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Multitasking behavior in online classrooms and academic performance: case of university students in Ecuador during COVID-19 outbreak

Aldo Alvarez-Risco (Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru)
Alfredo Estrada-Merino (Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru)
María de las Mercedes Anderson-Seminario (Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru)
Sabina Mlodzianowska (Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru)
Verónica García-Ibarra (Universidad Politécnica Estatal Del Carchi, Tulcan, Ecuador)
Cesar Villagomez-Buele (Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador)
Mauricio Carvache-Franco (Universidad Espiritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador)

Interactive Technology and Smart Education

ISSN: 1741-5659

Article publication date: 30 December 2020

Issue publication date: 4 October 2021

3119

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore university students' multitasking behavior in online classrooms and their influence on academic performance. Also, the study examined students' opinions.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 302 university students fulfilled an online survey. Ten questions were focused on demographic information, five items evaluated online class behavior of students, 9 items evaluated self-efficacy and four items measured academic performance.

Findings

Multitasking behavior was found to negatively influence self-efficacy of −0.332, whereas self-efficacy showed a positive influence of 0.325 on academic performance. Cronbach's alpha and average variance extracted values were 0.780 and 0.527 (multitasking behavior), 0.875 and 0.503 (self-efficacy), 0.781 and 0.601 (academic performance). Outcomes of the bootstrapping test showed that the path coefficients are significant.

Originality/value

The research findings may help university managers understand undergraduates’ online and face-to-face behavior and strategies to improve the behavior to ensure the best academic outcomes. The novelty is based on using the partial least square structural equation modeling technique.

Keywords

Citation

Alvarez-Risco, A., Estrada-Merino, A., Anderson-Seminario, M.d.l.M., Mlodzianowska, S., García-Ibarra, V., Villagomez-Buele, C. and Carvache-Franco, M. (2021), "Multitasking behavior in online classrooms and academic performance: case of university students in Ecuador during COVID-19 outbreak", Interactive Technology and Smart Education, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 422-434. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-08-2020-0160

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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