Main Article Content
Abstract
This study employed Course-of-Action methodology in a mixed-methods approach to examine the impact of screen distractions on Memrise MALL experience in an EFL flipped classroom setting. An Exploratory Sequential Design was utilized to analyze the two-week Memrise MALL experience and its impact on the screen behaviors of 46 Indonesian first-year university students. Descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistics were employed to analyze the quantitative data, while confrontative interview data were transcribed and encoded using in vivo coding to mark key phrases in the participants' comments. Results of the study indicated that social media and entertainment apps were the most common type of distraction and that these distractions had a detrimental effect on task performance. The participants expressed their appreciation for the customizable learning experience and found the app layouts and gamification features were encouraging; however, they found it challenging to switch between multiple tabs or windows on a mobile screen. There was a small correlation between total screen distractions and total vocabulary learned, as well as a strong correlation between total screen distractions and the total time spent on the task.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Azwar Abidin

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References
- Aminatun, D., & Oktaviani, L. (2019). Memrise: Promoting Students’ Autonomous Learning Skill through Language Learning Application. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching.
- Ansari, J. A. N., & Khan, N. A. (2020). Exploring the role of social media in collaborative learning the new domain of learning. Smart Learning Environments, 7, 1-16.
- Azli, W. U. A. W., Shah, P. M., & Mohamad, M. (2018). Perception on the Usage of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in English as a Second Language (ESL) Learning among Vocational College Students. Creative Education, 09, 84-98.
- Chang, Y.-J., Chung, Y.-J., Shih, Y.-H., Chang, H.-C., & Lin, T.-H. (2017). What do smartphone users do when they sense phone notifications? Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers.
- Chen, C.-M., Chen, L.-C., & Yang, S.-M. (2019). An English vocabulary learning app with self-regulated learning mechanism to improve learning performance and motivation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(3), 237-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1485708
- Chen, Q., & Yan, Z. (2016). Does multitasking with mobile phones affect learning? A review. Comput. Hum. Behav., 54, 34-42.
- Corkin, M. T., Peterson, E. R., Henderson, A. M. E., Waldie, K. E., Reese, E., & Morton, S. M. B. (2021). Preschool screen media exposure, executive functions and symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 73, 101237.
- Dieumegard, G., de Vries, E., & Perrin, N. (2021). The ‘course-of-action’ method in the study of lived experience of learners. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 44(1), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2020.1724939
- Dore, R. A., Shirilla, M., Hopkins, E., Collins, M., Scott, M., Schatz, J., Lawson-Adams, J., Valladares, T., Foster, L., Puttre, H., Toub, T. S., Hadley, E., Golinkoff, R. M., Dickinson, D., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2019). Education in the app store: using a mobile game to support U.S. preschoolers’ vocabulary learning. Journal of Children and Media, 13(4), 452-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2019.1650788
- Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2015). Blended Learning in a Mobile Context: New Tools, New Learning Experiences? In M. McCarthy (Ed.), The Cambridge Guide to Blended Learning for Language Teaching (pp. 219-233). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/9781009024754.019
- Eirich, R., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., McGuinness, C., Christakis, D. A., & Madigan, S. (2022). Association of Screen Time With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children 12 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA psychiatry.
- Fathi, J., Alipour, F., & Saeedian, A. (2018). Enhancing Vocabulary Learning and Self-regulation via a Mobile Application: An Investigation of the Memrise App.
- Flanigan, A. E., & Titsworth, S. (2020). The impact of digital distraction on lecture note taking and student learning. Instructional Science, 48(5), 495-524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09517-2
- Giunchiglia, F., Zeni, M., Gobbi, E., Bignotti, E., & Bison, I. (2018). Mobile social media usage and academic performance. ArXiv, abs/2004.01392.
