Stop procrastinating on your master thesis: an intervention based on the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Academic procrastination among master students writing their thesis is concerningly high. Possible negative effects of procrastination are anxiety, depression, physical health issues and degrading academic outcomes. This study researched the effect of a behavioral intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on procrastination among economic master students writing their master thesis at the University of Utrecht. Following a quasi-experimental research approach using a pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control group design of 2x2, 23 participants were included in an experiment. Although the power of the results is low, the results showed that using a nudging technique based on the theory of planned behavior had positive effects on participants who received them compared to those who did not. The results of this study provide an inspiration for future research.