04/2018 – 04/2021
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Prof. Dr. Joachim Wirth, Dr. Jens Fleischer, Dr. Julia Waldeyer und Sebastian Trentepohl
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlev Leutner (Universität Duisburg-Essen)
The project aims to investigate the availability and use of resource management strategies among first-year university students, particularly over the course of their first semester. Based on the results of the first funding phase (ALSTER-I subproject B), the current project investigated the relationship between students’ statements on self-experienced study situations and their corresponding statements on fictitious study situations in the previously developed Resource Management Inventory (ReMI; Waldeyer et al., 2020). Furthermore, it was examined whether students’ experiences with early study challenges lead to changes in their response behavior in the ReMI.
In the first conducted study (N = 148), the findings regarding the validity of the ReMI from the first funding phase could be confirmed, which could now be demonstrated using behavioral data as well. To further examine construct validity, were calculated correlations between the ReMI subscales and corresponding subscales of a convergent learning strategy questionnaire (LIST), as well as additional scales regarding students’ time management (TMQ), procrastination (APS-d), and motivational regulation. Overall, the results showed that the convergent scales correlated substantially with the corresponding ReMI subscales (.196 < r < .431). A regression analysis based on final exam grades as a criterion and students’ intelligence (KFT), high-school grade point average, and ReMI total score at baseline as predictors, ReMI total score proved to be the strongest predictor of exam grade (β = .35). Similarly, the ReMI total score also proved to be the best predictor of student satisfaction in another regression analysis with end-of-the-semester study satisfaction as a criterion and the same predictors as before (β = .22).
In the second conducted study (N = 175), the recent findings were tested using an experimental control group design with regard to students’ time management. For this purpose, different time management deficits of students were assessed using the ReMI, and students were divided into two intervention groups and a control group based on their respective time-management skills. Results showed that both providing students with declarative knowledge about time management and practice in using time-management strategies from the beginning of the first semester on had positive effects on students’ time management in the intervention groups, but not in the control group. As the semester progressed, the intervention group with a focus on time-management practice turned out to be superior regarding both their improvements in time-management skills as well as exam scores. In this regard, the time management of students in this intervention group reached a comparable average level at the end of their first semester as that of students who had no time-management deficit at the beginning of the semester. The students in this intervention group thus seemed to have largely overcome their initial time-management deficit during the intervention.
Trentepohl, S., Waldeyer, J., Fleischer, J., Roelle, J., Leutner, D. & Wirth, J. (2021, August). Knowledge is power – but you should use it! Resource-management learning strategy use as a mediator for the effect of learning strategy knowledge on performance in higher education. Beitrag präsentiert auf der 19th Biennial EARLI Conference 2021, Online, Belgium.
Trentepohl, S., Waldeyer, J., Fleischer, J., Roelle, J., Leutner, D., & Wirth, J. (2022). How did it get so late so soon? The effects of time management knowledge and practice on students’ time management skills and academic performance. Sustainability, 14(9), 5097. DOI
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Last update: Aug 25, 2023
