcomes. The first study inductively developed initial SOM typologies and tested factor structure via an exploratory factor analysis. Subsequently, the second study evaluated the model fit through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and assessed relationships between students’ perceptions of their online misbehaviors, perceived learning, and various demographic characteristics. Four factors were found in the SOMs scale: Seeking Unallowed Assistance, Internet Slacking, Aggressiveness, and Lack of Communication. Reliability and validity were established. Results indicated certain demographics were related to perceptions of use and severity of SOMs; SOMs were minimally related to students’ perception of learning.

Improving situational awareness for instructional communication research: a forum response

Authors in this forum provide direct and well-justified answers to the guiding question. Although nuanced differences exist, readers will likely arrive at a common conclusion: instructional communi...