STLHE 2016 SAPES

Our discussion focuses on student time usage before, during, and after Fall Reading Week (FRW), while considering student stress, academic workload and recreation. We are guided by prior studies as well as an unpublished work presented at STLHE/15 in Vancouver. We tracked student time usage before, during, and after FRW. Across 21 days, 420 students received 3 smartphone notifications asking students what they were doing, their stress and recreation levels, and university workload. We evaluated two hypotheses: whether students who chose to vacation during FRW were less stressed following the break; or whether students who chose to study more were less stressed following the break. A multiple regression analysis predicting student stress after FRW accounted for 49% of the variance, explaining factors contributing to stress after FRW. The second hypothesis was supported: Post-break stress was higher when students were stressed before and during FRW, had a high workload after FRW and recreated a lot during FRW. Tice and Baumeister (1997) found that procrastination caused less stress at the beginning of the semester, but higher levels as time went on, as well as lower grades. Similarly, Kennedy (2013) found that procrastination had positive effects on students’ social life but negatively affected the student's’ academic performance. Comparable to the present study, procrastination was positively correlated with stress. Häfner, Oberst, and Stock (2014) noted that short-term programs stressing self-regulatory skills could change study habits. In Häfner’s follow-up study in 2015, stress levels and the likelihood to procrastinate dropped in an intervention group. The findings of the present study can potentially empower and transform students into more productive and less stressed individuals. We propose that assessments be spaced out to deter procrastination. Moreover, a study week should be advertised as such, and instruction on effective time usage should be provided.


References


Häfner, A. (2015). Decreasing students’ stress through time management training: An intervention study. European journal of psychology of education, 30(1), 81-94.


Häfner, A., Oberst, V., & Stock, A. (2014). Avoiding procrastination through time management: An experimental intervention study. Educational Studies, 40(3), 352-360. doi:10.1080/03055698.2014.899487


Kennedy, G. (2013). An exploration into the influence of academic and social values, procrastination, and perceived school belongingness on academic performance. Social psychology of education, 16(3), 435-470.


Tice, D., & Baumeister, R. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress and health: The cost and benefits of dawdling. American Psychological Society, 8(6), 454-458.