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Reducing Procrastination Through Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System Action Paper Research Paper-1

This action research paper investigates the effectiveness of online scheduling and accountability partner systems in reducing procrastination. The study explores how these tools can help individuals manage their time more efficiently, stay motivated, and achieve their goals. The findings offer practical recommendations for implementing these strategies to improve productivity and reduce procrastination.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
49 views73 pages

Reducing Procrastination Through Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System Action Paper Research Paper-1

This action research paper investigates the effectiveness of online scheduling and accountability partner systems in reducing procrastination. The study explores how these tools can help individuals manage their time more efficiently, stay motivated, and achieve their goals. The findings offer practical recommendations for implementing these strategies to improve productivity and reduce procrastination.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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REDUCING PROCRASTINATION THROUGH ONLINE SCHEDULING AND

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER SYSTEM

Research Presented to the


Faculty of the National Service Training Program (NSTP)
Colegio San Agustin – Bacolod

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the course NSTP 102

By:
EDJAN, VOHN ARCHIE
GALLARDO, AIRA
GERONIMO, CHERRO CLARK
GONZAGA, K CAEIENDA BEE
PLOMINES, HANNAH DIADIO
TIPONTIPON, WAYNE KENNETH
TUPAS, ZYANN
UY, KOBE
VILLETA, ANGEL MAE

MS. MA. ELENA MORALES


Teacher-Facilitator, CWTS-D

May 2022
APPROVAL SHEET

This research entitled “REDUCING PROCRASTINATION THROUGH ONLINE


SCHEDULING AND ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER SYSTEM,” prepared and submitted
by VOHN ARCHIE EDJAN, AIRA GALLARDO, CHERRO CLARK GERONIMO, K
CAEIENDA BEE GONZAGA, HANNAH DIADIO PLOMINES, WAYNE KENNETH
TIPONTIPON, ZYANN TUPAS, KOBE UY, and ANGEL MAE VILLETA in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the course NSTP 102 was examined and approved by the
Evaluator is hereby recommended for acceptance.

EVALUATOR

MS. MA. ELENA MORALES


Evaluator (Teacher-Facilitator)

Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course NSTP 102.

MS. MA. THERESA A. TINGSON

NSTP Director

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers would like to express their utmost gratitude to the following individuals,

who have shown great support towards the making of this research study:

First off, to Ms. Ma. Elena Morales, Sir Gereon A. Cabarles, and the faculty of Colegio

San Agustin-Bacolod, whose advice carried them through all the stages of writing this study; for

their unending patience, and sharing their knowledge with the researchers, as well as providing

them with the opportunity to do this project.

To their family and friends, who have shown love, care, encouragement, and

understanding just so the researchers can carry on with this study.

To their fellow researchers and colleagues, who had given them an extra hand when they

needed it.

And most importantly, to God Almighty, for gracing the researchers with the wisdom,

strength, and courage to pursue this study. Without Him, all of these would have not been

possible.

iii
DEDICATION

This research study is specially dedicated to the researchers’ beloved family and friends,

who went above and beyond to support them in the journey of making this project. Special

gratitude to their parents, siblings, classmates, and friends, whose words of encouragement gave

them strength and power.

The researchers would also like to dedicate this study to Ms. Ma. Elena Morales, who

served as their mentor, shared words of advice, and whose patience kept them going throughout

the process.

Most of all, to the Lord. For all the effort and time given, they offer all of these to Him.

iv
ABSTRACT

The ongoing pandemic has generated a global mental health crisis, feeding one of the

most harmful tendencies of human beings: Procrastination—a lack of self-control that causes

unnecessary delay in action and decision. Former studies suggest that procrastination occurs due

to a person's inability to self-regulate yet unable to disentangle the roots and functions of

procrastination–a potentially crucial mechanism given the immense rise of procrastinators,

especially among students in distance learning. Aspiring to understand and reduce the rapid

increase in procrastination among new normal students, nine respondents have their perception

of procrastination before any intervention recorded on the areas of procrastination level, its

causes, and procrastination among other students through survey forms, interviews, and

observation, respectively. Participants used the Notion App to practice their scheduling

intervention and know their procrastination level, experiences, and compliance with the

intervention in the first week. During the 2nd week, accountability partners recorded similar

questions after implementing both scheduling and accountability interventions. The emergent

themes from the observation before, during, and after the intervention suggest an unfamiliarity

with the scheduling app and its mastery of commanding time among participants. The interview's

emergent themes revealed that the participants have now totally improved in knowing their

personal experiences in the scheduling and accountability intervention- making them more

conscious of their patterns. In contrast to the usual interpretation, the advantages of accessible

notes, gadgets, and lessons are mainly attributable to perception, behavior, or habits that cause

procrastination. Our findings indicate that procrastination is rooted in many causes, such as

v
numerous distractions, lack of motivation, fear of uncertainty, failure, and perfectionism.

Nonetheless, attentive help can potentially boost performance and overcome procrastination.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Approval Sheet............................................................................................................................. ii

Acknowledgement....................................................................................................................... iii

Dedication.................................................................................................................................... iv

Abstract........................................................................................................................................ v

Table of Contents......................................................................................................................... vi

List of Tables............................................................................................................................... ix

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. x

Chapter I: Introduction

Problem Statement............................................................................................................ 1

Context.............................................................................................................................. 3

Research Questions........................................................................................................... 4

Summary Description of Intervention and Research Method........................................... 5

Chapter II: Literature Review

Review of Related Literature............................................................................................ 6

Synthesis.......................................................................................................................... 10

vi
Chapter III: Method

Respondents..................................................................................................................... 12

Research Questions.......................................................................................................... 13

Intervention...................................................................................................................... 14

Intervention 1....................................................................................................... 14

Intervention 2....................................................................................................... 16

Data Collection................................................................................................................ 17

Data Analysis................................................................................................................... 20

Chapter IV: Results and Discussion

Personal Perception of students on procrastination before any intervention................... 23

Procrastination Level........................................................................................... 23

Causes, Behavior, or Habits that cause Procrastination....................................... 24

Observed Procrastination among Peers............................................................... 25

Perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System after its implementation.......... 26

Procrastination level before and after the Scheduling Intervention..................... 26

Personal Experiences in the Scheduling Intervention.......................................... 27

Observed experiences of peers on the Scheduling Intervention.......................... 28

Perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System and Accountability Partner


System after its implementation....................................................................................... 29

vii
Procrastination level after the Scheduling and Accountability Intervention....... 29

Personal Experiences in the Scheduling and Accountability Intervention.......... 30

Observed experience of peers on the Scheduling and Accountability


Intervention…...……….…...…………………………………………………... 32

Chapter V: Conclusion and Recommendations

Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 34

Recommendations............................................................................................................ 35

References................................................................................................................................... 36

Appendices.................................................................................................................................. 41

Appendix A: Letter of Consent........................................................................................ 41

Appendix B: Survey Questionnaire, Interview Questions, and Observation Questions...42

Appendix C: Responses................................................................................................... 45

Appendix D: Action Plan................................................................................................. 46

Appendix E: Interventions............................................................................................... 47

Appendix F: Researcher’s Profile.................................................................................... 49

viii
List of Tables

Page

Table 1. Data Triangulation Matrix............................................................................................. 13

Table 2. Likert Scale.................................................................................................................... 20

Table 3. Procrastination Level Survey Interpretation.................................................................. 21

Table 4. Procrastination Level of Students Before any Interventions...........................................


