Interactions Slash Mind Wandering Rates in University Lectures

Past research has suggested that teaching methods are a potential way to decrease mind wandering in order to increase information retention, leading to greater academic achievement in higher education. In the current study, mind wandering rates are compared during interactive and non-interactive teaching methods through the use of a probe-caught, experience-sampling method during three almost identically delivered first-year psychology lectures. Five hundred and twenty eight student volunteers provided their mind wandering status at four times during the 50-minute lectures. Probes one and four followed noninteractive teaching methods (lecturing to a PowerPoint slide), whereas probes two and three followed interactive teaching methods (questioning and student-involved demonstration). It was predicted that the interactive teaching methods would be associated with lower levels of mind wandering than the non-interactive teaching methods. Between the interactive teaching methods, it was predicted that the student-involved demonstration would be associated with lower levels of mind wandering than questioning. In support of hypothesis one, a chi-square contingency test revealed a significant difference between interactive and non-interactive teaching methods χ2(2) = 40.95, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .28, where non-interactive teaching methods (22% mind wandering) were associated with higher levels of mind wandering than interactive teaching methods of a demonstration and questioning (3.5% and 4.5%, respectively). Hypothesis two not supported by the chi-square test, χ2(1) = 0.26, p = .610, Cramer’s V = .03. Parametric analyses are discussed, and limitations and directions for future research are stated