- Golonka, E. M., Bowles, A. R., Frank, V. M., Richardson, D. L., & Freynik, S. (2014). Technologies for foreign language learning: a review of technology types and their effectiveness. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 27(1), 70-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2012.700315
- Green, M. (2019). Smartphones, Distraction Narratives, and Flexible Pedagogies: Students’ Mobile Technology Practices in Networked Writing Classrooms. Computers and Composition.
- Gutiérrez-Colón, M., Frumuselu, A. D., & Curell, H. (2020). Mobile-assisted Language learning to enhance L2 reading comprehension: a selection of implementation studies between 2012–2017. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813179
- Hardyansyah, A. M. (2021). Analysis Students' Perception of Using Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in Reading Class. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature.
- Hollis, R. B., & Was, C. A. (2016). Mind wandering, control failures, and social media distractions in online learning. Learning and Instruction, 42, 104-112.
- Huang, R.-T., Jabor, M. K. B., Tang, T.-W., & Chang, S.-C. (2021). Examine the moderating role of mobile technology anxiety in mobile learning: a modified model of goal-directed behavior. Asia Pacific Education Review, 23, 101-113.
- Kaminske, A., Brown, A., Aylward, A., & Haller, M. (2022). Cell Phone Notifications Harm Attention: An Exploration of the Factors that Contribute to Distraction. European Journal of Educational Research.
- Kay, R. H., Benzimra, D., & Li, J. (2017). Exploring Factors That Influence Technology-Based Distractions in Bring Your Own Device Classrooms. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 55, 974 - 995.
- Kohnke, L., Zhang, R., & Zou, D. (2019). Using Mobile Vocabulary Learning Apps as Aids to Knowledge Retention : Business Vocabulary Acquisition. The Journal of AsiaTEFL.
- Lee, S., Baek, J., & Han, G. (2018). Effects of using a second-screen application on attention, learning, and user experience in an educational content. Interactive Learning Environments, 26(3), 289-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2017.1324494
- Levine, L. E., Waite, B. M., & Bowman, L. L. (2012). Mobile Media Use, Multitasking and Distractibility. Int. J. Cyber Behav. Psychol. Learn., 2, 15-29.
- Li, X., & Chan, M. (2021). Smartphone uses and emotional and psychological well-being in China: the attenuating role of perceived information overload. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1929489
- May, K. E., & Elder, A. (2018). Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15, 1-17.
- McCoy, B. R. (2013). Digital Distractions in the Classroom: Student Classroom Use of Digital Devices for Non-Class Related Purposes.
- Mirzaee, M., & Gharibeh, S. G. (2016). Web-Based Language Learning Perception and Personality Characteristics of University Students. Teaching english with technology, 16, 57-70.
- Mulyawan, U., & Resmayani, N. P. A. (2022). The Use of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) In English Teaching for Hospitality Vocational Students. Journal of Teaching English and Applied Linguistic.
- Norrie, L., & Murray-Smith, R. (2015). Impact of Smartphone Notification Display Choice in a Typing Task. Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct.
- Paradhina, N. R. H. P., & Laksman-Huntley, M. (2021). The Efficacy of Memrise as a Supplementary Study Material in Understanding French as a Foreign Language. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research.
- Pea, R., & Sharples, M. (2022). Mobile Learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3 ed., pp. 362-382). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/9781108888295.022
- Pielot, M., Church, K., & Oliveira, R. d. (2014). An in-situ study of mobile phone notifications. International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services,
- Ruck, J. (2022). Elementary-level learners’ engagement with multimodal resources in two audio-visual genres. The Language Learning Journal, 50(3), 328-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2020.1752291
- Sato, T., Murase, F., & Burden, T. (2015). Is Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Really Useful? An Examination of Recall Automatization and Learner Autonomy.
- Shin, D.-H., An, H., & Kim, J. H. (2016). How the second screens change the way people interact and learn: the effects of second screen use on information processing. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(8), 2058-2079. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2015.1076851
- Taebenu, S. F., & Katemba, C. V. (2021). Vocabulary Enhancement Through Memrise and Google Classroom. Language Literacy: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Language Teaching.
