Multitasking study

Students who multitask with devices during class -- taking lecture notes while scrolling social media -- can process information in the moment but will struggle to retain that information long term, according to a  recent study. The researchers also report lower exam performance and risk of distracting other students.
Glass, A., & Kang, M. (2018).  Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance.  Educational Psychology. DOI: 10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046

Mobile Phone Multitasking and Academic Performance

This paper reviews the emerging literature on mobile phone multitasking by focusing on three questions concerning the influence of mobile phone multitasking on academic performance:

(a) How does mobile phone multitasking impair learning?

(b) Why does mobile phone use impair learning?

(c) How to prevent from mobile phone distraction?

Findings show that mobile phone multitasking is prevalent among learners, multitasking with mobile phone distracts learning via different ways and mechanisms, and that the effect of multitasking varies on different mobile phone uses, learning tasks, and learners.

Chen, Q. & Yan, Z. (2015). Who multi-tasks and why? Multi-tasking ability, perceived multi-tasking ability, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 34-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.047

Digital multitasking research

Some research finds that digital multitasking distracts from learning, but other research shows that some distractions can boost learning.
Song, J., & Bedard, P. (2014). Paradoxical benefits of dual-task contexts of visuomotor memory. Psychological Science, 26(2), 148-158.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797614557868
Pea, R. et al. (2012). Media use, face-to-face communication, media multitasking, and social well-being among 8-to 12-year-old girls. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 327.

Classtime Internet use research

Even top students can be distracted by Internet browsing during class, according to a  study that finds that students who spent the most time surfing the Internet during class had the lowest exam scores. That includes visiting social media sites, such as Facebook, online shopping, playing games and more.
Ragan, E. et al. (2014). Unregulated use of laptops over time in large lecture classes.  Computers & Education, 87, 78-86. 
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03601315

Multitasking impact research

Contrary to what students might like to think, when they multi-task in class on non-academic activities, their test scores go down. And that's true for even the smartest students. Those are the initial results of a study by a Michigan State University research project underwritten by NSF.
Ravizza, S. et al. (2014, Sept.). Non-academic Internet use in the classroom is negatively related to classroom learning regardless of intellectual ability. Computers & Education, 78, 109-114.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131514001298