Student pacing in a master's level course: Procrastination, preference, and performance

Previous research has shown that many students procrastinate, but wish that they did not do so. The current study replicated research that compared distribution of studying under contingent access to study materials and noncontingent access to study materials in a graduate-level course (Perrin et al., 2011). It extended Perrin et al. (2011) in three ways. First, it evaluated preference for the treatment using a choice procedure; second, the choice procedure allowed for the elimination of an order confound; and third, different measures were used to evaluate performance results. Although contingent access to study materials was successful at reducing procrastination, students typically chose the noncontingent access condition. Preference on the end-of-semester survey aligned with choices made throughout the semester. The data are discussed in terms of implications and recommendations for future research regarding the design of graduate coursework to address student pacing along with student and professor preference.