Theta power is higher during on-task than idle or off-task states, but is a less robust engagement indicator than alpha power¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i2 Theta power showed a significant main effect of state (F(2, 184) = 11.46, p < 0.001, η²partial = 0.11); on-task vs. idle d = 0.70 and on-task vs. off-task d = 0.69, with no idle–off-task difference (d = 0.01). → Ido Davidesco 2026

Evidence¶

Ido Davidesco 2026¶

Ido Davidesco, Yushuang Liu, Kim Chaloner, Emma Laurent, Gabriella A. Ali, Sarah C. Creider, Sean Hughes, Laura Noejovich, Henry Valk, Dana Bevilacqua, David Poeppel & Suzanne Dikker. (2026). The dynamics of student engagement in cooperative science learning: a multimodal approach. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00457-z

q2 · i2 · associational · r2

Same EEG analysis of 24 students examining relative theta power (4–7 Hz) across video-coded states; a significant ROI main effect (η²partial = 0.30) was also printed, and the state × ROI interaction was not significant.

"Post hoc tests revealed that, across ROIs, when students were on-task, they showed higher levels of theta power than when they idle or off-task (On-task vs. idle: t(184) = 4.17, p < 0.001, d = 0.70; on-task vs. off-task: t(184) = 4.12, p < 0.001,d = 0.69). No difference in theta power was observed between the idle and the off-task states (t(184) = 0.06,p = 0.99, d = 0.01)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Posterior alpha power is higher during idle and off-task states than during on-task states in cooperative learning — related
• During cooperative learning, high-school students alternate between on-task, off-task, and idle states every 10–30 seconds on average — related
• High-school students in cooperative learning appear on-task about 60% of the time, off-task 11%, and idle 13% — related