Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 4-27-2023
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Karen Kellum
Second Advisor
Joshua Eyler
Third Advisor
Tom Brady
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Procrastination is one of the most common behaviors that interfere with student success (Liu et al., 2020). It affects student performance and has long-lasting effects on motivation. Several studies have shown that motivational interventions can reduce procrastination levels (Liu et al., 2020). Goal setting has been particularly successful (Grunschel et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2020; Schwinger et al., 2009). The present study is focused on the evaluation of whether proximal goal setting will affect academic procrastination in an online, asynchronous class. Seventy-eight undergraduate students enrolled in such a class were invited to participate in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A was the intervention group that received a motivational video and instructions on how to complete a S.M.A.R.T. Goal Worksheet via email prior to the beginning of the semester. Group B was the waitlist control group, and received the same intervention part-way through the semester. Both groups received a procrastination scale to complete prior to the beginning of the semester. Measures included grades, assignments completed on time, S.M.A.R.T. Goal Worksheet completion, and procrastination scale measures. The results indicated no differences between the groups on the number of assignments completed nor on the number of points earned. Additionally, no relationship was found between the procrastination scale and other measures. The authors discuss limitations and suggestions for future research.
Recommended Citation
Perkins, Abigail, "The Effects of Motivational Intervention on College Students in Asynchronous Classes" (2023). Honors Theses. 2995.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2995
Accessibility Status
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