In a large sample of young adults in Germany who had been followed since graduating from secondary school (Abitur), the researchers examined the stability and change of procrastination, its associations with the personality traits conscientiousness and neuroticism, as well as its long-term consequences. The results show that procrastination is somewhat less stable over time than the fundamental personality traits of conscientiousness and neuroticism. At the same time, delay behavior decreases on average with increasing age. Furthermore, it emerged that although procrastination is closely associated with low conscientiousness and high neuroticism, it can nevertheless be distinguished as a construct in its own right from both personality traits. Changes in conscientiousness and neuroticism were, moreover, closely linked to changes in procrastination behavior.

A central finding of the study concerns the long-term significance of procrastination for various areas of life. Both the extent of procrastination at the time of graduation and its development over the following years predicted numerous later life outcomes up to 18 years after the first assessment. Thus, a stronger tendency to procrastinate was associated with a later entry into the labor market. In addition, procrastination predicted later outcomes in the areas of education, career, partnership, health, as well as in coping with pandemic-related challenges.

The study shows that procrastination is not an immutable trait but exhibits both stability and change over time. At the same time, the findings underscore the significance of this behavior for important areas of life in young adulthood. With its exceptionally long observation period, the study makes a valuable contribution to understanding the long-term development of procrastination and its significance for the life course.

Publication

Bäulke, L., Roberts, B. W., Nagengast, B., & Trautwein, U. (2026). Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator? Examining stability, change, and long-term correlates of procrastination during young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 130(3), 550–568. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000591 

Press Contact

Kristina Laube 
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 

The results from two datasets – an experimental math task and a learning app for exam preparation – show that learners continuously adjust their goals. Higher goal setting is, on average, associated with better performance. At the same time, learners respond differently to success and failure: whereas in the experimental setting lower goals tended to be set after a goal was missed, learners in the exam context raised their goal values, presumably in order to achieve a superordinate goal such as passing the exam. These findings point to a flexible and context-sensitive adjustment of goals.

Emotions play a central role in this. They arise not only as a reaction to performance but also influence future goal setting and performance. Enjoyment in particular consistently predicts higher goal setting, yet affects performance differently depending on context: in the experimental task it is associated with lower performance, whereas in the exam context it is associated with better performance. The results suggest that emotional effects depend on the perceived value and importance of a task.

The study thus shows that self-regulated learning can be described as a system of reciprocal feedback loops. Methodologically, it contributes to modeling such dynamics more precisely. However, it should be noted as a limitation that only selected emotions were considered and that the model remains restricted to adult learners. For research and practice, the findings underscore the importance of considering goal setting, performance feedback, and emotional processes together.

Publication

Lin, W. M., FitzGibbon, L., Theobald, M., Breitwieser, J., Brod, G., Murayama, K. & Sakaki, M. (2026). The dynamic interplay between goal setting, performance, and emotions in self-regulated learning: A computational modeling approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 118(5), 811–828. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0001022 

Press Contact

Kristina Laube 
pressespam prevention@lead.uni-tuebingen.de 
 

Im Gastbeitrag bei evido. zeigt Dr. Tim Fütterer vom Hector-Institut für Empirische Bildungsforschung, welche Chancen und Herausforderungen der Einsatz von KI und Bildungsdaten in China bietet und welche Erkenntnisse sich daraus für Deutschland und Europa ableiten lassen.

Im Fokus steht die Frage, wie Daten wissenschaftlich genutzt werden können, um Lehren und Lernen gezielt weiterzuentwickeln. Denn große Datenmengen allein verbessern Bildung nicht, entscheidend sind ihre systematische Analyse, evidenzbasierte Nutzung und die Verbindung von Forschung und Praxis.

Der Beitrag zeigt: Europa kann von Chinas strategischem Vorgehen und der Skalierung digitaler Innovationen lernen, sollte Daten aber gezielt einsetzen, um belastbare Erkenntnisse für bessere Bildungsentscheidungen zu gewinnen.

Zum Beitrag (kostenfreie Vollversion) auf evido.