The myths of the digital native and the multitasker

Kirschner, Paul A.; De Bruyckere, Pedro

doi:10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001

Cited by 796Generational Differences and TrendsLearning Styles and Cognitive DifferencesDigital Media and Philosophy

The myths of the digital native and the multitasker

Open access

Kirschner, Paul A., De Bruyckere, Pedro·2017·Teaching and Teacher Education

DOI 10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001

Cites

64 of 64 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Librarians affirm the lack of search skills prevalent especially among students and so‐called digital natives.
“Indeed, librarians affirm the lack of search skills prevalent especially among students89, 92 and so‐called digital natives.88, 93”
From Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta‐analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar, PubMed, and 26 other resources (2020) · cites this paper as [93]

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006) · Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x · Cited by 12,604 · see citing works
The Computer for the 21st Century
Weiser, M. (1991) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0991-94 · Cited by 10,017 · see citing works
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
(2012) · Corwin Press eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781483387765.n6 · Cited by 7,114 · see citing works
Costs of a predictible switch between simple cognitive tasks.
Rogers, R. D., & Monsell, S. (1995) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.124.2.207 · Cited by 3,170 · see citing works
Dual-task interference in simple tasks: data and theory
Pashler, H. (1994) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.116.2.220 · Cited by 3,112 · see citing works
Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation
Tapscott, D. (1997) · Cited by 2,661 · see citing works
Educating the Net Generation
Oblinger, D. G., Oblinger, J. L., & Lippincott, J. K. (2005) · Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (Québec government) · Cited by 2,290 · see citing works
E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning
Clark, R. C., Mayer, R. E., & Thalheimer, W. (2003) · Performance Improvement Journal · doi:10.1002/pfi.4930420510 · Cited by 2,257 · see citing works
Cognitive control in media multitaskers
Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. D. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0903620106 · Cited by 1,810 · see citing works
Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
Rohde, H., Kehler, A., & Elman, J. L. (2007) · Cognitive Science · Cited by 1,782 · see citing works
Facebook and academic performance
Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.024 · Cited by 1,578 · see citing works
Self-citation
Digital Na(t)ives? Variation in Internet Skills and Uses among Members of the “Net Generation”
Hargittai, E. (2010) · Sociological Inquiry · doi:10.1111/j.1475-682x.2009.00317.x · Cited by 1,564 · see citing works
Digital Inequality: Differences in Young Adults' Use of the Internet
Hargittai, E., & Hinnant, A. (2008) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650208321782 · Cited by 1,251 · see citing works
Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance · doi:10.1037//0096-1523.27.4.763 · Cited by 1,207 · see citing works
The shallows: what the Internet is doing to our brains
(2010) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.48-1521 · Cited by 1,104 · see citing works
Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students’ use of digital technologies
Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A. H., & Vojt, G. (2010) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.09.004 · Cited by 1,091 · see citing works
Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying
Rosen, L. D., Mark Carrier, L., & Cheever, N. A. (2013) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.001 · Cited by 875 · see citing works
Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching.
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001) · Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Perception & Performance · doi:10.1037/0096-1523.27.4.763 · Cited by 873 · see citing works
The shallows. What internet is doing to our brains
Lucena, J. M. (2011) · Comunicación y Hombre · doi:10.32466/eufv-cyh.2011.7.442.263-267 · Cited by 859 · see citing works
No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance
Junco, R., & Cotten, S. R. (2012) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.12.023 · Cited by 810 · see citing works
The digital native – myth and reality
Selwyn, N. (2009) · Aslib Proceedings · doi:10.1108/00012530910973776 · Cited by 749 · see citing works
Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers
Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.003 · Cited by 707 · see citing works
Threaded cognition: An integrated theory of concurrent multitasking.
Salvucci, D. D., & Taatgen, N. (2008) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.115.1.101 · Cited by 669 · see citing works
The Google generation: the information behaviour of the researcher of the future
Rowlands, I., Nicholas, D., Williams, P., Huntington, P., Fieldhouse, M., Gunter, B., Withey, R., Jamali, H. R., Dobrowolski, T., & Tenopir, C. (2008) · Aslib Proceedings · doi:10.1108/00012530810887953 · Cited by 617 · see citing works
Executive Control Deficits as a Prodrome to Falls in Healthy Older Adults: A Prospective Study Linking Thinking, Walking, and Falling
Herman, T., Mirelman, A., Giladi, N., Schweiger, A., & Hausdorff, J. M. (2010) · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · doi:10.1093/gerona/glq077 · Cited by 497 · see citing works
The app generation: how today's youth navigate identity, intimacy, and imagination in a digital world
(2014) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.51-5659 · Cited by 470 · see citing works
The multitasking clinician: Decision-making and cognitive demand during and after team handoffs in emergency care
Laxmisan, A., Hakimzada, F., Sayan, O. R., Green, R. A., Zhang, J., & Patel, V. L. (2007) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2006.09.019 · Cited by 449 · see citing works
Who multi-tasks and why? Multi-tasking ability, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking
Sanbonmatsu, D. M., Strayer, D. L., Medeiros-Ward, N., & Watson, J. M. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054402 · Cited by 440 · see citing works
Frequent Use of Social Networking Sites Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning Among Children and Adolescents
Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Lewis, R. F. (2015) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2015.0055 · Cited by 424 · see citing works
Living and Learning with New Media: Summary of Findings from the Digital Youth Project
Ito, M., Pascoe, C. J., boyd, D., Horst, H., Robinson, L., Bittanti, M., Ito, M., & Lange, P. G. (2009) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/8519.003.0004 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
In-class multitasking and academic performance
Reynol Junco, A. (2012) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.031 · Cited by 385 · see citing works
Digital divides? Student and staff perceptions of information and communication technologies
Waycott, J., Bennett, S., Kennedy, G. E., Dalgarno, B., & Gray, K. M. (2009) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.006 · Cited by 381 · see citing works
