Why Did you Stop? - Investigating Origins and Effects of Interruptions during Mobile Language Learning

The technological advances of smartphones facilitate the transformation of learning from the classroom to an activity that can happen anywhere and anytime. While micro-learning fosters ubiquitous learning, this flexibility comes at the cost of having an uncontrolled learning environment. To this point, we know little about the usage of mobile learning applications, particularly the occurrence of interruptions and the harm they cause. By diverting users' attention away from the learning task, interruptions can potentially compromise learning performance. We present a four-week in-the-wild study (N = 12) where we investigate learning behavior and the occurrence of interruptions based on device logging and experience sampling questionnaires. We recorded 276 interruptions in 327 learning sessions and found that interruption type as well as users' context influence learning sessions and the severity of the interruption (i.e., session termination likeliness). We discuss challenges and opportunities for the design of automated mechanisms to detect and mitigate interruptions in mobile learning.