Factors Affecting the Level of Concentration of Senior High School Students

Research has shown that concentration is the opposite of distraction. In other words,
concentration means "concentrating" on something, while distraction means "getting distracted
from something." Distraction is a major problem that most people face on a daily basis. Many
distractions are associated with overstimulation that can overwhelm people and lead to confusion
or apathy. Concentration can be improved and, active participation of students through positive
interaction with teachers leads to higher concentration and better learning in addition to
motivation. Distractions can be internal or external. This is because there are two sounds, one
outside the ear and one inside the ear. Internal distractions occur when students think about
something other than their school work, causing them to become distracted and unable to focus
well on their assignments. External distractions occur when someone or something unrelated to
the lesson distracts them.
The concentration levels in this study (Stuart and Rutherford 1978) refer to the degree to
which students engage with classroom material. As with any human attribute, there are variations
in concentration levels. Some people can concentrate on a task while surrounded by a variety of
stimuli, while others (especially those with learning disabilities) have difficulty concentrating
under all conditions. A study shows that students whose parents are better educated have a higher
level of concentration than students whose parents are less educated. They are also exposed to
more developmental activities and have more contact with their friends than children whose
parents have less education. Lack of concentration in classrooms, especially in student seminars
and conferences, is one of the widespread educational problems. Generally, most people who
participate enthusiastically in a session lose focus and distraction over time, while individual
concentration increases as distracting factors decrease and mental and environmental conditions
change. Various studies have identified some factors that influence concentration, including diet,
intellectual conflict, sufficient knowledge and information from teachers, mastery of the subject,
teaching method, use of teaching aids, light and classroom ventilation.
In a 2012 study in Taiwan, a team of researchers found that high school students'
concentration levels have been declining annually for at least three years. The main reason for
this decline is that students spend time on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
These two reasons are not mutually exclusive; Increases in social media use are likely to be
directly related to decreased academic performance.
A study by Niya Li et al. (2018) found that the correlation was not significant, but it
provides evidence for the idea that greater use of social media can negatively affect students'
academic performance. Social media is available to students of all educational levels. In general,
the use of social networks is not recommended in schools and universities and not all institutions
officially support it. However, some teachers and professors encourage their students to use
social media as a learning tool or as a source of information outside of class.
According to the data collected by Raca and Dillenbourg, the location and seating of
students in classrooms, as well as the use of visual technologies, can also play an important role
in increasing concentration.
 Furthermore, the studies by Servatyari et al. and Haresabadiet al. showed that planners and
teachers can use diverse and effective strategies to increase student concentration.
Active learning engages students through carefully designed activities (Myers and Jones
1993). Realizing that there is a limit to the level of concentration among students, teachers can
intervene to achieve a higher level of concentration with various active measures such as
exercises, questions, special tasks or group activities that help to maintain routine.
With these factors affecting the concentration level of Senior High School Students, they
become more concerned about their academic performance. Nobody can claim that they are
completely distracted, or are always concentrated.
Therefore, researchers came up with the idea of conducting a study to shed some light on
concentration, which can be improved and strengthened by changing some of the existing factors
and getting students activated through positive interaction with teachers in the approach of
presence in learning. This study could also be a way of imparting knowledge to Senior High
School Students.