In my research paper, I will discuss how education should focus on teaching children to manage distractions instead of prohibiting smartphone use altogether in the context of the growing prevalence of mobile technology. The main focus of the work will be on the distractions of modern technology and possible ways to overcome them.
Thus, I chose the article “The Influence of Technology on Academic Distraction: A Review.” It was written by Alexander Dontre and published in the journal “Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies” in 2021. I found the article a reliable and helpful source for my paper. It reviews existing research on the topic and aims to provide a comprehensive, unbiased analysis.
The article has a high level of credibility because the journal Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies is a peer-reviewed publication on technology and its impact on human behavior. The article was cited 75 times, and the author has an MS in Business Psychology from Franklin University in Columbus (Dontre, 2021).
In the article, Dontre synthesizes previous studies’ findings to understand better the mechanisms through which technology affects attention and offers suggestions for future research in this area (Dontre, 2021). The author used a systematic review of the existing literature, increasing his conclusions’ reliability and validity.
A special place is given in the work for methods, including exclusion criteria and an explanation of search strategies. For example, we can evaluate Dontre’s approach to analyzing student performance from different sides “such as
- GPA,
- individual student test scores,
- class scores, or
- self-reported academic achievement” (Dontre, 2021, p. 383).
Thus, the verifiable list of credible scientific sources used, the well-defined methodology, and the review nature of the article make it a reliable source.
The conclusions of the article “The Influence of Technology on Academic Distraction: A Review” by Dontre are not explicitly stated. However, the author suggests that technology has apparent adverse effects on academic distraction and that more research is needed to understand the mechanisms better (Dontre, 2021).
Comparing this literature review with similar articles such as “Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?” by Liebherr et al., it can be noted that the authors make the same conclusions (Liebherr et al., 2020). This speaks in favor of the verifiability of the results and data presented in Dontre’s article, as other researchers confirm and deepen this information.
The purpose of the source is to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing knowledge on the influence of technology on academic distraction through a literature review. Dontre claims that “academic distraction is a primary concern for educators in the constantly evolving learning environment” (Dontre, 2021, p. 379).
Therefore, the article is valuable and relates to the topic of my research because the object of study and the environment of study coincide with the chosen topic. An extensive analysis of the literature will allow me to analyze the existing points of view on this issue and find out what current position the scientific community adheres to.
In summary, the work “The Influence of Technology on Academic Distraction: A Review” by Dontre has a high degree of credibility and dependability. First, this article meets academic standards and has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Second, it is easy for an outside reader to assess the applied methodology and the quality of the literature selected for review.
Third, the article is cited in the scientific community, and Dontre’s colleagues on the same topic agree with him in his conclusions. While evaluating the credibility and usefulness of the source, I asked questions about the author’s qualifications and the journal’s reputation.
Furthermore, I evaluated source purposes and whether the methodology choice was appropriate. Another question to ask is if the findings are supported by evidence. Evaluation practice is an essential step in the research process that taught me to ensure the information is trustworthy. This practice helps to avoid using unreliable sources, which can lead to incorrect conclusions and harm the validity of the research.
References
Dontre, A. J. (2021). The influence of technology on academic distraction: A review. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(3), 379-390. Web.
Liebherr, M., Schubert, P., Antons, S., Montag, C., & Brand, M. (2020). Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing?-A review on the effects of smartphone usage on attention, inhibition, and working memory. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 1-8. Web.