23

Table 5. Essence, Emergent themes, and Theme Clusters on causing Procrastination............... 24

Table 6. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters on Procrastination among Peers....... 25

Table 7. Procrastination Level of Students after the Scheduling Intervention..............................


26

Table 8. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters in the Scheduling Experience...........
27

Table 9. Essence, Emergent themes, and Theme Clusters Observing Scheduling Intervention. 28

Table 10. Procrastination Level of Students after the Scheduling and Accountability

Intervention...................................................................................................................... 30

Table 11. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters on Scheduling and Accountability
Intervention...................................................................................................................... 30

ix
Table 12. Essence, Emergent themes, and Theme Clusters on Observed experience of peers

on the Scheduling Intervention........................................................................................ 32

Table 13. Action Plan for Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System..................... 49

List of Figures

Page

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Framework of the Action Research...................................... 3

Figure 2. Main page with nested personal schedule pages............................................................

15

Figure 3. A personal schedule page viewed in table form............................................................ 16

Figure 4. Procrastination Level of Students Before any Interventions...........................................

23

Figure 5. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions and after week 1

of the Implementation of Daily Scheduling System......................................................... 26

Figure 6. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions and after week 2 of

the Implementation of Daily Scheduling System and Accountability Intervention........

29

Figure 7. Survey Questionnaire Responses before Week 1, After Week 1, and

x
After Week 2.................................................................................................................. 45

Figure 8. Single and All Interview Responses Before Week 1..................................................... 45

Figure 9. Single and All Interview Responses After Week 1....................................................... 46

Figure 10. Single and All Interview Response After Week 2....................................................... 46

Figure 11. Single and All Observation Results Before Week 1................................................... 47

Figure 12. Single and All Observation Results Observation After Week 1...................................

47

Figure 13. Single and All Observation Results Observation After Week 2..................................

48

Figure 14. Personal Scheduling Page............................................................................................ 50

Figure 15. Accountability through chat message.......................................................................... 50

Figure 16. Accountability through video call.............................................................................. 51

xi
CHAPTER I

I. Introduction
A. Problem Statement
The COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way for defining the "new normal." It has

brought tremendous changes and has impacted the world's economy, education, and lifestyle,

forcing everyone to find an alternative in response. With this, UNESCO launched distance

practices for education. However, with the new distance learning setup, students often have

difficulty learning lectures because of the distracting environment at home. One of the recurring

difficulties students face in the online distance learning setup is procrastination. According to

studies and current experiences, one of the recurring difficulties in the online distance learning

setup is procrastination, which results in students losing their focus and cramming as deadlines

approach. Studies suggest that approximately 80%–95% of college students engage in

procrastination to some degree, approximately 70% consider themselves procrastinators, and

approximately 50% say that they procrastinate in a consistent and problematic manner (Steel,

2007). The researchers agreed that procrastination and lack of accountability may lead to poor

academic performance and lifestyle.

Student syndrome is referred to as procrastination or the tendency to unnecessarily delay

tasks until right before they are due. Van Eerde (2018) explains that procrastination occurs due to

a person's inability to self-regulate. Furthermore, the lack of sufficient self-control affects their

state of mind, whereas one acts against their better judgment (Rahimi, 2019). Thus,

procrastination is generally unintentional and irrational, meaning most procrastinators continue

to procrastinate with awareness of deleterious consequences and with hopes of stopping (Steel,

2007). Lavoire and Pychyl found out that people spent, on average, almost half of 47% of their

1
time online procrastinating, amounting to an average of 1.59 hours of internet procrastination

each day). One of the contributing factors is the accessibility of computers and lack of

supervision, which makes excuses and distractions stronger to resist. Bivariate analyses of Fuchs

and Woessmann (2004) show a "positive correlation between student achievement and

availability of computers in school and home"; however, the relationship is negative for home

computers but insignificant for school computers. Moreover, students are becoming complacent

as they tend to think about having enough time due to accessible notes and lessons compared to

physically traveling to school. Ultimately, as procrastination depletes time, energy, mood, and

productivity throughout the day–both schoolwork and life at home are affected.

According to Norcross (2017), planning a schedule makes it easier to see the time and the

tasks on hold. It helps one identify what they can and cannot control and organize them most

effectively. In today's education, the vitality of CSAB Allied Health students' ability to manage

time and finish tasks on time is crucial to their everyday academic performance. Despite the

online accessibility, one requires effort and is highly pressured to finish tasks appropriately and

in a short period. School schedules are unpredictable, so being aware of them helps one adjust

the things they can control, including sleep, study time, family time, self-time, and physical

activities.

On the other hand, Paauw (2017) claimed that focus and productivity could also flourish

by working together with someone you like, who is positive, and whom you can trust—bringing

accountability, sharing objectives, and reporting results or activities daily regarding what did you

do to reach your goals, regardless of whether that day was deemed successful. Additionally,

having an accountability partner establishes balance in life, manages time, and prevents

procrastination from prioritizing the right intentions.

2
This motivates the researchers to implement an online scheduling and accountability

partner system to improve productivity and combat the procrastination of Allied Health Students

of Colegio San Agustin—Bacolod on the challenges of the New Normal.

