Task-irrelevant visual distractions and mindful self-regulated learning in a low-stakes computer-based assessment

Introduction There is a growing concern about the threat of distractions in online learning environments. It has been suggested that mindfulness may attenuate the effects of distraction. The extent to which this translates to academic performance is under investigation. We aimed to investigate the relationship between task-irrelevant visual distraction, time pressure, and mindful self-regulated learning in the context of a low-stake computer-based assessment. Methods The study sampled 712 registered users of Prolific.co who were prescreened, current undergraduate university students. After data quality screening, 609 were retained for analyses. A 2 × 2 between-subjects design was used. Participants were randomly assigned to the following groups: (1) a control condition, (2) a distract condition, (3) a time pressure condition, or (4) a distract and time pressure condition. All participants completed reading comprehension questions, demographic questions, and the Mindful Self-Regulated Learning Scale. Results Presenting a visual distraction increased self-reported distraction and having a clock present increased self-reported time pressure. The distraction did not have a statistically significant effect on test performance. Mindfulness was negatively correlated with test performance, self-reported distraction, and self-reported time pressure. Discussion Continuous task-irrelevant visual distractions may not be distracting enough to influence low-stakes testing performance, but they do influence self-perceptions.