Sailing Through Media Multitasking Waters: Does Text Messaging Disrupt Video-Based Learning in Lower-Secondary School Students?

Instructional videos are widely used to support learning by presenting complex information through integrated visual and verbal channels. However, they are often consumed in environments that encourage media multitasking, which may divide attention and interfere with learning, particularly among young students. Building on these premises, the study examined early adolescents’ learning from instructional videos under media multitasking conditions. It investigated the effects of multitasking on perceived cognitive load, comprehension, and metacomprehension accuracy immediately and over time, and examined the role of working memory (WM) as a predictor and potential moderator of the effects of media multitasking. In a between-participants design, 112 lower-secondary school students (seventh- and eighth-graders) watched a short instructional video about volcanoes either without interruption (n = 53) or while responding to four chat-like messages (n = 59). Perceived cognitive load was assessed immediately after viewing; literal and inferential comprehension and calibration bias (the discrepancy between predicted and actual performance) were measured immediately and one week later without rewatching the video. Results showed that multitasking did not affect perceived cognitive load or literal comprehension. However, multitasking impaired inferential comprehension and increased calibration bias at the immediate post-test; these differences were no longer evident at the delayed assessment. WM predicted better literal and inferential comprehension and lower calibration bias but did not moderate multitasking effects. Overall, media multitasking selectively disrupted deeper understanding and metacognitive accuracy in the short term, while WM supported learning and monitoring across conditions. • Adolescent students watched an instructional video with or without multitasking. • Multitasking involved responding to chat-like messages during video viewing. • Cognitive load and literal comprehension were not affected by multitasking. • Multitasking impaired immediate, not delayed, inferential comprehension and calibration. • Working memory was a positive predictor but did not moderate multitasking effects.