The link between procrastination and graduation rates: evidence from the ALEKS learning platform

Figures & data

Figure 1. Distribution of ALEKS-variables.

Table 1. Cross-correlations ALEKS variables.

	Delay	Start	Finish	TotalHours
Delay	1.00	0.73	0.89	0.17
Start		1.00	0.51	−0.09
Finish			1.00	0.27
TotalHours				1.00

Note: Start measures the first day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Finish measures the final day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Delay is the weighted average of the days in which a student was active in ALEKS, where each day is weighted by the time spent online. TotalHours measures the time that students spend in ALEKS.

Table 2. Background characteristics and ALEKS-variables.

	Count	%	Delay (mean)	p-value	Start (mean)	p-value	Finish (mean)	p-value	TotalHours (mean)	p-value
All students	2640		48.89		31.37				21.64
Gender
Females	704	26.7%	47.17	0.003	28.69	0.000	57.84	0.101	23.17	0.000
Males	1936	73.3%	49.51		32.35		59.11		21.09
Ethnic background
Non-western	627	23.8%	49.61	0.002	31.69	0.643	59.09	0.600	23.49	0.000
Other	2013	76.3%	48.67		31.27		58.67		21.67
Age
≤18	1573	59.6%	47.66	0.000	30.27	0.001	57.57	0.000	20.92	0.001
>18	1067	40.4%	50.71		32.99		60.54		22.71
School GPA
5.5–6.4	745	34.6%	51.46	0.000	32.66	0.000	60.88	0.000	24.50	0.000
6.5–7.4	1259	58.4%	47.86		29.92		57.97		21.60
>7.4	152	7.1%	40.33		26.55		52.16		17.12
Math Grade at School
<6.4	873	35.0%	50.66	0.000	33.25	0.000	59.92	0.001	22.17	0.000
6.5–7.4	1019	40.9%	49.13		30.47		59.38		23.53
>7.4	599	24.0%	46.27		29.65		56.63		18.69
Program
Economics	1955	74.1%	50.74	0.000	32.65	0.000	60.45	0.000	22.91	0.000
Econometrics	685	25.9%	43.62		27.73		53.98		18.02

Note: the p-values are for an F-test on the equality of means. Start measures the first day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Finish measures the final day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Delay is the weighted average of the days in which a student was active in ALEKS, where each day is weighted by the time spent online. TotalHours measures the time that students spend in ALEKS.

Table 3. Study progress and ALEKS-variables.

	Count	%	Delay (mean)	p-value	Start (mean)	p-value	Finish (mean)	p-value	TotalHours (mean)	p-value
Dropout
0	1542	58.4%	46.46	0.000	29.86	0.000	56.70	0.000	19.98	0.000
1	1098	41.6%	52.30		33.49		61.68		23.98
Degree3y (all students)
0	1300	78.8%	51.38	0.000	32.17	0.000	61.76	0.000	23.53	0.000
1	350	21.2%	44.31		27.41		55.55		19.31
Degree3y (excluding first-year dropout)
0	664	66.2%	49.50	0.000	31.47	0.001	60.34	0.000	21.84	0.002
1	339	33.8%	43.87		27.16		55.22		19.25
Degree4y (all students)
0	715	61.4%	52.07	0.000	32.02	0.010	62.74	0.000	24.92	0.000
1	449	38.6%	46.72		28.86		58.04		21.17
Degree4y (excluding first-year dropout)
0	301	42.2%	49.60	0.009	30.26	0.164	61.01	0.008	22.65	0.100
1	413	57.8%	45.84		28.11		57.36		21.05

Note: the p-values are for an F-test on the equality of means. Start measures the first day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Finish measures the final day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Delay is the weighted average of the days in which a student was active in ALEKS, where each day is weighted by the time spent online. TotalHours measures the time that students spend in ALEKS. Dropout takes on the value one for students that drop out in the first academic year. Degree3y and Degree4y take on the value one if students have obtained their bachelor degree at the end of respectively three or four years.

Table 4. Linear probability models for the link between procrastination and study progress.

	Dropout	Degree3y	Degree3y	Degree4y	Degree4y
	(all students)	(all students)	(excl. first-year dropout)	(all students)	(excl. first-year dropout)
Delay	0.0042 ***	−0.0035 ***	−0.0035 ***	−0.0038 ***	−0.0035 ***
	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)
Female	−0.0695 ***	0.0367	0.0264	0.0575 *	0.0320
	(0.023)	(0.024)	(0.035)	(0.034)	(0.043)
EthnicMinority	−0.0353	0.0459 *	0.0395	0.0485	0.0241
	(0.025)	(0.027)	(0.041)	(0.037)	(0.048)
Age	0.0016	−0.0203 *	−0.0350 *	−0.0429 ***	−0.0573 **
	(0.010)	(0.011)	(0.018)	(0.016)	(0.022)
SchoolGPA	−0.1767 ***	0.1142 ***	0.0978 ***	0.1194 ***	0.0416
	(0.018)	(0.020)	(0.030)	(0.027)	(0.037)
MathGrade	−0.0522 ***	0.0331 ***	0.0214	0.0632 ***	0.0347
	(0.011)	(0.012)	(0.018)	(0.017)	(0.022)
TotalHours	0.0041 ***	−0.0013	−0.0004	−0.0026 **	−0.0006
	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.002)
DumEcon	−0.2822 ***	0.0746 ***	0.0040	0.1010 ***	−0.0463
	(0.024)	(0.026)	(0.043)	(0.037)	(0.053)
DumCovid	−0.0145	−0.0641 ***	−0.0940 ***	−0.2250 ***	−0.2775 ***
	(0.026)	(0.024)	(0.036)	(0.030)	(0.040)
Adjusted R-squared	0.145	0.084	0.054	0.135	0.102
# observations	2137	1360	844	983	616

Note: standard errors are in parentheses; significance levels are indicated as * p < .10; ** p < .05; *** p < .01. Procrastination is measured by the variable Delay, which is the weighted average of the days in which a student was active in ALEKS, where each day is weighted by the time spent online. Dropout takes on the value one for students that drop out in the first academic year. Degree3y and Degree4y take on the value one if students have obtained their bachelor degree at the end of respectively three or four years.

Table 5. Linear probability models for study progress: alternative procrastination measures.

	Dropout	Degree3y	Degree3y	Degree4y	Degree4y
	(all students)	(all students)	(excl. first-year dropout)	(all students)	(excl. first-year dropout)
Start	0.0028 ***	−0.0024 ***	−0.0025 ***	−0.0025 ***	−0.0023 **
	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)
Finish	0.0037 ***	−0.0031 ***	−0.0033 ***	−0.0035 ***	−0.0033 **
	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)	(0.001)

Note: standard errors are in parentheses; significance levels are indicated as * p < .10; ** p < .05; *** p < .01. Start measures the first day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Finish measures the final day at which a student logs into ALEKS. Dropout takes on the value one for students that drop out in the first academic year. Degree3y and Degree4y take on the value one if students have obtained their bachelor degree at the end of respectively three or four years.