Student Off-Task Behavior in Computer-Based Learning in the Philippines: Comparison to Prior Research in the USA

Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Ateneo de Manila University Ryan S.J.d. Baker, Columbia University Teachers College Lisa Rossi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Over the last several decades, there has been considerable evidence that off-task behavior is less common in East Asia and Southeast Asia than in the United States. However, comparisons have been confounded along several dimensions, including differences in curricula and research methods. In this paper, we use quantitative field observations in three studies to compare the rates of off-task behavior and other disengaged behaviors among students in the Philippines and USA. In each study, students use the same intelligent tutoring software, controlling for both curriculum and study method. We find that students in the Philippines exhibited significantly less off-task behavior than students in the USA. However, another form of disengaged behavior, termed gaming the system, appeared to be more common in the Philippines. In follow-up studies, we study other school settings and other adaptive educational technologies in the Philippines, finding similarly low levels of off-task behavior. These findings suggest that international differences in off-task behavior are not just due to confounds in curriculum or research methods. However, at the same time, these findings suggest that disengagement may differ internationally in more complex fashions than was previously thought.