B. Context
Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Framework of the Action Research

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

PROCRASTINATION ESTABLISHING
AMONG STUDENTS First-Year Students
- Online Scheduling will improve in
- Accountability Support System managing their time
properly and become
RESOURCES
APPLYING METHODS TO goal-oriented.
- - Internet IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
- Notion AMONG STUDENTS USING
- Messenger GOAL-SETTING AND The habit of
ACCOUNTABILITY THEORY procrastination will
lessen, and the students
PARTICIPANTS - Develop daily & weekly personal will give importance to
schedule more urgent and
- - Students -Commit to the developed schedule higher-priority tasks
- Accountability -Recording of a performance before idling.
Partners - -Coaching and feedbacking on
Performance

3
C. Research Questions
The main objective of the study is to reduce the procrastination of 1 st year Allied Health
students of CSAB through online scheduling and accountability partner systems. Specifically,
the researchers aim to answer the following:

 What is the personal perception of students on procrastination before any intervention in


the following areas?
a. Procrastination Level
b. Causes, Behaviors, or Habits that cause Procrastination
c. Procrastination among other students
 What is the perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System after its
implementation in the following areas?
a. Procrastination level
b. Personal experiences in the Intervention
c. Observed experiences of people
 What is the perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System and Accountability
Partner System after its implementation in the following areas?
a. Procrastination level
b. Personal experiences in the Intervention
c. Observed experiences of partners

4
D. Summary Description of Intervention and Research Method.
The scheduling system will be the first intervention, and it will be implemented in the

first week. The participants will do it by inputting their proper and S.M.A.R.T. daily schedule in

a Notion template. It will consist of the task’s name, time block, progress, and priority status.

Both the scheduling and accountability partner system will be the second intervention, and it will

be implemented in the second week. It shall consist of two participants who hold each other

accountable by supervising, motivating, overseeing, and feedbacking each other’s compliance

with the schedule. Evaluations for the objectives through surveys, interviews, and observations

will be done before the first week and after the first and second weeks.

The research method to be used in the study will be the case study. According to Crowe

et al. (2011), a case study is a research method for gaining a comprehensive, multi-faceted

understanding of a complicated subject in its real-world setting. The case study methodology

often uses a variety of quantitative methods—such as questionnaires—and qualitative techniques

—such as interviews and observations—to gain a full understanding of the situation. It is also

recommended to use multiple data sources, such as data triangulation, to improve the study’s

internal validity. Furthermore, an underlying premise is that data acquired in various ways

should lead to comparable or similar conclusions, as well as a comprehensive understanding of

the phenomenon. In this study, various forms of data collection—survey, interview, and

observation—will be used to generate comprehensive and multiple perspectives about the

phenomenon of procrastination and the effectiveness of scheduling and accountability systems in

that situation.

5
CHAPTER II
II. Literature Review
A. Review of Related Literature
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the Philippines' educational system.

With the sudden lockdowns and prohibition of any face-to-face gatherings, the situation had left

the students with barely enough time to adjust to the “new normal,” which has been the gateway

to conflicts and changes in their existing study habits of the students.

According to Almalki (2020), the tendency to put off or delay completing a task is known

as procrastination. Especially now that the students are pushed to study in an environment with

various distractions, along with the lack of enough supervision from their teachers,

procrastination has indeed led to a decline in the academic performances of the students.

However, it is not necessarily rooted in laziness, which was mentioned by Nitin Desai in the

National Geographic article. According to the physician, “The pandemic has caused increased

stress, anxiety, and depression, leading to more individuals to suffer from those underlying

conditions, which in turn leads to more procrastination.”—This explains why a lot of students

have barely been productive after the pandemic. In addition, Lim and Javadpour (2021)

mentioned in their study that procrastination was higher during the early stages of the pandemic

than in the later stages, suggesting that COVID-19-induced changes indeed played a role in

increasing procrastination. Furthermore, some families may not fully understand the notion of

online learning and order their children around even though they are busy with school, causing

the student to juggle both household responsibilities and educational responsibilities at the same

time. Procrastination can also be a result of other factors, such as technical issues, lack of self-

6
regulation and poor time management, difficulty in understanding instructions, no devices to use,

and the like (Burns, 2019).

Mostafa (2018) stated in his study that “An assessment of both procrastination behaviors

and academic self-efficacy beliefs could help students persist longer and work harder in their

academics.” With this, the researchers have decided to use online scheduling as one of the main

instruments in combatting procrastination behaviors among first-year allied health students. A

schedule is defined as a plan that provides a list of events or tasks, as well as the times at which

each should occur or be completed (Collins Dictionary, n.d.); in this study, online scheduling is a

plan that is completed entirely online.

Scheduling is one great way to lessen procrastination among students. Milano (2017)

claims that scheduling systems help people be more productive and efficient. Especially now that

the online modality of learning is more flexible and students are prone to doing unimportant

things, these scheduling systems can assist them in staying on track to complete major projects

on schedule. This can be supported by the study conducted by Alyami et al. (2021) entitled

"Impact of Time-Management on the Student’s Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional

Study," where it has been observed that students who plan their daily activities and studies

beforehand have higher GPAs than those who do not. A good schedule also means fewer work

hours and more predictability on how long a person has to work in a certain period. In a study

done by Williams et al., associates worked 20 minutes fewer during the intervention (scheduled)

weeks vs. non-intervention weeks, where they worked 20 minutes less. As a result of the shorter

work time, people will have more time to rest. Everything from understanding to impulse

control, focus, problem-solving, working memory, the ability to acquire and retain new

7
information, emotion regulation, and other higher-level brain processes have been related to

getting enough rest (Salco, 2017).

Traditionally, schedules are written down using pen and paper, but there are also

numerous online scheduling websites and software programs that may be found on the internet.

Notion is a collaborative, all-in-one workspace that allows users to schedule tasks, plan projects,

take notes, and even track every bit of a person’s life (Notion, n.d.). As mentioned by Ragland

(2019) in A Beginner's Guide to Notion, it is the fastest productivity site with features that are not

only easy to use but are also very convenient, flexible, and free— making it a perfect tool for

students who want to improve their study habits. However, if Notion does not fit their liking,

they can always try other tools such as Evernote, Setmore, Calendly, and many others (Insider,

2016) that they find more suitable for them.

According to Merriam-Webster’s (n.d.) dictionary, accountability generally refers to the

duty to accept responsibility for one’s conduct. Specifically, Evans (2008) wrote in his book that

it is the “commitments that have been kept in the view of others.” Furthermore, it is claimed to

improve work connections, increase job satisfaction, and assist teams in collaborating more

effectively.

