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Phone: (865) 974-9900
Fax: (865) 974-3960

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1400 West Cumberland
Knoxville, TN 37996.0520








Project RITE

Recipients

Students' Motivation and Use of Cognitive Self-Regulated Learning
Strategies as Predictors of Procrastination in Online Courses

Glenda Rakes

Professor, Educational Studies, UT Martin

Overview

Procrastination
Schraw (2007) defines academic procrastination as “intentionally delaying or deferring work that must be completed” (p. 12). Research indicates that procrastination adversely affects academic progress because it limits both the quality and quantity of student work. Procrastination leads to a number of negative results, including a decrease in long-term learning. Despite the obvious consequences of this behavior, over 70% of undergraduate students in one study reported academic procrastination, with about 20% reporting habitual procrastination (Schouwenberg, 1995). Graduate students in another study demonstrated an even greater tendency to procrastinate on academic tasks at a rate of up to 3.5 times that of a comparison group of undergraduate students (Onwuegbuzie, 2004).

For many students, the tendency to procrastinate increases further in the online learning environment. In traditional classes, the requirement to attend lectures forces students to focus on class materials on a regular basis. At least part of their study time is distributed equally across the semester (Elvers, Polzella, and Graetz, 2003). Online students do not participate in regular class meetings, so there is an increased tendency to procrastinate and “cram” more study into less time, often resulting in poorer learning outcomes.

Motivation and Self-Regulation
Research on the effects of academic self-regulation and motivation on learning have demonstrated important links between the two (Schunk, 2005). Students with more developed self-regulatory cognitive skills tend to be more academically motivated and learn more than others (Pintrich, 2003).

Specific relationships should be identified between cognitive self-regulated learning strategies, academic motivation, and a particularly problematic behavior among online students: procrastination. This research will be guided by one primary question: Are online graduate students’ academic motivation and use of cognitive self-regulated learning strategies predictive of procrastination?