- Winter, J., Cotton, D., Gavin, J., & Yorke, J. D. (2010). Effective e-learning? Multi-tasking, distractions and boundary management by graduate students in an online environment. ALT-J, 18(1), 71-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687761003657598
- Yu, J., Zhou, X., Yang, X., & Hu, J. (2022). Mobile-assisted or paper-based? The influence of the reading medium on the reading comprehension of English as a foreign language. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(1-2), 217-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2012200
References
Aminatun, D., & Oktaviani, L. (2019). Memrise: Promoting Students’ Autonomous Learning Skill through Language Learning Application. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching.
Ansari, J. A. N., & Khan, N. A. (2020). Exploring the role of social media in collaborative learning the new domain of learning. Smart Learning Environments, 7, 1-16.
Azli, W. U. A. W., Shah, P. M., & Mohamad, M. (2018). Perception on the Usage of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in English as a Second Language (ESL) Learning among Vocational College Students. Creative Education, 09, 84-98.
Chang, Y.-J., Chung, Y.-J., Shih, Y.-H., Chang, H.-C., & Lin, T.-H. (2017). What do smartphone users do when they sense phone notifications? Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers.
Chen, C.-M., Chen, L.-C., & Yang, S.-M. (2019). An English vocabulary learning app with self-regulated learning mechanism to improve learning performance and motivation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(3), 237-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1485708
Chen, Q., & Yan, Z. (2016). Does multitasking with mobile phones affect learning? A review. Comput. Hum. Behav., 54, 34-42.
Corkin, M. T., Peterson, E. R., Henderson, A. M. E., Waldie, K. E., Reese, E., & Morton, S. M. B. (2021). Preschool screen media exposure, executive functions and symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 73, 101237.
Dieumegard, G., de Vries, E., & Perrin, N. (2021). The ‘course-of-action’ method in the study of lived experience of learners. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 44(1), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2020.1724939
Dore, R. A., Shirilla, M., Hopkins, E., Collins, M., Scott, M., Schatz, J., Lawson-Adams, J., Valladares, T., Foster, L., Puttre, H., Toub, T. S., Hadley, E., Golinkoff, R. M., Dickinson, D., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2019). Education in the app store: using a mobile game to support U.S. preschoolers’ vocabulary learning. Journal of Children and Media, 13(4), 452-471. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2019.1650788
Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2015). Blended Learning in a Mobile Context: New Tools, New Learning Experiences? In M. McCarthy (Ed.), The Cambridge Guide to Blended Learning for Language Teaching (pp. 219-233). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/9781009024754.019
Eirich, R., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., McGuinness, C., Christakis, D. A., & Madigan, S. (2022). Association of Screen Time With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children 12 Years or Younger: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA psychiatry.
Fathi, J., Alipour, F., & Saeedian, A. (2018). Enhancing Vocabulary Learning and Self-regulation via a Mobile Application: An Investigation of the Memrise App.
Flanigan, A. E., & Titsworth, S. (2020). The impact of digital distraction on lecture note taking and student learning. Instructional Science, 48(5), 495-524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09517-2
Giunchiglia, F., Zeni, M., Gobbi, E., Bignotti, E., & Bison, I. (2018). Mobile social media usage and academic performance. ArXiv, abs/2004.01392.
Golonka, E. M., Bowles, A. R., Frank, V. M., Richardson, D. L., & Freynik, S. (2014). Technologies for foreign language learning: a review of technology types and their effectiveness. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 27(1), 70-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2012.700315
Green, M. (2019). Smartphones, Distraction Narratives, and Flexible Pedagogies: Students’ Mobile Technology Practices in Networked Writing Classrooms. Computers and Composition.
Gutiérrez-Colón, M., Frumuselu, A. D., & Curell, H. (2020). Mobile-assisted Language learning to enhance L2 reading comprehension: a selection of implementation studies between 2012–2017. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813179
Hardyansyah, A. M. (2021). Analysis Students' Perception of Using Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in Reading Class. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature.
Hollis, R. B., & Was, C. A. (2016). Mind wandering, control failures, and social media distractions in online learning. Learning and Instruction, 42, 104-112.
Huang, R.-T., Jabor, M. K. B., Tang, T.-W., & Chang, S.-C. (2021). Examine the moderating role of mobile technology anxiety in mobile learning: a modified model of goal-directed behavior. Asia Pacific Education Review, 23, 101-113.
Kaminske, A., Brown, A., Aylward, A., & Haller, M. (2022). Cell Phone Notifications Harm Attention: An Exploration of the Factors that Contribute to Distraction. European Journal of Educational Research.
Kay, R. H., Benzimra, D., & Li, J. (2017). Exploring Factors That Influence Technology-Based Distractions in Bring Your Own Device Classrooms. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 55, 974 - 995.
Kohnke, L., Zhang, R., & Zou, D. (2019). Using Mobile Vocabulary Learning Apps as Aids to Knowledge Retention : Business Vocabulary Acquisition. The Journal of AsiaTEFL.
Lee, S., Baek, J., & Han, G. (2018). Effects of using a second-screen application on attention, learning, and user experience in an educational content. Interactive Learning Environments, 26(3), 289-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2017.1324494
Levine, L. E., Waite, B. M., & Bowman, L. L. (2012). Mobile Media Use, Multitasking and Distractibility. Int. J. Cyber Behav. Psychol. Learn., 2, 15-29.
Li, X., & Chan, M. (2021). Smartphone uses and emotional and psychological well-being in China: the attenuating role of perceived information overload. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1929489
May, K. E., & Elder, A. (2018). Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15, 1-17.
McCoy, B. R. (2013). Digital Distractions in the Classroom: Student Classroom Use of Digital Devices for Non-Class Related Purposes.
Mirzaee, M., & Gharibeh, S. G. (2016). Web-Based Language Learning Perception and Personality Characteristics of University Students. Teaching english with technology, 16, 57-70.
Mulyawan, U., & Resmayani, N. P. A. (2022). The Use of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) In English Teaching for Hospitality Vocational Students. Journal of Teaching English and Applied Linguistic.
Norrie, L., & Murray-Smith, R. (2015). Impact of Smartphone Notification Display Choice in a Typing Task. Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct.
Paradhina, N. R. H. P., & Laksman-Huntley, M. (2021). The Efficacy of Memrise as a Supplementary Study Material in Understanding French as a Foreign Language. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research.
Pea, R., & Sharples, M. (2022). Mobile Learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3 ed., pp. 362-382). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/9781108888295.022
Pielot, M., Church, K., & Oliveira, R. d. (2014). An in-situ study of mobile phone notifications. International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services,
Ruck, J. (2022). Elementary-level learners’ engagement with multimodal resources in two audio-visual genres. The Language Learning Journal, 50(3), 328-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2020.1752291
Sato, T., Murase, F., & Burden, T. (2015). Is Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Really Useful? An Examination of Recall Automatization and Learner Autonomy.
Shin, D.-H., An, H., & Kim, J. H. (2016). How the second screens change the way people interact and learn: the effects of second screen use on information processing. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(8), 2058-2079. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2015.1076851
Taebenu, S. F., & Katemba, C. V. (2021). Vocabulary Enhancement Through Memrise and Google Classroom. Language Literacy: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Language Teaching.
Winter, J., Cotton, D., Gavin, J., & Yorke, J. D. (2010). Effective e-learning? Multi-tasking, distractions and boundary management by graduate students in an online environment. ALT-J, 18(1), 71-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687761003657598
Yu, J., Zhou, X., Yang, X., & Hu, J. (2022). Mobile-assisted or paper-based? The influence of the reading medium on the reading comprehension of English as a foreign language. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(1-2), 217-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2012200