On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, Eva Blondeel presented her doctoral research during her public doctoral defense, earning a PhD in Business Economics.

With this doctorate, Eva investigates procrastination among first-year accounting students and focuses on the effectiveness of different solutions to reduce procrastination and increase students' chances of success.

Procrastination is an important topic to study, as it forms a barrier that prevents students from reaching their full potential, with first-year students being the primary victims. The sudden freedom and responsibility that university life brings often results in a loss of structure, leading to procrastination with the associated negative outcomes of lower performance and delayed academic progress. According to the doctoral research, the main causes of procrastination can be divided into three categories: on the one hand, a lack of study skills, motivation, and self-efficacy (personal aspects), on the other hand, social activities and a lack of structure within the university context (external aspects), and finally, the difficulty, the volume, or a lack of structure within the subject (subject-specific challenges).

The doctoral research found that offering additional online exercises throughout the semester increases students' self-efficacy, lowers their test anxiety (i.e., fear of the exam), and improves exam results. Intermediate tests further stimulate the use of these online exercises throughout the semester, leading to less procrastination and higher academic performance. Additionally, giving students a nudge through subtle reminders encourages them towards consistent study behavior such as attending class more, being better prepared for class, and procrastinating less, with a positive effect on their academic results as a consequence.

If you would like to know more about this research, do not hesitate to contact Eva.