The Effectiveness of Psychological Interventions on Academic Procrastination: A Meta-Analysis

The main objective of this study was to synthesize the findings of different studies and gain a general understanding of the effectiveness of psychological interventions on academic procrastination. The study population consisted of available full-text Articles, dissertations, and research projects published from 2011 to 2021 in quarterly publications and scientific research journals. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and sensitivity analysis, 136 effect sizes from 83 initial studies were analyzed using CMA2 software. The results revealed a statistically significant combined effect size for both fixed and random effect models, and the combined effect size for the random-effects model based on Cohen's criterion was large (ES = 1.47). In reducing academic procrastination, the findings indicated a high effect of self-regulation intervention compared to other interventions. Also, examining the variables of gender and educational level of the learners as moderating variables in the research showed that the gender of the subjects had no effect on the effectiveness of the psychological interventions, and the efficacy of interventions had a significant difference in the educational levels. This research has implications for therapists and counselors in line with the effectiveness of psychological interventions, especially the training of self-regulation components, to improve students' academic procrastination by providing programs.