Mind wandering in education: the effects of interpolated testing on student attention and learning in live- versus online-delivered lectures

Mind wandering has long been considered a contributor to impoverished learning in the classroom. Research has demonstrated that it is associated with deficits in task performance across a range of activities. Despite considerable existing research which examines mind wandering in education, no studies have yet directly compared rates of mind wandering among students learning from traditional versus online-delivered lectures. Research suggests that interpolation of tests throughout study sequences results in greater retention of lecture material and a reduction in mind wandering among students. This study provides the first empirical investigation into the effects of interpolated testing on students’ rates of mind wandering and retention of lecture material in live versus online lecture settings. Seventy-three university students watched a 34-minute lecture on the topic of psychology, presented in either a face-to-face or online format. At intervals, students were tested on, or asked to re-study, material presented during the lecture. Results revealed no differences in rates of mind wandering or retention of lecture material among students in each of the four conditions. Mind wandering was found to be moderately negatively correlated with retention of lecture material, and additionally was found to increase as a function of time. Given the increasing integration of newly developed technologies into the delivery of higher education around the world today, there is a need for closer examination of its implications for attention and learning. This study goes some way towards addressing that need. The findings, their theoretical and practical implications, as well as possible directions for future research, are discussed