The theory of accountability serves as the best mechanism for improving productivity in

the 21st century (Aithal, 2021), and it can also lead to business excellence. In general, Vance et

al. (2015) claim that accountability theory describes how the desire to justify one's actions to a

third party causes one to think about and feel responsible for the process by which decisions and

judgments are made. In clinical settings, the lack of follow-up for taking medications—a lack of

accountability—has been a norm, and Oussedik et al. (2017) advise implementing accountability

for positive health behavior change. Furthermore, they added that one significant instance of

8
accountability is the Hawthorne effect—if a subject feels that they are observed for a study, they

can affect and skew the experiment. However, this is an advantage of accountability

interventions because of the intent of improvement. Oussedik et al. provided two theories as to

its roots. First, social factors—such as accountability partners—largely influence human

behavior, also called Social Cognitive Theory. Second, self-determination theory forecasts that

people are propelled by inner and universal psychological needs, which are also found in people

who are accountable to themselves. In the workplace and institutions, Honigsberg’s (2019) case

explained that regulations, enforcement, and sanctions alone could not significantly improve

audit quality except by implementing accountability approaches. Studies have also shown that

25% of managers claim that the lack of accountability is one of their major problems, while 93%

of employees don’t have an idea of the goals of their team, and 85% of leaders do not have

understandable goals either (Raffoni, 2020). A study by the Association for Talent Development

found that having an accountability partner boosts the probability of reaching targets by up to

95% (Tabaka, 2019). In education settings, the school-related survey of Chou and Lin (2015)

found that accountability scoring mechanisms, along with discussion partner assignments, have

significantly improved the student discussion rate. Moreover, Chou inferred that those

interventions create a positive interdependence and individual accountability that enrich the

engagement of students.

Furthermore, Surr (2021) concluded in his review that afterschool programs that are

treated as learning organizations by accountability systems are more effective in improving

young people's results. In particular, using the Holmes-Rahe Life stress inventory and other self-

care techniques, Dalphon’s (2019) study has successfully utilized accountability partners to

oversee the self-care of social workers. In recent times, the market for personal development has

9
opened its doors for accountability software. StickK, Pact, and Beeminder are accountability

apps that reward and penalize financially, while Pavlok penalizes bad behavior through an

electric shock (Halachev, 2021). Coach. I provide a professional but affordable personal

coaching experience, but social media and note-taking apps also have social groups in them that

have a melting pot for social support and commitments.

Both research and current applications proved the effectiveness of accountability in

improving productivity and life. From education to competitive businesses, accountability has

improved every stakeholder’s expectations, performance, and productivity. Not just for the

unified goals, studies revealed that accountability also improves one’s personal development,

such as health, fitness, and well-being. The effect of this phenomenon has its roots in the theory

of accountability, Self Determination Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory. However,

accountability is less explored and implemented in remote and distant situations, particularly

during the challenges of quarantine and pandemics. For instance, Philippine senators questioned

the 99% passing rate of students in DepEd even though students themselves reported that they

have trouble learning through distance learning modalities. The reported performance of both the

stakeholders and students in the quarantine was questionable due to the lack of supervision and

accountability that is offered by contact discussions.

Synthesis

Procrastination is one of the challenges that students confront nowadays (Johnson, 2021).

As a result, students' academic performance has dropped. Based on the literature presented in this

chapter, it can be seen that the use of a schedule produces positive results in students' GPAs

10
(Alyami et al., 2021), and the presence of an accountability partner raises productivity levels to

as high as 95% (Tabaka, 2019). In line with this, the researchers hypothesized that these two

approaches could help lessen the effects of procrastination.

B. What is the particular perspective that you will use in this action research?
The particular perspective that will be used in the action research is participatory action

research. According to Baum et al. (2006), Participatory action research (PAR) involves

researchers and participants collaborating to analyze a difficult situation and make positive

changes. At its core, Baum et al. claimed that researchers and participants engage in collective,

self-reflective inquiry to better understand and improve the practices in which they participate

and the situations in which they find themselves. The reflective process is intertwined with

action, affected by knowledge of history, culture, and local context, and rooted in social

interactions. Baum et al. further pointed out that PAR should be an empowering experience that

gives people more control over their lives.

In the context of the study, the researchers and participants will collaborate to make a

positive change by reducing procrastination. The various weekly data collection, such as surveys,

interviews, and observation forms, will provide a reflective evaluation of the situations and

practices of the participants. Furthermore, the scheduling and accountability interventions and

evaluations give people the power to control their lives and time, and thus, also give them

motivation, balance, and well-being in their lives.

11
CHAPTER III
III. Method
A. Respondents
The participants for this study will be chosen from the 8th group of the CWTS Section

D, which means that the respondents will be the researchers themselves. This will make it

practical for the researchers as they belong to the same class; therefore, doing so will make

communication easier to establish within the group. Moreover, this action research will cater to

the most relevant problem experienced by the participants themselves while in the distance

learning setup—the researchers themselves will provide a more personalized and relevant

solution to their problem.

Nine (9) students will be taken as the respondents of this study, and the researchers

selected themselves as the respondents. Purposive sampling will be used, where the sample is

selected based on the characteristics of a population and the objective of the study (Crossman,

2020). In addition to this, the following criteria must be followed while selecting individuals to

participate in the study: (a) the respondents must have a shared schedule, (b) must establish clear

goals, and (c) be familiar with one another, yet do not share any intimate relationships. Thus, all

nine researchers fit the given criteria for being a participant.

12
B. Research Questions
Table 1. Data Triangulation Matrix
Research Questions Data Source
1 2 3
Q1: What is the personal perception of students
on procrastination before any intervention in the
following areas?
a. Procrastination Level
b. Causes, Behavior, or Habits that Survey Interview Observation
Form (for a) (for b) Form (for c)
cause Procrastination
c. Procrastination among other
students
Q2: What is the perception of students on the
Daily Scheduling System after its implementation
in the following areas?
a. Procrastination level Survey Interview Observation
Form (for a) (for b) Form (for c)
b. Personal experiences in the
Intervention
c. Observed experiences of people

Q3: What is the perception of students on the Survey Interview Observation


Form (for a) (for b) Form (for c)
Daily Scheduling System and Accountability
Partner System after its implementation in the
following areas?
a. Procrastination level
b. Personal Experiences on the

13
Intervention
c. Observed experience of partners

C. Intervention
The intervention for the study is the implementation of the scheduling system for the

first week and an accountability partner system for the second week. The interventions will be

implemented over two weeks during the final term of the second semester. Due to the quarantine

protocols and distance learning setup, the interventions will be implemented remotely in an

online and offline manner. Communication for the approval, requests, and feedback of the

interventions will be dealt with in the Messenger application.

