The Impact of Metacognitive Skills Training on the Reduction of Academic Procrastination and Test Anxiety

The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of metacognitive skills training on the reduction of academic procrastination and test anxiety among students. The statistical population of the study consisted of all high school girls in Bojnourd in academic year 2015-2016. In this study, 40 students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (20 students each). The study had a quasi-experimental design, i.e., pretest-posttest with control group. The instrumentation included the Test Anxiety Scale (Sarason, 1980) and Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (Solomon & Rothblum, 1989). At first, the pretest was administered to all participants. Next, the subjects in the experimental group were trained using metacognitive skills training and based on cognitive-behavioral approach (12 ninety-minute sessions in 6 weeks) and then the posttest was given to all students. The obtained data were analyzed through covariance analysis. Results showed that metacognitive skills training had a significant impact on the reduction of academic procrastination and test anxiety among female students. More specifically, students who use metacognitive skills, self-awareness, task awareness, and learning strategies awareness can overcome their academic procrastination and test anxiety.