In today’s fast-paced, media-saturated world, many educators fear that students’ attention spans are shrinking. Some blame long-term traits like ADHD or inattention for poor academic performance. But are these traits really to blame, or does the problem lie in the learning environment itself?
In our latest study (bioRxiv), we measured brain activity (EEG) in 152 students as they watched short, engaging educational videos. We also assessed their long-term attentional traits and working memory.
Our goal: to understand what really drives learning outcomes.
The results were striking. Moment-to-moment attention during the videos, captured directly from neural signals, strongly predicted how well students learned. In contrast, self-reported attentional traits like inattention or hyperactivity had little direct impact on test performance.
In fact, students despite having high inattention traits often sustained effective engagement and learning just as the rest of the students, when the content matched the fast, engaging style they’re used to in today’s digital media.
The takeaway: Rather than blaming students’ traits, educators and technology designers could focus on creating learning experiences that capture and maintain attention in the moment.
Our work shows how neuroscience can help rethink education, and how even students who struggle with attention potentially can thrive in the right environment.