Intervention 1: Daily Scheduling system


On each day of the first week, every participant will be tasked to input their daily

schedule in a template of the Notion application. An online and offline editable schedule

template in the Notion application will be created to provide a uniform format for the daily

schedule. The daily schedule shall consist of time blocks in the first column, the name of tasks in

the second column, progress status in the third column, and priority status in the fourth column.

The progress status shall have four states which are to do, in progress, and done. The priority

status shall be in three states: low, medium, and high. Each page will be viewed in tablet form

and sorted chronologically from time blocks. Each schedule page can be viewed in the timeline

and table view. Each schedule page shall have a title that will consist of the name of the person

14
responsible on that page. The title of the schedule pages, which is also the name of the person

responsible for it, will be written as a nested page on the main page for convenience.

Furthermore, the schedule needs to meet the S. M. A. R. T. criteria to be viable.

Specifically, S. M. A. R. T. criteria (Weintraub, 2021) stand for Specific, Measurable,

Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, respectively. If the tasks are already done for that day and

to avoid clutter, done tasks are highlighted to be dragged and dropped to the “Archive” page of

the current page. Moreover, the format of the schedule is also highly encouraged to have the

following characteristics: choose what things are needed to prioritize, realistic durations of the

tasks, adjust for travel time, add time cushions to prevent underestimating, put low priority tasks

such as those without deadline on later times, adjust as needed, and allow discretionary and

emergency times. It is also highly very welcome to finish tasks before their starting time if there

is a free schedule.

The Notion application allows for online cloud saving, which allows the schedule to be

edited and accessed on any device anywhere with the Internet. Furthermore, it also saves offline,

which allows for later uploads when there is a connection and allows access to the schedule in

areas without Internet. The synchronization feature also allows one to access the schedule on any

supported device. This makes it possible for remote and offline tasks to be reviewed anywhere

and anytime. The schedule for the next day will be done the day before it.

15
Figure 2. Main page with nested personal schedule pages

Figure 3. A personal schedule page viewed in table form

16
Intervention 2: Both the Daily Scheduling system and Accountability Partner
system with Daily Check-in
In the second week, the accountability partner system will be implemented in addition to

the scheduling system. The accountability partner system shall consist of two participants that

hold each other accountable. The person who knows what the participant needs to finish and

motivates and supervises the participants to avoid excuses. The partners shall make their

schedule pages viewable to each other. Participant A and Participant B shall hold each other

accountable for what each participant needs to do. For example, Participant A wants Participant

B to finish the essay within the deadline of three days. Participant A shall check in with

Participant B about the progress every day before the deadline. The partners shall ensure that the

schedules are in the criteria of S.M.A.R.T. to be valid. Any proof of completion and excuse, such

as file links, document files, screenshots, photos, videos, and others, will be accepted. The tool to

be used for checking in is Messenger, as it can channel a variety of multimedia, including text,

video, calls, meetings, and other modes. Before the second week, the person to be checked in

will determine the convenient time for the partner to check-in. Both partners' check-ins will be

added as a recurring event in their calendars' schedules. An “agenda” can help in setting prompts

for checking in. Specific examples of “agenda” can include the following: a review of progress, a

discussion of any challenges experienced and to be anticipated, a review of lessons learned, the

proposal of any changes, a confession of tendencies, and statements of recommitting to the goal.

Before the study can commence, a consent form for the parties will be signed by the duly

parties to abide by commitment and confidentiality. It will contain a pledge that the person

understands that the accountability partner needs to show up consistently in support.

Furthermore, it will be indicated that the partners will do their best to encourage. All information

to be disclosed during the study will be held confidential by the partners and the group. If at any

17
point either of the parties does not feel comfortable or not working, one can freely end the

partnership.

D. Data Collection
The researchers claim that new normal students have more procrastination and less

productivity than the old normal students. Through conducting online surveys and observation,

the researchers aspire to understand the causes of the increase in procrastination among new

normal students. Before administering the test questionnaires, proper measures were put in place.

The respondents will be given a letter of consent, which will inform them of what will be done in

the research and ensure that it will be done with confidentiality and anonymity.

The teacher-facilitator and researchers had a consultation and agreed that the respondents

would be the researchers themselves for convenience in acquiring respondents. The test will be

administered through an online survey, and the results will be received and finalized a day later.

After two weeks, the questionnaires will be completed by the respondents who participated with

an accountability partner.

The researchers plan to answer three questions to have a better understanding of the

problem at hand. Question 1 states, “What is the personal perception of students on

procrastination in the following areas?” This aims to reveal the perspective of each student

regarding procrastination among themselves and others. Question 2 states, “What is the personal

perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System, after its implementation, in the following

areas?” this aids in knowing the effectiveness of the Daily Scheduling System and sharing some

personal thoughts about it. Lastly, Question 3 states, "What is the personal perception of students

on Daily Scheduling System and Accountability Partner System, after its implementation, in the

18
following areas?” which will help answer what improved with the implementation of the

intervention and to know what the experiences of each student are.

The data source for all questions will be gathered through a survey form, an interview,

and an observation form, which will be used specifically for an area. The areas for Question 1

include (1) Procrastination Level, (2) Causes, Behavior, or Habits that cause Procrastination, and

(3) Procrastination among other students. Meanwhile, for Question 2 and Question 3, the areas

include (1) Procrastination Level, (2) Personal Experiences on the Intervention, and (3) Observed

experiences of the partner. In the area of Procrastination Level, the data will be gathered by

conducting a survey. On the other hand, the data for the areas of Causes, Behavior, or Habits that

cause Procrastination and Personal Experiences in the Intervention will be gathered by holding

an interview. For the areas of Procrastination among other students and Observed experiences

with a partner, the data will be gathered through observation form.

The survey form is a prepared set of structured and picked statements that aim to provide

data that is relevant, specifically about the Procrastination Level. The advantages of using a

survey form are that it is a quicker method, it does not require a large amount of expense to

conduct, and it uses self-evaluative statements to collect data ‌(Mcleod, 2018). It will include

statements related to procrastination, which will help assess the status of each student, such as “I

get tasks accomplished on time,” and will be answered by the students based on the Likert scale

provided.

In collecting data through the interview, a set of questions is prepared, and the

respondents will be the ones who participate in the interventions. The consent of the respondent

will be asked to give us permission to record the interview and ensure that confidentiality and

anonymity of the provided data will be established. The interview will be personal, and a 1-on-1

19
interview will be done through communication platforms. It will include questions such as “Is

the intervention effective or not?” and “Why do you think you procrastinate?” Those types of

questions will be asked in a personal interview with the respondent, which will help them further

explain their answers related to the survey. The interview is an effective method as it allows the

interviewer to build rapport with the respondent and get answers directly from word of mouth

(McGrath et al., 2019).

