Academic phubbing: A literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/3034-4255-2026-3-1-51-63Keywords:
phubbing, academic phubbing, problematic smartphone use in educational environments, signs of academic phubbing, determinants of academic phubbing, consequences of academic phubbing, literature reviewAbstract
The widespread use of information technology by students has led to the emergence of ‘academic phubbing’ within educational environments. This phenomenon represents a form of distraction during educational interaction, redirecting a student’s attention to a smartphone for non‑educational purposes. Such behavior reduces engagement in learning and disrupts academic communication with instructors and peers. Academic phubbing can be both intentional and unintentional.
This study reviews the understanding of academic phubbing based on current literature. Relevant studies were searched across seven databases: ScienceDirect (Elsevier), Academic Reference (CNKI — China National Knowledge Infrastructure), Springer Nature, Nature, Sage Publishing, Wiley, and the RSCI (Russian Science Citation Index). Five research articles on academic phubbing in educational settings were selected according to predetermined criteria.
Data extraction and narrative synthesis were performed on these five articles. Five categories were identified: (1) study characteristics, (2) definitions, (3) signs of academic phubbing, (4) determinants of academic phubbing, and (5) consequences of academic phubbing.
The findings emphasize the need for further research to identify ways to counteract academic phubbing in educational environments.
References
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