The increasing integration of digital devices into educational settings has led to an increase in digital behaviours, such as using social media or messaging, or browsing unrelated content, while carrying out academic tasks. These instances, often referred to as cyberloafing or multitasking depending on the context and nature of the primary and secondary behaviours, may affect students’ focus, academic performance and self-regulation skills. Despite growing interest in such phenomenon, there is a need for psychometrically sound instruments with which to measure the causes of such behaviours within higher education contexts.

The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate such a scale for use with university students. Following a systematic scale development process based on literature and expert reviews, an initial item pool was created. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with two samples, each of which consisted of more than 400 participants in e-learning environments. Using data from these two independent samples helped us to establish construct validity and test the model fit. Reliability and validity analyses included internal consistency and convergent/divergent validity metrics.

Additionally, the study investigated the relationships between secondary digital engagement and various demographic variables. The findings are expected to enhance our understanding of digital distraction in educational settings, providing educators, instructional designers, and policymakers with a diagnostic tool to address student engagement, time management, and self-regulation skills. It is hoped that the scale will offer actionable insights for reducing off-task digital behaviours and improving instructional practices in online and hybrid learning environments.

Keywords: Human-computer interaction, multitasking, cyberloafing, digital distraction, scale development.