Online and face-to-face classroom multitasking and academic performance: Moderated mediation with self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and gender

Research has shown that multitasking in classrooms negatively impacts students' academic performance. This study investigated the indirect effects of multitasking on academic performance (i.e., Grade Point Average [GPA]) through self-efficacy for self-regulated learning (SESRL) in males and females (i.e., by gender). Measures of multitasking behaviors, in both online and traditional (i.e., face-to-face [F2F]) format classrooms, and SESRL were administered to university students. Two simple mediation and moderated mediation models were tested. The simple mediation analysis indicated that SESRL fully mediated the relationship between multitasking behaviors and GPA in F2F classes, and partially mediated this relationship in online classes. Evidence of moderated mediation effect was only found in online classes suggesting that there was a significant indirect effect for female students only. Female students with higher levels of SESRL experience a limited impact of online multitasking on GPA, resulting in better academic performance. •Multitasking was negatively related to students' Grade Point Average (GPA) in online and face-to-face classrooms.•Multitasking was negatively related to self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in online and face-to-face classrooms.•In face-to-face classrooms, self-efficacy for self-regulated learning fully mediated the multitasking and GPA relationship.•In online classrooms, self-efficacy for self-regulated learning partially mediated the multitasking and GPA relationship.•The moderating effect of gender was only found in online classrooms.