A little push in the back
Nudging students to improve procrastination, class attendance and preparation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14690403 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eva Blondeel (0000-0002-4318-8774, Ghent University, corresponding author), Patricia Everaert (0000-0003-1976-3836, Ghent University), Evelien Opdecam (0000-0001-9459-3019, Ghent University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 2016-2035 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03075079.2023.2288170 |
| OpenAlex | W4389079959 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 41 |
Procrastination is a prevalent problem in higher education, leading to lower performance. Procrastination is often linked with low class attendance and little class preparation, which are two important foundations to process learning materials. Hence, interventions are recommended to overcome procrastination. One promising intervention is nudging. Based on the motivational Expectancy-Value Theory, the current study aims to (1) examine the change in procrastination throughout a semester and (2) investigate whether a nudging intervention can reduce procrastination, increase class attendance and class preparation, and, subsequently, improve performance. A random assignment to treatment experiment is executed in the exercise classes of a first-year undergraduate course (N = 211). The treatment group receives five different nudges throughout the semester, the control group receives no nudges. Nudging was implemented by including an additional sentence (with a link) in the announcements on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Procrastination is measured four times. Class attendance and class preparation are measured weekly. Results show increasing procrastination in the first part of the semester, followed by decreasing procrastination. Additionally, simply providing students with nudges does not yield beneficial effects. However, students clicking more intensively on the nudges report lower procrastination and higher class attendance and preparation. Moreover, the decreased procrastination and increased class preparation caused by intensively clicking on the nudges subsequently resulted in higher performance. This paper contributes to higher education practice by informing educators about the change in procrastination throughout a semester and by offering educators and policy-makers information about the effect of nudging on procrastination
Attendance · Higher education · Mathematics education · Nudge theory · Procrastination · Psychological intervention · Computer Science · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Mind wandering and attention · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology
Nudging in education
Class Attendance in College
Missing data
Expectancy–Value Theory of Achievement Motivation
Nudging in education
“I’ll Be There”
The effect of providing learning analytics on student behaviour and performance in programming
Stimulating higher education students to use online formative assessments
Learning dashboards at scale
The effect of an academic dismissal policy on dropout, graduation rates and student satisfaction. Evidence from the Netherlands
The nature of procrastination
Validation of the Short Form of the Academic Procrastination Scale
The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits
Investigating the effect of academic procrastination on the frequency and variety of academic misconduct
The effectiveness of academic dismissal policies in Dutch university education
Student teachers' emotions in anticipation of their first team practicum
Improving attendance and participation by science students in science, technology and society tutorials
The determinants of academic performance
Supplemental instruction for improving first year results in engineering studies
Impostor phenomenon and motivation
It's been a challenge finding new ways to learn
Predicting undergraduates' academic achievement
Study goals and procrastination tendencies at different stages of the undergraduate degree
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |