Zdolność do skupienia uwagi i wielozadaniowości u studentów uczelni wyższych w okresie pandemicznej nauki na odległość

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the impact of the changes in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic on Polish university students’ ability to focus and multitask, and the presumed disproportions in these skills between medical students and other students. We also analysed the differences in the evaluation of the organisation of classes during the pandemic in medicine and in other programmes. The study consisted of a survey on distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, an assessment of cognitive and motivational functions based on the PDQ-20 questionnaire and the authors’ original questions, and a test examining the ability to multitask on the Psytoolkit platform. 201 students participated in the study – 111 medical students and 90 other students. The respondents’ answers indicate their greater exposure to distracting stimuli and their increased tendency to multitask during distance learning. The results of the experimental test show that multitasking affects longer task processing and higher error rates. Medical students were less satisfied with the quality of distance classes. The level of subjective cognitive deficits and multitasking intensity was similar in both respondent groups. According to the above results, the use of methods engaging students in distance learning may be helpful for learning, enhancing the focusing processes. It is the first study investigating university students’ ability to focus and multitask during the pandemic distance learning.