Teaching and Learning with the Net Generation
Barnes, K., Marateo, R. C., & Ferris, S. P. (2007) · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · Cited by 379 · see citing works
Communication loads on clinical staff in the emergency department
Coiera, E. W., Jayasuriya, R., Hardy, J., Bannan, A., & Thorpe, M. E. C. (2002) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2002.tb04482.x · Cited by 379 · see citing works
Isolation of a Central Bottleneck of Information Processing with Time-Resolved fMRI
Dux, P. E., Ivanoff, J., Asplund, C. L., & Marois, R. (2006) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2006.11.009 · Cited by 373 · see citing works
"Don't bother me Mom, I'm learning!" : how computer and video games are preparing your kids for 21st century success and how you can help!
Prensky, M., & Gee, J. P. (2006) · Paragon House eBooks · Cited by 298 · see citing works
An investigation of middle school science teachers and students use of technology inside and outside of classrooms: considering whether digital natives are more technology savvy than their teachers
Wang, S., Hsu, H., Campbell, T., Coster, D. C., & Longhurst, M. (2014) · Educational Technology Research and Development · doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9355-4 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
How Has the Internet Reshaped Human Cognition?
Loh, K. K., & Kanai, R. (2016) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/1073858415595005 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Living and Learning with New Media
Ito, M., Horst, H. A., Bittanti, M., boyd, D., Stephenson, B. H., Lange, P. G., Pascoe, C. J., Robinson, L., Baumer, S., Cody, R. G., et al. (2009) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/8519.001.0001 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
Adapting Your Teaching to Accommodate the Net Generation of Learners
Skiba, D. J., & Barton, A. J. (2006) · OJIN The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing · doi:10.3912/ojin.vol11no02man04 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Distractions, distractions: Does instant messaging affect college students’ performance on a concurrent reading comprehension task?
Fox, A. B., Rosen, J., & Crawford, M. (2009) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0107 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
The net generation and digital natives: implications for higher education
Jones, C., & Shao, B. (2011) · Open Research Online (The Open University) · Cited by 229 · see citing works
A Unified attentional bottleneck in the human brain
Tombu, M. N., Asplund, C. L., Dux, P. E., Godwin, D., Martin, J. W., & Marois, R. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1103583108 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
The net generation are not big users of Web 2.0 technologies: preliminary findings
Kennedy, G. E., Dalgarno, B., Gray, K. M., Judd, T. S., Waycott, J., Bennett, S., Maton, K., Krause, K.-L. D., Bishop, A., Chang, R., et al. (2007) · Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) · doi:10.25916/sut.26270029 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Do we need teachers as designers of technology enhanced learning?
Kirschner, P. A. (2015) · Instructional Science · doi:10.1007/s11251-015-9346-9 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Self-citation
The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy
Carter, S. P., Greenberg, K., & Walker, M. S. (2016) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.12.005 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Bottom-up Technology Transmission Within Families: Exploring How Youths Influence Their Parents' Digital Media Use With Dyadic Data
Correa, T. (2014) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1111/jcom.12067 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Higher Media Multi-Tasking Activity Is Associated with Smaller Gray-Matter Density in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Loh, K. K., & Kanai, R. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106698 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
EU kids online II: final report 2011
Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., & Ólafsson, K. (2011) · London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation
Rosen, L. D. (2007) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Cognitive load in hypermedia reading comprehension: Influence of text type and linearity
Zumbach, J., & Mohraz, M. (2007) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2007.02.015 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Urban myths about learning and education
Lockee, B. B., Bruyckere, P. D., Kirschner, P. A., & Hulshof, C. (2015) · TechTrends · doi:10.1007/s11528-015-0905-3 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Self-citation
Dual-task interference with equal task emphasis: Graded capacity sharing or central postponement?
Ruthruff, E., Pashler, H., & Hazeltine, E. (2003) · Perception & Psychophysics · doi:10.3758/bf03194816 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Confronting the technological pedagogical knowledge of Finnish Net Generation student teachers
Valtonen, T., Pöntinen, S., Kukkonen, J., Dillon, P., Väisänen, P., & Hacklin, S. (2011) · Technology Pedagogy and Education · doi:10.1080/1475939x.2010.534867 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Odrastanje u digitalnom dobu - Wim Veen, Ben Vrakking: Homo zappiens: Growing up in a digital age, Network continuum education, London, 2006
Bubonjić, M. (2013) · CM Communication and Media · doi:10.5937/comman1327169b · Cited by 86 · see citing works
"Digital Natives": An Asian Perspective for Using Learning Technologies.
Kennedy, D. M., & Fox, B. (2013) · The International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (The University of the West Indies) · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Multimedia Technologies and Familiar Spaces: 21st-Century Teaching for 21st-Century Learners
Lambert, J. L., & Cuper, P. (2008) · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Focus on driving
Brumby, D. P., Salvucci, D. D., & Howes, A. (2009) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/1518701.1518950 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Division of Attention: The Single-Channel Hypothesis Revisited
Gladstones, W. H., Regan, M., & Lee, R. B. (1989) · The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A · doi:10.1080/14640748908402350 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Do UOC students fit in the Net Generation profile? An approach to their habits in ICT use
Carbonell, M. R., Catasús, M. G., Sangrà, A., et al. (2013) · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning · doi:10.19173/irrodl.v14i3.1422 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Gaming in Technology Education.
Clark, A. C., & Ernst, J. V. (2009) · Cited by 23 · see citing works
The digital divide between university students and teachers in Hong Kong
McNaught, C., Lam, P. L. C., & Ho, A. (2009) · ASCILITE Publications · doi:10.14742/apubs.2009.2191 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Exploring Human Multitasking Strategies from a Cognitive Constraint Approach
Brumby, D. P., & Salvucci, D. D. (2006) · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Bouwstenen voor High Impact Learning
van Leeuwen, L., & Biemans, P. (2015) · Cited by 3 · see citing works

