Not Just a Screen: Understanding Students’ Engagement with Digital Technology in Educational Settings

Abstract

This study explores students’ attitudes towards technology for learning, their cellphone use in class, and their digital distraction during educational activities, also considering the potential role of some sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were 803 Italian middle school students (Mage = 12.2 years, SD = 0.9; 53% female). Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we identified five profiles: Low-engagement users, Highly distracted, Disengaged distracted users, Self-regulated users, and Moderate users. Results highlighted small differences between profiles associated with age and maternal educational level. These findings underscore the dual nature of technology as both a valuable tool and a source of distraction from school activities, highlighting the importance of tailored strategies to promote balanced and mindful technology use. Future research should further explore how these profiles interact with broader psychosocial and developmental factors.