Newswise — Washington, DC (June 14, 2016) — There is growing evidence that certain types of mobile device behavior in the classroom—especially texting and spending time on Facebook—are detrimental to learning. However, Dr. Keri K. Stephens of the University of Texas and Gabriel Pantoja of Texas A&M University recently found that not all students are “goofing off” in class when they use a mobile device.

Stephens and Pantoja can provide insight into the following:

-What are some reasons students pick up their phones in the classroom?-Are students using their phones in class to enhance their learning?-What kinds of students are most likely to exhibit positive communicative behaviors in class?-Do classroom cellphone policies influence how and why students use their cellphones in class?

WHO:Keri K. Stephens Associate Professor of Communication, the University of Texas at AustinGabriel E. Pantoja Doctoral student, Texas A&M University

Stephens and Pantoja are the authors of “Mobile devices in the classroom: Learning motivations predict specific types of multicommunicating behaviors,” a scholarly journal article studying mobile phone use in the classroom. Their piece was featured in the June issue of the National Communication Association’s Communication Currents, an online digest of recently published Communication research.

CONTACT: To schedule an interview with Dr. Stephens or Mr. Pantoja, please contact Natalia López-Thismón at [email protected] or 202-534-1104.

About the National Communication AssociationThe National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.

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