Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Engagement Training and Metacognitive Strategy Training on Academic Procrastination Among Female Students at Farhangian University

Abstract

This study examines the differences in the effectiveness of a cognitive engagement training package versus a metacognitive strategy training package on academic procrastination among female students at Farhangian University. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population included all female students at Farhangian University in Kazeroon during the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year, totaling 250 individuals. To compare the cognitive engagement and metacognitive strategy training packages, a purposive sampling method was used. Initially, the Academic Procrastination Questionnaire (Savari, 2011) was administered to 250 female students at Farhangian University in Kazeroon. From those scoring up to 48 on the academic procrastination scale, 45 individuals were purposively selected and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (15 in the cognitive engagement group and 15 in the metacognitive strategy group) and a control group (15 participants). In the posttest and follow-up stages, a significant difference was observed between the mean scores of academic procrastination in the control group compared to the metacognitive strategy training group (p < .001) and the cognitive engagement training group (p < .01). The impact of metacognitive training on reducing academic procrastination in the posttest and follow-up stages was 33.5% and 28.1%, respectively. The cognitive engagement training package reduced academic procrastination by 69.9% in the posttest and 66% in the follow-up stage. While both cognitive engagement and metacognitive training methods significantly reduced academic procrastination in the posttest phase, an increase in procrastination was observed during the follow-up phase in both groups. Comparing the two methods, cognitive engagement training was more effective than metacognitive strategy training in both the posttest and follow-up stages.