Boredom among students in the classroom is a problem that many school districts are facing. Researchers found that boredom in classrooms is a lot more complicated than they originally thought.

In a German study by educational researcher Dr. Thomas Goetz and his colleague Anne Frenzel, Goetz and Frenzel along with their team gave 63 college students and 80 high school students a PDA device that would beep six times a day. When the device beeped, students were asked to complete a survey about what they were doing and how they felt at the time. Over a two week time period, the college students were bored 28% of the time. The high school students were bored 39% of the time.

This study not only showed researchers how many different kinds of boredom there is, but just how easily students lose focus.

“I lose focus quite often, especially with the long class periods,” senior Sam Rice said about how focused he is in class.

The main cause of student boredom is the lack of interest in a topic. Many kids lose focus in the classes they don’t find interesting or a class that they find mentally challenging.

“I lose focus in class when the material isn’t something I’m interested in,” senior Lauren Trumbull said.

Although boredom may be a problem for students during the school day, there are many things that could be done to avoid losing focus.

Students who engage themselves in the class usually do not lose focus too easily. By participating in class, students have their full attention on the material. Students who aren’t very talkative may have a harder time dealing with boredom. Another way to stay focused is by taking notes.