The Effects Of Mind Wandering On The Classroom - 2037 Words

There has been debate as to whether or not the everyday occurrence of mind wandering affects the learning of those in higher education. Research has found a connection between mind wandering and poor meta-cognitive skills therefore leading to a loss of attention in the classroom. Throughout the course of this essay it will be discussed whether or not mind wandering does in fact have an impact on learning at a higher education level and if so how it affects it. Other components of the topic that will be considered are whether there are people that are more susceptible to mind wandering in an educational setting than others and also the measures used by researchers to find the connection between student and the amount their minds wander. The costs and benefits of mind wandering within higher education will be debated and critically evaluated illustrating both sides of the argument. The essay will be in favour of the opinion that the cost of mind wandering in the classroom outweighs the benefits and in turn has an overall negative effect on the learning of those in higher education. Mind Wandering more commonly referred to in everyday life as day dreaming, is effectively the drifting of the mind from an intended task such as listening to a lecturer at university to an unrelated idea, memory or other thought. (Smallwood Schooler, 2006). It has been suggested throughout much research that mind wandering can be a significant impairment to ones higher education. It is anShow MoreRelatedEffect Of Mind Wandering On The Processing Of Relevant And Irrelevant Events888 Words   |  4 PagesGreer, J ; Smallwood, J. (2011). Absorbed in thought: the effect of mind wandering on the processing of relevant and irrelevant events. 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