15.07.2025
Distracted while learning – research rarely considers the bigger picture
Meta-analysis: Viewing daydreaming in class as merely a distraction is short-sighted.
Von Philipp Sigle
You should really be focusing on your math problems, but your mind wanders—we've all been there. Learners spend around a third of their learning time “mind wandering,” or simply daydreaming. There's no doubt that being inattentive and distracted can have a negative impact on learning. But how does this fit in with the idea of self-regulated learning, in which learners are supposed to consciously control their attention?
A new systematic review has investigated this question. Tim Fütterer and Babette Bühler analyzed 134 studies on this topic from the last 15 years. Their analysis shows that although mind wandering is frequently studied in research, it is usually detached from the concept of self-regulated learning. In particular, feelings and personal motivation in learning, referred to in technical jargon as affective and motivational processes, have so far played hardly any role in existing publications.
Yet the connection could be promising: modern learning environments that measure eye movements or physiological signals, for example, can detect mind wandering in real time. Combined with knowledge about self-regulated learning, such systems could provide targeted support to pupils or students, for example by providing hints or breaks at the right time. However, this requires a better understanding of how mind wandering and self-regulation interact.
The analysis makes it clear that viewing daydreaming in class as merely a distraction is short-sighted. Properly understood, it can be a key to making learning more individualized and effective.
Publication
Bühler, B., Fütterer, T., von Keyserlingk, L., Bozkir, E., Kasneci, E., Gerjets, P., & Trautwein, U. (2025). Mapping Mind-Wandering to the “Self-regulated learning process, Multimodal Data and Analysis Grid.” A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review (in press).
Medienkontakt
Rebecca Beiter
rebecca.beiter@uni-tuebingen.de