The observations of each respondent, the participants, and the partner will also be

gathered. According to Ross (2018), observations allow accurate information about the

participants' experiences regarding the tasks they have done, and they also enable them to

identify their needs. It will let the researchers describe the observed experiences, such as how the

partners of the participants helped them finish the tasks and the researchers’ perspectives on the

phenomenon of procrastination among students. In that way, the researchers will be able to

evaluate the attitudes that need to be seen in partners and participants, which can further help

reduce procrastination. Furthermore, it will help determine the effectiveness of the intervention

based on the behavior and the number of tasks done by the participants.

E. Data Analysis

Survey. The procrastination level survey will be compiled by the researchers themselves

and contains twenty questions to gauge the participants’ feelings toward their tasks. These

followed the guidelines for a basic Likert-scale survey (Airasian et al., 2012). Likert-scale

questionnaires are the most used type of instrument for measuring affective variables such as

motivation and self-efficacy, given that they allow researchers to gather large amounts of data

20
with relative ease (Nemoto & Beglar, 2014). A score of 5 is interpreted as a high score, while a

score of 1 will be interpreted as a low score.

Table 2. Likert Scale

Value Frequency / Interpretation


5 Always
4 Often
3 Sometimes
2 Rarely

1 Never

The recorded raw scores from the survey before the first intervention, after the first

intervention, as well as after the second intervention will be tabulated and analyzed

quantitatively by the researchers. This also means that the procrastination level survey will be

given before the first week, after the first week, and after the second week. The table will be the

basis for determining the procrastination level.

Table 3. Procrastination Level Survey Interpretation


Score Interpretation
You have a serious problem with procrastination; examine the causes and
100-80 discover solutions to combat procrastination and improve time
management.
Moderate difficulties with procrastination—some areas of needed
79-60 improvement: assess causes and implement a few solutions to impact your
success.
This indicates that while you may struggle with procrastination (i.e., the
59-40 occasional feeling of being overwhelmed by your tasks), it doesn’t
generally lead to negative consequences in your daily life.
39-20 This means you are not dealing with a major problem. Overall, you're doing

21
a good job managing your time and avoiding unhealthy, ineffective
procrastination.

Interviews. Insights gathered during interviews will be utilized to obtain feedback on the

appropriateness of the strategy in addressing the problem. This may be done via chat or call and

will be recorded and transcribed or screen captured. Marginalia is a term that refers to written

notes or spontaneous vocal comments made by participants throughout the study. It provides

researchers with a crucial tool for questioning their assumptions concerning research design and

data collecting (McClelland, 2016). In addition, the data gathered from this method will undergo

coding under common themes.

Observation forms. Following the implementation of the interventions, the researchers

will observe the participants appraise their experience with the proposed systems. Participant

observation is used to gain a greater understanding of phenomena from the point of view of the

participants (DeWalt et al., 2011). Proof of completion, such as progress forms and screenshots,

will be utilized to monitor the progress of the implementation. The data collected will provide

the researchers with a grasp of the impact of the intervention while the study is in the process.

Moreover, this will result in some modifications to the implementation of the interventions

whenever necessary. Similar to the interviews, the data gathered will also undergo coding under

common themes.

Finally, the researchers will use open, axial, and selective coding methods to derive major

themes on student attitudes from all of the interviews and observations. Coding is comprised of

processes that enable collected data to be assembled, categorized, and thematically sorted,

22
providing an organized platform for the construction of meaning (Moser & Williams, 2019). All

the data gathered during interviews and observations will be compared and triangulated to

identify the outcome of the interventions and their effectiveness for the participants, partners,

and other people.

CHAPTER IV

IV. Results and Discussion

A. Personal Perception of Students on Procrastination Before Any Intervention

a. Procrastination Level

23
90

80 78
76
71
70 67
65
63 62
60
60 57

50

40

30

20

10

0
A B C D E F G H I

Figure 4. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions

Table 4. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions


Participants Procrastination Interpretation
Level
A 78 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
The
B 63 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
C 65 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
D 76 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
E 71 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
F 67 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
G 62 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
H 60 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
I 57 Struggling with procrastination but doesn’t lead
to negative consequences
participants showed a mean of 66.56. This means that the group, as a whole, has moderate

difficulty with procrastination before the instruction of any interventions. This local study

correlates to procrastination being already a widespread and worldwide problem that is

experienced by almost all people in their lives and is proven by many studies and experiences

(Almalki, 2020) (Lim and Javadpour, 2021).

24
b. Causes, Behaviors, or Habits that cause Procrastination

Table 5. Essence, Emergent themes, and Theme Clusters on causing Procrastination


Essence Procrastination Affecting Performance
Emergent
The Struggling Not doingessence
good Lack of Pressure of
themes
Theme Clusters Priority problems Lack of motivation No interest
Overwhelming Poor Time Lengthy Deadlines
Workload Management
Longing for rest
Distractions
Flexible Schedule

that cause procrastination centers on how procrastination affects performance. The emergent

themes devised from the interview are Struggling, Not doing good, and Lack of pressure. First,

the emergent theme—Struggling—has theme clusters of Priority problems, Overwhelming

workload, and Distractions. This agrees with the findings of Lim and Javadpour (2021) that the

pandemic took a toll on the productivity of students and workers by disrupting work and learning

habits. Second, the emergent theme—Not doing good—has theme clusters of Lack of motivation

and Poor time management. With quarantines upholding distance learning, the students lack the

motivation brought by their physical classmates and mismanage the time due to simultaneous

household and educational responsibilities. Third, the emergent theme— Lack of Pressure—has

theme clusters of having No interest, Lengthy deadlines, Longing for rest, and Flexible

schedules. Again, this corresponds to Lim and Javadpour’s study of procrastination in early

COVID-19 since online distance learning flexible setup gave a false sense of freedom and

security from work to workers and students at home.

c. Observed Procrastination among Peers

Essence Open-mindedness
Emergent Mixed Perspectives Understanding There are Reasons

25
themes behind every struggle
Theme Clusters Willing to finish early Consideration Fleeing from
responsibilities
Passing before deadline Open to help
Stress
Uninterested in doing Wanting valid reason
the task Problems

Table 6. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters on Procrastination among Peers

The essence of the observation about the observed procrastination among peers revolves

around Open-mindedness. The emergent themes gathered are Mixed perspectives and

Understanding, and There are Reasons behind every struggle. First, the emergent theme—Mixed

perspectives—has theme clusters of Wanting to finish early, passing before the deadline, and

being uninterested in doing the tasks. The variety of Burns's (2019) reasons for procrastination is

comparable to the reasons from mixed perspectives. Second, the emergent theme—

Understanding—has theme clusters of Consideration, Open to help, and Wanting valid reason.

