RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: While previous research has emphasized the importance of personal beliefs (expectancy-value theories) for achievement-motivated behaviour, it lacks the integration of temporal factors that are also discussed as important drivers of achievement-motivated behaviour. Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) combines both approaches in a formalized manner. AIMS: Although TMT is supported by empirical studies with self-reported academic procrastination, it has not been tested on actual achievement-motivated behaviour. MATERIALS & METHODS: We evaluated the predictive power of the TMT on N = 2351 learning days of 127 psychology students' self-regulated examination preparation for statistics over the course of one semester using logfile data of an e-learning system. RESULTS: The proposed TMT score, incorporating expectancy and value beliefs, sensivitiy to delay, and actual time till examination predicted students' achievement-motivated behaviour significantly. DISCUSSION: Further analyses revealed that not the trait compositions of the TMT, but the temporal proximity of the statistics examination was the main driver of this association. CONCLUSION: The results have important implications for understanding the factors that shape students' motivation to learn and subsequent academic success in actual learning situations. Thus, research should continue to take situational aspects, especially the temporal proximity of goals more into account.
RESUMEN
Burnout symptoms are prevalent among university students. This study examined students' understudied profiles of burnout symptoms and their relation to procrastination, dropout intentions, and study- and life satisfaction. We used cross-sectional data from two online-studies conducted in Germany in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic (N study1 = 597, N study2 = 857). Latent profile analyses indicated three profiles in both studies: (1) well-functioning, (2) moderately exhausted-inefficacious, and (3) burned-out. Most students belonged to Profiles 1 and 2 with low to moderate burnout symptoms. Students in Profile 3 reported the highest symptoms, most procrastination, strongest dropout intentions, and lowest study- and life satisfaction. The distinct profiles broaden knowledge about intra-individual differences in students' burnout experiences and underpin the need for tailored interventions.
RESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic challenges the well-being and academic success of many students. Yet, little is known about students' study satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, a multilayered construct which accounts for students' subjective cognitive well-being and academic success. Besides, previous studies on study satisfaction are mostly cross-sectional and hardly consider the distinct subdimensions of this construct. Therefore, our main goal in this study was to shed light on the understudied development of the subdimensions of study satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction with study content, conditions of studying, and coping with study-related stress) in two semesters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we examined how particular personal (i.e., gender, age, GPA, intrinsic motivation, motivational cost, and academic procrastination) and contextual (i.e., loneliness) factors are related to these subdimensions. We conducted two panel studies with convenience and purposeful samples of university students in Germany (N study1 = 837; N study2 = 719). Participants responded online to questions on each of the subdimensions of study satisfaction at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester but responded to measures of personal and contextual factors only at the beginning of each semester. In both studies, manifest growth curve models indicated a decrease in all subdimensions of study satisfaction as the semester progressed. Generally, gender (male) and intrinsic motivation were positive predictors but age (younger students), motivational cost, and loneliness were negative predictors of different subdimensions of study satisfaction - particularly satisfaction with study content. Overall, motivational costs and loneliness were the most consistent predictors of all subdimensions of study satisfaction across both studies. Our findings provide support for the understanding that study satisfaction could diminish in the face of challenging situations such as in this pandemic. The present study also highlights certain personal and contextual factors that relate to study satisfaction and calls for intensive research into the multidimensional construct of study satisfaction.