Implications for Theory and Research

Since this book’s findings focus on stakeholder (i.e., students and teachers) engagement during learning, this chapter provides insight into the three predominant types of engagement analyzed during this case study analysis: behavior engagement, cognitive engagement, and emotional engagement. Findings indicate the importance of all three types of engagement. Case in point, behavioral engagement includes stakeholder actions like time on task, classroom participation, and questioning, behaviors that can all derail learning focus and engagement inside any learning setting. Likewise, emotional engagement (i.e., interest, enjoyment, and enthusiasm) works in tandem with behavioral engagement to foster meaningful and active learning, which culminates in increased cognitive engagement as students and teachers’ academic concentration and cognitive processing improves metacognition. Five themes emerged from this study: loss of learning focus and engagement due to digital distraction, most popular devices used for digital distraction during learning, non-digital and digital influences on digital distraction when learning, digitally distracted behaviors during both synchronous and asynchronous learning, and the difficulties in mitigating digital distraction when learning. Subsequently, one of this book’s biggest takeaways is the importance of creating meaningful digital policy regarding the use and misuse of mobile technology in school.