Efficacy of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy on Academic Procrastination Behaviours Among Students Enrolled in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics Education (PCME)

This study assessed the efficacy of a CBT-based program in the reduction of undergraduate students' academic procrastination behaviors. Pre-test post-test randomized control trial experimental design was adopted by the researchers for the study. Sixty-four (64) physics, chemistry and mathematics education undergraduate students who were drawn through proportionate stratified random sampling technique constituted the sample for the study. The students were randomly assigned to experimental (34) and control (30) groups. Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS) Academic Procrastination Behavior Scale (APBS) were used for data collection. PASS and APBS were properly validated by experts in test development and the internal consistency reliability indices of the items estimated as 0.78 and 0.83 respectively using Cronbach Alpha method. Before the commencement of the testing and treatment package, the researchers assured the participants of confidentiality of interactions and personal information as they work together in self-disclosure. Thereafter, pre-treatment assessment (pre-test) was conducted using the PASS and APBS in order to collect baseline data (Time 1). After that, the experimental group was exposed to 90 min of the CBT program twice a week for a period of 6-weeks. The treatment took place between September and November 2018. Post-test (Time 2) assessment was conducted 1 week after the last treatment session. Besides, a follow-up assessment was conducted after 2 months of the treatment (Time 3). Data collected were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. The findings of the study revealed that: the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy on the reduction of academic procrastination among physics, chemistry and mathematics undergraduate students, was significant at posttest and follow-up measures. One of the implications of the findings is that if undergraduate students are not properly counseled, their procrastination behaviors will continue to increase. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Federal government or relevant education authorities should provide enough guidance counselors in the various institutions of higher learning who will assist in the counseling of the students on the dangers of academic procrastination using CBT.