GradPSYCH - January 2012 - (Page 7)

Students leave their iPods at home during ‘crunch time’ College students are surprisingly good at managing the demands and distractions of a digital world, according a study by Project Information Literacy at the University of Washington. The study investigated how undergraduates manage technology during “crunch time” — the last weeks before final exams — and how they use libraries in the digital age. The researchers conducted 560 interviews with students in libraries on 10 college and university campuses. They found that most undergraduates weren’t playing games, looking at YouTube videos, emailing friends or otherwise demonstrating the lack of attention so often attributed to today’s students, says Alison J. Head, PhD, lead researcher for the study. While 40 percent of the students used cellphones and laptops in the library, few took iPods or gaming devices. “Most students tended to have cell or smart phones so they could keep in touch as they studied, and then a laptop or library desktop computer for preparing assignments, research, studying and reading,” says Head. The most often used computer applications were Web browsers for conducting research and word processing programs. “Only 13 percent had Facebook open at the time of the interviews,” says Head, and then often as an incentive or reward for finishing their work. The researchers also found that students use campus libraries to conscientiously “dial down” their technology usage. “Students talked about using the library as a refuge,” says Head. “They ... lock themselves in a study room where there are no distractions.” Many use library computers to avoid being distracted by what they had downloaded for private use on their home computers, the researchers found. Such findings counter the cliché of the woefully distracted student juggling several devices, Head says. “We found students really attempting to manage their devices and strike a balance between scholastic productivity and personal communication,” says Head. —E. WoJcik gradPSYCH • January 2012 • 7 Photos.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GradPSYCH - January 2012

GradPSYCH - January 2012
Contents
Psychology grad school enrollment drops, despite record numbers of applicants
Students leave their iPods at home during ‘crunch time’
Media Picks
Chair’s Corner
Odd Jobs
Research Roundup
Hot careers: Video game design and development
Friends and co-workers
Time to bail?
Scaling Mount Publication
Need to heal thyself?
Staying connected
Matters to a Degree
Power up your PowerPoint
Dissertations vs. diapers
Searching for answers
Bulletin Board
Jobs, internships, postdocs and other opportunities
The Back Page

GradPSYCH - January 2012

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201109
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com