Exploring the Relationship Between Multitasking Intention (Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior) and Actual Multitasking Behavior of University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Main Article Content
Abstract
In the context of modern education, media multitasking behavior has become increasingly common and may be associated with lower levels of academic performance. The study aims to explore the relationship between Intention (IT) - based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) - and actual multitasking behavior, measured using the Media Multitasking-Revised (MMT-R) scale at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. A quantitative research design was conducted with 257 students through an online survey administered over a period of one month. Reliability analyses and Pearson correlations were employed to examine the relationships among variables, followed by multiple linear regression to identify predictors of multitasking intention in the classroom. The results show that Attitude (AT) (β = 0.494) is the strongest predictor of IT, followed by Behavioral Beliefs (BB) (β = 0.269). At the same time, IT was strongly correlated with actual multitasking behaviors, including Compulsive Phone Checking (CPC, r = 0.583), Media Distraction (MD, r = 0.532), and the overall MMT-R scale (r = 0.614). These findings confirm the mediating role of intention in bridging cognition and behavior, and also suggest that sustaining long-term multitasking habits, whether active or passive, may be linked to lower levels of self-regulation in classroom learning.
Keywords
Intention, media multitasking, Media Multitasking-Revised scale (MMT-R), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), university students.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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https://doi.org/10.3390/math8112089
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https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/tnu/article/view/49875. [In Vietnamese]: Kết hợp thuyết hành vi có kế hoạch (TPB) và mô hình chấp nhận công nghệ (TAM) vào đề xuất khung phân tích hành vi học trực tuyến tại Việt Nam trong đại dịch Covid-19.
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[23] R. B. Lopez, T. F. Heatherton, J. M. Wagner, Media multitasking is associated with higher risk for obesity and increased responsiveness to rewarding food stimuli, Brain Imaging and Behavior, vol. 14, pp. 1050–1061, Mar. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-019-00056-0
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[32] K. A. M. Daud, N. Z. Khidzir, A. R. Ismail, and F. A. Abdullah, Validity and reliability of instrument tomeasure social media skills among small and medium entrepreneurs at Pengkalan Datu River, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 1026–1037, 2018.
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https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.116.2.220
[2] S. E. Baumgartner, W. D. Weeda, L. L. van der Heijden, and M. Huizinga, The relationship between media multitasking and executive function in early adolescents, The Journal of Early Adolescence, vol. 34, iss. 8, pp. 1120–1144, Feb. 2014.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431614523133
[3] S.-H. Jeong and Y. Hwang, Does multitasking increase or decrease persuasion? Effects of multitasking on comprehension and counterarguing, Journal of Communication, vol. 62, iss. 4, pp. 571–587, Jul. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01659.x
[4] Wallis, C., The impacts of media multitasking on children’s learning and development: report from a research seminar, in The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, New York, Jan. 2010.
[5] E. Ophir, C. I. Nass, and A. D. Wagner, Cognitive control in media multitaskers, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, vol. 106, no. 37, pp. 15583–15587, Sep. 2009.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903620106
[6] R. Junco and S. R. Cotten, No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance, Computers & Education, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 505–514, Sep. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.0 23
[7] R. Hammer, M. Ronen, A. Sharon, T. Lankry, R. Huberman, and Victoria Zamtsov, Mobile culture in college lectures: instructors’ and students’ perspectives, Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects, vol. 6, pp. 293–304, 2010. https://doi.org/10.28945/1316
[8] T. B. Dao, D. Q. T. Bao, N. T. M. Phuong, N. N. B. Uyen, and P. H. Long, The impact of nomophobia syndrome on students’ sleep quality: The mediating role of anxiety and media multitasking, Journal of Science and Technology, The University of Danang, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 293–304, 2025. [In Vietnamese]: Ảnh hưởng hội chứng nomophobia đến chất lượng giấc ngủ của sinh viên - vai trò trung gian của sự lo lắng và đa nhiệm truyền thông. https://doi.org/10.31130/ud-jst.2025.040
[9] J. S. Rubinstein, D. E. Meyer, and J. E. Evans, Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 763–797, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1037//0096-1523.27.4.763
[10] F. Sana, T. Weston, and N. J. Cepeda, Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers, Computers & Education, vol. 62, pp. 24–31, Mar. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.003
[11] K. E. May and A. D. Elder, Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance, International Journal of Education Technology in Higher Education, vol. 15, Feb. 2018, Art. no. 13.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0096-z
[12] S. E. Baumgartner, W. D. Weeda, L. L. van der Heijden, and M. Huizinga, The relationship between media multitasking and executive function in early adolescents, The Journal of Early Adolescence, vol. 34, iss. 8, pp. 1120–1144, Feb. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431614523133
[13] S. Bellur, K. L. Nowak, and K. S. Hull, Make it our time: in class multitaskers have lower academic performance, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 53, pp. 63–70, Dec. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.027
[14] W. A. van der Schuur, S. E. Baumgartner, S. R. Sumter, and P. M. Valkenburg, Media multitasking and sleep problems: a longitudinal study among adolescents, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 81, pp. 316–324, Apr. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.024
[15] J. Lee, L. Lin and T. Robertson, The impact of media multitasking on learning, Learning, Media and Technology, vol. 37, iss. 1, pp. 94–104, Mar. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2010.537664
[16] K. A. Aivaz and D. Teodorescu, College Students’ Distractions from Learning Caused by Multitasking in Online vs. Face-to-Face Classes: A Case Study at a Public University in Romania, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 18, Sep. 2022, Art.no. 11188. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811188
[17] A. Lepp, J. E. Barkley, and A. C. Karpinski, The relationship between cell phone use and academic performance in a sample of U.S. college students, Sage Journals, vol. 5, no. 1, Feb. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573169
[18] I. Ajzen, The theory of planned behavior, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 50, iss. 2, pp. 179–211, Dec. 1991. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
[19] C. S. Chai, X. Wang, and C. Xu, An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior for the Modelling of Chinese Secondary School Students’ Intention to Learn Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, vol. 8, no. 11, Nov. 2020, Art. no. 2089.
https://doi.org/10.3390/math8112089
[20] H. D. L. Thuy and H. T. Truong, Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) into a proposed framework for analyzing online learning behavior in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic, Thai Nguyen University Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 225, no. 07, pp. 549–556, 2020. [Online] Available:
https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/tnu/article/view/49875. [In Vietnamese]: Kết hợp thuyết hành vi có kế hoạch (TPB) và mô hình chấp nhận công nghệ (TAM) vào đề xuất khung phân tích hành vi học trực tuyến tại Việt Nam trong đại dịch Covid-19.
[21] I. Ajzen, Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 32, iss. 4, pp. 665–683, Jul. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb00236.x
[22] C. S. Chai, X. Wang, and C. Xu, An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior for the Modelling of Chinese Secondary School Students’ Intention to Learn Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, vol. 8, no. 11, p. 2089, Nov. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8112089.
[23] R. B. Lopez, T. F. Heatherton, J. M. Wagner, Media multitasking is associated with higher risk for obesity and increased responsiveness to rewarding food stimuli, Brain Imaging and Behavior, vol. 14, pp. 1050–1061, Mar. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-019-00056-0
[24] J. C. Nunnally and I. H. Bernstein, Psychometric Theory, 3rd ed., New York, US: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
[25] J. Cohen, Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed., Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1988.
[26] A. Field, Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics, 4th ed., London, UK: Sage, 2013.
[27] M. Tranmer and M. Elliot, Multiple Linear Regression, Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), University of Manchester, 2008.E
[28] J. F. Hair, W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, and R. E. Anderson, Multivariate Data Analysis, 7th ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ, US: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.
[29] R. V. Krejcie and D. W. Morgan, Determining sample size for research activities, Educational and Psychological Measurement, vol. 30, iss. 3, pp. 607–610, 1970. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
[30] L. B. D. Gottems, E. M. P. D. Carvalho, D. Guilhem, and M. R. G. M. Pires, Good practices in normal childbirth: reliability analysis of an instrument by Cronbach’s Alpha, Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, vol. 26, May 2018. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.2234.3000
[31] K. S. Taber, The use of Cronbach’s Alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education, Research in Science Education, vol. 48, iss. 6, pp. 1273–1296, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
[32] K. A. M. Daud, N. Z. Khidzir, A. R. Ismail, and F. A. Abdullah, Validity and reliability of instrument tomeasure social media skills among small and medium entrepreneurs at Pengkalan Datu River, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 1026–1037, 2018.
[33] J. F. Hair, W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, and R. E. Anderson,, Multivariate Data Analysis, 7th ed., New York, US: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.
[34] D. Alt, College students’ academic motivation, media engagement and fear of missing out, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 49, pp. 111–119, Aug. 2015, Art. no. 0747-5632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.057
[35] L. D. Rosen, L. M. Carrier, and N. A. Cheever, An empirical examination of the educational impact of text message-induced task switching in the classroom: educational implications and strategies to enhance learning, Revista de Psicología Educativa, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 163–177, 2011. https://doi.org/10.5093/ed2011v17n2a4
[36] H. A. M. Voorveld, Media multitasking and the effectiveness of combining online and radio advertising. Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 27, iss. 6, pp. 2200–2206, Nov. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.06.016