This theme aligns with Burns’ reason for procrastinating due to difficulty understanding a task

and a lesson from Art of War of Sun Tzu, restated by Michaelson and Michaelson (2003), that

the first step will always be the hardest to do. Third, the emergent theme—There are Reasons

behind every struggle—has theme clusters of Fleeing from responsibilities, Stress, and

Problems. Again, mental health struggles and additional responsibilities from the pandemic are

relevant and popular in causing procrastination, such as Lim and Javadpour’s study.

B. Perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System after its implementation

a. Procrastination level before and after the Scheduling Intervention

26
90

80 78
76
71
70 68 67
65
63 62 62
61 60
60 56 57
55
53 52 53 52
50

40

30

20

10

0
A B C D E F G H I

Before After Week 1

Figure 5. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions and after week 1 of the

Implementation of Daily Scheduling System

Table 7. Procrastination Level of Students after the Scheduling Intervention

Participants Procrastination Interpretation


Level
A 68 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
B 56 Struggling but with no negative effect
C 53 Struggling but with no negative effect
D 61 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
E 62 Moderate difficulty with procrastination
F 55 Struggling but with no negative effect
G 52 Struggling but with no negative effect
H 53 Struggling but with no negative effect
I 52 Struggling but with no negative effect
The participants showed a mean of 56.88. This means that the group, as a whole, is

struggling with procrastination, but it doesn’t lead to negative consequences. In comparison to

the time without any interventions brought by the study, there are improvements made by most

of the participants. The variety of scheduling apps has indeed catered to the great demand for

27
saving money by buying time and justified the reduction of procrastination levels in the study

(Insider, 2016).

b. Personal experiences in the Scheduling Intervention

Essence To-Do
Emergent Be organized Giving motivation Still adjusting
themes
Theme Clusters Decisiveness Bit challenging
Clear future view
Convenient Place Unfamiliar
Not missing any
Setting deadlines Spontaneous stumbling
Crossing out blocks
Lessening satisfaction
procrastination A bit used to

Table 8. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters in the Scheduling Experience

The essence of the interview centered on personal experiences in the Scheduling

Intervention, which revolved around the To-Do feature of the Notion app. The emergent themes

formulated from the participant’s narrative are being Organized, Giving motivation, and Still

adjusting. The emergent theme—Be organized—has theme clusters of Decisiveness, Convenient

place, Setting deadlines, and Lessening procrastination. According to Banks (2021), this theme

stems from the very purpose of To-Do lists, which are a productivity tool for setting and writing

out plans beyond the mind. Second, the emergent theme—Giving Motivation—has theme

clusters of a Clear future view, Not missing any, and Satisfaction from crossing out the list.

Banks also states that the influence of motivation brought by To-Do lists in organizations and

people comes from the wellness felt by accomplishing plans. Lastly, the third emergent theme—

Still adjusting— has theme clusters of a Bit challenging, Unfamiliar, Spontaneous stumbling

28
blocks, and A bit used to. The bit steep learning curve of operating such an unfamiliar application

with a computer and the internet gave the participants a starting challenge.

c. Observed experiences of peers on the Scheduling Intervention

Table 9. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters Observing Scheduling Intervention

Essence Improvement despite Issues


Emergent Healthy Habits Developing Facing Issues
themes
Theme Clusters Punctuality Early Submission Internet Problems

Organization Gives Motivation Unfamiliarity with the


interface
More aware Improved Time
Management New Adjustment

The essence of the observation from the experience of peers on the scheduling

intervention revolves around the idea of Improvement despite Issues. The emergent themes

created from the observation are Healthy habits, Developing, and Facing issues. First, the

emergent theme—Healthy Habits—has theme clusters of Punctuality, Organization, and More

awareness. According to Collins (2017), creating a schedule could push someone to do their task

more in advance, giving them extra time that they can use to rest or to do other tasks as well.

Second, the emergent theme—Developing—has theme clusters of Early submission, Gives

motivation, and Improved time management. In the study of Voge (2007), overcoming

procrastination includes staying motivated and developing time management techniques. One

can finish their task early by lessening procrastination; thus, they can submit early. Lastly, the

emergent theme—Facing Issues—has theme clusters of Internet problems, Unfamiliarity with

29
the interface, and New adjustment. The last emergent theme formulated from the interview for

the same time and intervention is similar to the interview, which concerns technical issues

brought by online and technical applications. Ducharme (2018) quoted David Ballard, head of

the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence, wherein who

said, “Procrastination is not just avoiding or delaying a task.” With that, reasons can include

factors that students don’t have control over, like connectivity issues, which could delay their

work in areas that need access to the internet.

C. Perception of students on the Daily Scheduling System and Accountability Partner

System after its implementation

a. Procrastination level after the Scheduling and Accountability Intervention

90

80 78
76
71
70 68 67
65
63 62 62
61 61 60
60 58 57
56 55 55 55
54 53 53
52 52
49
50 46
44
41
40

30

20

10

0
A B C D E F G H I

Before After Week 1 After Week 2

Figure 6. Procrastination level of Students before any Interventions and after week 2 of the

Implementation of the Daily Scheduling System and Accountability Intervention

30
Table 10. Procrastination Level of Students after the Scheduling and Accountability Intervention
Participants Procrastination Interpretation
Level
A 43 Struggling but with no negative effect The
B 41 Struggling but with no negative effect
C 44 Struggling but with no negative effect
D 35 Not dealing with a major problem
E 37 Not dealing with a major problem
F 32 Not dealing with a major problem
G 40 Struggling but with no negative effect
H 38 Not dealing with a major problem
I 34 Not dealing with a major problem
participants showed a mean of 37.50. This means that the group, as a whole, is not dealing with a

major problem. In comparison to the week before the intervention, there is an improvement that

is made in most of the participants. This is in accordance with what Bond (2016) stated: one’s

performance could improve with accountability, including well-being. Ultimately, the

combination of interventions also brings combined benefits and challenges.

b. Personal Experiences in the Scheduling and Accountability Intervention

Table 11. Essence, Emergent Themes, and Theme Clusters on Scheduling and Accountability

Intervention

Essence Total development

Emergent themes Self-improvement Teamwork Management style

Theme cluster Productivity Encouragement More organization

Self-control Considerations Learned what to

Increased learning prioritize

31
The essence of the interview is about the personal experiences in the scheduling and

accountability intervention, which is Total Development. The emergent themes devised from the

interview are Self-improvement, Teamwork, and Management style. First, the emergent theme,

Self-improvement, has theme clusters of Productivity, Self-control, and Increased learning in

relation to the study of Alyami et. Al (2021), students who have fixed study habits tend to

perform better than those who do not; in this emergent theme, it can be seen that after the

interventions, the participants had positive changes in their performance. Second, the emergent

theme, Teamwork, has theme clusters of Encouragement and Considerations. Teamwork is

considered one of the most effective work forms; this is why, according to Khawam et. Al.

