Time Management Factors for Success in Higher Education

Abstract

For this exploratory study, 109 adult students (73.4% female) completed an online survey with measures of time management behavior and college wellbeing during the fall semester. Students were in 10 courses at a continuing education school within a large northeastern U.S. university. On a follow-up survey, 87 reported their grades and answered additional questions about time use and management. Factor analysis of old and new self-report measures identified a three-factor structure for time management: Satisfaction with Time Use, Monitoring and Evaluating, and Planning and Prioritizing. Satisfaction with Time Use best predicted college wellbeing on the College Student Subjective Wellbeing Scale (CSSWQ, Renshaw & Boligno, 2016). Number of time management tools used negatively predicted grades and course completion, and the Mechanics dimension of the Time Management Behavior Scale (Macan, Shahani, Dipboye & Phillips, 1990) positively predicted grades and course completion. Each student’s activity on the course learning management system (LMS) was collected, de-identified, and used to show study times of day. Study times of day did not emerge as significant predictors. Some differences between first-and second-generation college students were seen: first-gen students worked more hours per week, on average, than their peers, and fewer of them got at least seven hours of sleep per night. Still, their grades and course completion rates were similar to their peers’. Satisfaction with Time Use was a better predictor of grades and course completion than Mechanics for first-generation students. Directions for future research are identified.