Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Jianzhong Xu1, José Carlos Núñez2, Jennifer Cunha3, and Pedro Rosário3
1 Mississippi State University,
2 Universidad de Oviedo, and
3 Universidade do Minho
Background: Increasingly, postsecondary students enroll in distance learning courses and complete homework online, which extends their learning opportunities regardless of where they are. Online homework requires self-control from students to cope with conventional and tech-related distractors, however research on this topic is scarce. There is a need to develop an instrument to assess online homework distractions in higher education. Method: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Online Homework Distraction Scale (OHDS) based on 612 undergraduates in China. After randomly dividing the sample into two groups, we carried out a principal component analysis (PCA) with one group and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with another group. Results: Both PCA and CFA findings indicated that tech-related distraction and conventional distraction were empirically indistinguishable for college students. Given acceptable measurement invariance, the latent factor mean was examined over gender for all participants and found that men were more distracted while doing online homework. Concerning validity evidence, in line with theoretical predictions, the OHDS was negatively related to online homework expectancy, value, effort, and time management. Conclusions: Our study provides strong evidence that the OHDS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring online homework distraction.
Online Homework Distraction Scale: un Estudio de Validación. Antecedentes: el aprendizaje online requiere del autocontrol para hacer frente a los distractores convencionales y los relacionados con las nuevas tecnologías. En la Educación Superior, existe la necesidad de desarrollar un instrumento para evaluar los distractores a la hora de realizar las tareas para casa en modo online. Método: el estudio examinó las propiedades psicométricas de la Online Homework Distraction Scale (OHDS). Participaron 612 estudiantes universitarios de China. La muestra fue dividida aleatoriamente en dos grupos. Se realizó Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP) con un grupo y Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (AFC) con el otro grupo. Resultados: los resultados del ACP y del AFC indicaron que la distracción relacionada con la tecnología y la distracción convencional eran empíricamente indistinguibles. Constatada una invariancia de medida aceptable, se examinó la media del factor latente sobre el género para todos los participantes. Los hombres se distraen más que las mujeres mientras realizan las tareas online. Con respecto a la evidencia de validez, el OHDS se relacionó negativamente con la expectativa, el valor, el esfuerzo y la gestión del tiempo. Conclusiones: hay evidencia sólida de que el OHDS es un instrumento válido y fiable para medir el nivel de distracción en tareas online.
SPANISH
ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2020.60