Understanding Students' Time Management Within the Context of a College-Success Course

• In Event: Promoting College and Career Readiness Through Self-Regulated Learning in the Classroom

Abstract

We will address two related research objectives: (1) exploring the importance of time management (TM) in college success and (2) extending the research on time usage (e.g., Witkow, 2009) to uncover trends that may explain academic struggles.
TM, the purposeful and efficient use of time in goal-directed behaviors, reflects processes consistent with theoretical models of self-regulated learning (e.g., Pintrich, 2004; Zimmerman, 2002). Effective TM relates to postsecondary academic success (McCarthy & Kuh, 2006), job productivity (Häfner & Stock, 2010), and life satisfaction (Macan, Shahani, Dipboye, & Phillips, 1990). As a result, postsecondary systems designed to support students often target TM (Truschel & Reedy, 2009). However, out of 160 administrators who responded to a national survey, only 35% reported using any theoretical framework to guide services (Robinson, 2015). Efforts to support students who struggle with college readiness may be more robust when tied to scholarly understanding of self-regulatory processes. The present study reflects efforts to address this need in research and practical contexts.
Participants (N = 481, 66% white) were undergraduates in a course designed to improve success in college. In an online questionnaire during the first week of class, students responded to the open-ended question “What do you hope to get out of this course?” A week later, students completed an online survey measuring three aspects of TM: setting goals and priorities, mechanics, and preference for organization (Macan, 1994). They also tracked their time over a seven-day period, tallied time in various categories (e.g., studying, socializing, sleeping), and completed written reflections.
Our presentation will include results from qualitative and quantitative analyses of all of these data sources. For instance, in line with the first objective, content analysis (Hsieh, 2005) of students’ course goals revealed that TM challenges were a common concern (Table 1). Students described ties between procrastination and ineffective studying, as well as perceived benefits of improved efficiency. Consistent with these trends, all three aspects of self-reported TM exhibited statistically significant negative relations with cumulative GPA.
As one effort to address the second objective, preliminary evaluation of students’ time usage revealed disproportionately large amounts of time devoted to non-academic activities. Themes in students’ reflections included discrepancies between expected/actual time use, heightened distractions in certain environments, and tendencies to avoid unappealing coursework. Additional analyses will connect time-usage patterns with student characteristics and elaborate upon trends in the written reflections.
TM contributes to success in both college (Kitsantas, Winsler, & Huie, 2008) and career (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006). Our findings illustrate undergraduates’ struggles to manage their time in academically productive ways. The contextual and motivational constraints involved in poor TM, however, can be addressed through instructional practices that support students in becoming self-regulated learners. Framed primarily within the model of self-regulated learning associated with Pintrich and his colleagues (e.g., Pintrich & Zusho, 2007), our session will conclude by describing course structures, including TM-focused assignments, that engage students in planning, monitoring, evaluating, and adapting academic goals and strategies.

Authors

• Lauren C. Hensley, The Ohio State University

• Christopher A. Wolters, The Ohio State University

• Sungjun Won, The Ohio State University