Strategies to Reduce Procrastination in Online Student Learning

Presenter Information

Jennifer WolfFollow

Class

Article

Graduation Year

2017

College

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department

Psychology Department

Faculty Mentor

Christopher Johnson

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Strategies to Reduce Procrastination in Online Student Learning

Previous research has worked to identify the underlying factors contributing to procrastination. Procrastination has many detrimental effects, especially within the educational spectrum. Procrastination often leads students to perform worse on course content, retain less knowledge, and may eventually be the root cause of failing or dropping out. Beyond academic implications, procrastination also affects the student’s health with added stress over looming assignments. Researchers from a number of fields have recognized the severity of these implications and much work has been explored to counteract such behavioral habits. Behavior analysts have recognized procrastination to be a result of Delay Discounting, a curvilinear decision process that chooses a less meaningful reward (smaller-sooner) over a better reward (larger-later) due to the time delay upon receiving it. Episodic Future Thinking incorporates active thinking and engagement with future goals and aspirations to counteract the desire to choose a Smaller-Sooner reward over the Larger-later reward. Based on these concepts derived from behavior analysis theories on the effects of rewards on behavior, as well as studies surrounding Episodic Future Thinking, the present study works to decrease the prevalence of procrastination in college students taking courses online. This study will therefore take two directions: First, using the behavioral reward system, an intervention will be implemented to entice students to submit work ahead of deadlines in their online studies rather than procrastinating. Second, this study will work to employ a method of future orientation to promote Episodic Future Thinking in students for the purpose of reducing their levels of procrastination. It is hypothesized that the two-pronged intervention will result in better academic outcomes compared with equivalent course lacking these components.

Location

North Atrium

Start Date

4-13-2017 1:30 PM

End Date

4-13-2017 2:45 PM

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Apr 13th, 1:30 PM Apr 13th, 2:45 PM

Strategies to Reduce Procrastination in Online Student Learning

North Atrium

Strategies to Reduce Procrastination in Online Student Learning

Previous research has worked to identify the underlying factors contributing to procrastination. Procrastination has many detrimental effects, especially within the educational spectrum. Procrastination often leads students to perform worse on course content, retain less knowledge, and may eventually be the root cause of failing or dropping out. Beyond academic implications, procrastination also affects the student’s health with added stress over looming assignments. Researchers from a number of fields have recognized the severity of these implications and much work has been explored to counteract such behavioral habits. Behavior analysts have recognized procrastination to be a result of Delay Discounting, a curvilinear decision process that chooses a less meaningful reward (smaller-sooner) over a better reward (larger-later) due to the time delay upon receiving it. Episodic Future Thinking incorporates active thinking and engagement with future goals and aspirations to counteract the desire to choose a Smaller-Sooner reward over the Larger-later reward. Based on these concepts derived from behavior analysis theories on the effects of rewards on behavior, as well as studies surrounding Episodic Future Thinking, the present study works to decrease the prevalence of procrastination in college students taking courses online. This study will therefore take two directions: First, using the behavioral reward system, an intervention will be implemented to entice students to submit work ahead of deadlines in their online studies rather than procrastinating. Second, this study will work to employ a method of future orientation to promote Episodic Future Thinking in students for the purpose of reducing their levels of procrastination. It is hypothesized that the two-pronged intervention will result in better academic outcomes compared with equivalent course lacking these components.