Flagged first, then by citations

Sorted by citations

Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta‐analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar, PubMed, and 26 other resources
Gusenbauer, M., & Haddaway, N. R. (2020) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.1378 · Cited by 2,379 · see citing works
“Indeed, librarians affirm the lack of search skills prevalent especially among students(89,92) and so-called digital natives.(88,93) We hope our study helps to create awareness of the importance of search literacy.”
Background
Workplace literacy skills—how information and digital literacy affect adoption of digital technology
Nikou, S., De Reuver, M., & Mahboob Kanafi, M. (2022) · Journal of Documentation · doi:10.1108/jd-12-2021-0241 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
The influence of technology on academic distraction: A review
Dontre, A. J. (2021) · Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.1002/hbe2.229 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Learning analytics in European higher education—Trends and barriers
Tsai, Y.-S., Rates, D., Moreno-Marcos, P. M., Muñoz-Merino, P. J., Jivet, I., Scheffel, M., Drachsler, H., Delgado Kloos, C., & Gašević, D. (2020) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103933 · Cited by 192 · see citing works
AI advocates and cautious critics: How AI attitudes, AI interest, use of AI, and AI literacy build university students’ AI self-efficacy.
Bewersdorff, A., Hornberger, M., Nerdel, C., & Schiff, D. S. (2025) · Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100340 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Swedish teenagers’ difficulties and abilities to determine digital news credibility
Nygren, T., & Guath, M. (2019) · Nordicom Review · doi:10.2478/nor-2019-0002 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Effect of multitasking, physical environment and electroencephalography use on cognitive load and retention
Örün, Ö., & Akbulut, Y. (2019) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.11.027 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Digital literacy and digital self-efficacy of Australian technology teachers
Cosby, A., Fogarty, E. S., & Manning, J. (2023) · Education Sciences · doi:10.3390/educsci13050530 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Navigating Through Electronic Health Records: Survey Study on Medical Students’ Perspectives in General and With Regard to a Specific Training
Herrmann-Werner, A., Holderried, M., Loda, T., Malek, N., Zipfel, S., & Holderried, F. (2019) · JMIR Medical Informatics · doi:10.2196/12648 · Cited by 20 · see citing works

Authors: Kirschner, P. A., & De Bruyckere, P.
Affiliations: Open University of the Netherlands (NL)
Corresponding author: Kirschner, Paul A.
ORCID: Kirschner, Paul A.
De Bruyckere, Pedro
Venue: Teaching and Teacher Education
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2017-10
Volume: 67
Pages: 135-142
ISSN: 0742-051X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001
OpenAlex: W2625526009
Cited by: 796
References: 64
Citations by year: 2026: 104 · 2025: 95 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 101 · 2022: 99 · 2021: 93 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 93 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 4
FWCI: 176.27
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
hdl.handle.net
Licence: cc-by-nc-nd
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Teaching and Teacher Education (publishedVersion)
DSpace (Open University in the Netherlands) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
DSpace (Open University in the Netherlands) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders: Joint Information Systems Committee
Topics: Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Generational Differences and Trends
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Learning Styles and Cognitive Differences
Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Digital Media and Philosophy
Keywords: digital natives, multitasking, information skills, digital media, generational differences, education policy, information processing, learning design

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The myths of the digital native and the multitasker

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks