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 multitasking intention - 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 intention, followed by Behavioral Beliefs (BB) (β = 0.269). At the same time, intention 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 linked to lower levels of self-regulation in classroom learning.
Keywords
Behavioral intention, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), media multitasking, Media Multitasking-Revised Scale (MMT-R), university students.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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[21] [In Vietnamese]: Hoàng Đàm Lương Thúy, Hoàng Trọng Trường, 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, Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ - Đại học Thái Nguyên, tập. 225, số. 07, tr. 549–556, 2020. https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/tnu/article/view/49875
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https://doi.org/10.3390/math8112089
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[2] Baumgartner, S. E., Weeda, W. D., van der Heijden, L. L., and Huizinga, M., 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] 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
[4] 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
[5] [In Vietnamese]: T. B. Đạo, Đ. Q. T. Bảo, N. T. M. Phương, N. N. B. Uyên và P. H. Long, 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, Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ, Đại học Đà Nẵng, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 293–304, 2025. https://doi.org/10.31130/ud-jst.2025.040
[6] 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
[7] Jeong, S.‐H., and Hwang, Y., 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
[8] 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.
[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] 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, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.0 23
[13] M. T. Tobing Minar, I. S. Sibarani, and Z. Butar Butar, The Effectiveness of use of digital learning media on student creativity in citizenship education subjects, International Journal of Education Research Excellence, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 584–594, Jul.–Dec. 2024.
https://doi.org/10.55299/ijere.v3i2.1030
[14] 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
[15] 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
[16] 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
[17] 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
[18] 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, p. 11188, Sep. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811188
[19] 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
[20] 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
[21] [In Vietnamese]: Hoàng Đàm Lương Thúy, Hoàng Trọng Trường, 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, Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ - Đại học Thái Nguyên, tập. 225, số. 07, tr. 549–556, 2020. https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/tnu/article/view/49875
[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] Krejcie, R. V., and Morgan, D. W., Determining sample size for research activities, Educational and Psychological Measurement, vol. 30, iss. 3, pp. 607–610, 1970. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
[24] J. C. Nunnally and I. H. Bernstein, Psychometric Theory, 3rd ed., New York, 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: Sage, 2013.
[27] M. Tranmer and M. Elliot, Multiple Linear Regression, Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), University of Manchester, 2008.
[28] A. Field, Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, 3rd ed., London, U.K.: SAGE Publications, 2009.
[29] 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, vol. 14, pp. 1050–1061, Mar. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-019-00056-0
[30] D. Alt, College students’ academic motivation, media engagement and fear of missing out, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 49, no. 0747-5632, pp. 111–119, Aug. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.057
[31] L. D. Rosen, A. F. Lim, 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
[32] Voorveld, H. A. M., 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
[33] Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., and Anderson, R. E., Multivariate Data Analysis, 7th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.
[34] 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, no. 0, May 2018. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.2234.3000
[35] Taber, K. S., 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
[36] Daud, K.A.M., Khidzir, N.Z., Ismail, A.R. and Abdullah, F.A., 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.