(2017), teamwork yields better results for groups than individual work, and the last emergent

theme, Management style, has theme clusters of More organization and Learning what to

prioritize.

32
c. Observed experience of peers on the Scheduling and Accountability

Intervention

Table 12. Essence, Emergent themes, and Theme Clusters on Observed experience of peers on

the Scheduling Intervention

Essence Challenges faced

Emergent themes Self-regulation Motivation Data transfer

Theme cluster

Non-cooperation Task aversiveness Delayed


communication
Abuse of scheduling Restrictive conditions
Conflicting schedules
Poor monitoring Lack of impact
Internet issues

The essence of the observation from the Observed experience of peers on the Scheduling

Intervention revolves around the idea of Challenges faced. The emergent themes created from

the observation are Self-regulation, Motivation, and Data transfer. First, the emergent theme—

Self-regulation—has theme clusters of Non-cooperation, Abuse of scheduling, and Poor

monitoring. Procrastination has been described as the “quintessential self-regulatory failure”

(Steel, 2007). Bandura (1993) suggests, “Self-regulatory skills will not contribute much if

students cannot get themselves to apply them persistently in the face of difficulties.” Second, the

emergent theme—Motivation—has theme clusters of Task aversiveness, Restrictive conditions,

and Lack of impact. A person’s motivation frequently supports his self-control, allowing him to

complete tasks on time. According to Lawrence and Jordan (2009), extrinsic motivations are

33
strongly influenced by social demands and normative pressure. With too much pressure, one

succumbs to task aversiveness or sometimes does the work, but the quality diminishes. Lack of

impact (i.e., being in a safe environment) yields a large degree of freedom and eventually makes

one rush the output. Lastly, the emergent theme—Data transfer—has theme clusters of Delayed

communication, Conflicting schedules, and Internet issues. Factors that affect procrastination

include areas that are beyond one’s control, like power outages or internet problems.

34
CHAPTER V

Conclusion
By testing the effect of the Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System among

selected Health Allied Students of CSAB, the action research reduced students' procrastination

and improved their productivity. The results of the surveys show that the procrastination level of

the students is decreasing each week. The gathered data from interviews shows that students are

struggling with procrastination, but over the weeks, it has improved with the implementation of

the intervention. The observations of students also revealed their development over time, from

adjusting to the intervention to getting used to it.

As first stated, a person's inability to self-regulate leads to procrastination. Findings show

that students who plan a schedule make it easier to see the time and the tasks on hold. It helps

one identify what they can and cannot control and organize them most effectively. Furthermore,

having an accountability partner to whom you can trust, relate, and share reduces stress and

boosts productivity. This action research shows that procrastination is rooted in many causes,

such as numerous distractions, lack of motivation, fear of uncertainty and failure, and

perfectionism. However, when attentively helped, it can potentially boost performance and

overcome procrastination. Proof shows that direct intervention is the key. Students with a

support system and organized schedules can self-regulate, and the result stands the same with

infinite consequences such as concern for careers, studies, health, and personal qualities.

The action research will mostly benefit the 1 st-year Allied Health Students of Colegio San

Agustin—Bacolod since the respondents are directly taken from the cluster. The study shall

solve the recurring and direct problem of the college student participants, and thus, this serves as

a model to be adopted by other students or educational institutions. Furthermore, the results of

35
the study can provide feedback and insights for teachers about the student's struggles and thus

help them adjust and manage their schedules and lesson plans to meet changing demands.

Similarly, parents can also have a view of their children’s plans and adapt to effectively nurture,

care for, and guide their children. School stakeholders can also know how their current mode of

learning impacts the student’s performance, which aids them in the decision-making process of

providing an effective curriculum relevant to dynamic situations.

Recommendations
Based on the results of the study, it could not be denied that the respondents show the

standing of the students in their procrastination experience with online classes. With that, the

researchers would like to recommend the following for further research:

First, a larger sample size allows more data for analysis. By extending the parameters, the

researchers can extract more accurate mean values, widen the range of possible data, and

therefore construct a richer picture for analysis. Furthermore, the researchers also recommend

giving the interventions ample time. Within the time constraints of this action research, the two

systems were not utilized to their fullest potential, and as a result, the participants were not able

to make large leaps in their progress. Taking everything into account, a larger sample size and

sufficient time for implementation will help compensate for bias and any inaccuracy in the data.

The researchers also suggest the following: to develop a sense of collaboration,

interpersonal communication, and interaction—since, based on the researcher’s findings, one’s

procrastination level drops when with a pair, holding them accountable—to prepare oneself for

each task, and finally to reevaluate one's engagement in learning.

36
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APPENDICES

Appendix A. Letter of Consent

Letter of Consent

I, [Participant’s Name], agree to participate in the action research study entitled

“Reducing Procrastination Through Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System,”

which is being produced by CWTS-D Group 8 of Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod.

I certify that I have been told of the confidentiality of information collected for this

project and the anonymity of my participation and that I have been given satisfactory answers to

my inquiries concerning the project procedures and other matters. I have also been advised that I

am free to withdraw my consent and participation in this study at any time without prejudice.

Lastly, I agree that any information obtained from my participation may be used in any way that

is thought best for this study.

_____________________________________ Date: ___________________

Participant’s Printed Name

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Appendix B. Survey Questionnaire, Interview Questions, and Observation Questions

Survey Questionnaire
Dear respondents, this survey will be used to determine the level of procrastination of 1st year Allied

Health Students of Colegio San Agustin–Bacolod.

Your survey responses will be strictly confidential, and data from this research will be reported only in

the aggregate. Your information will be coded and will remain confidential.

Instructions: Please answer each question as accurately as possible. It will take approximately 3 minutes

to complete the questionnaire.

Assign each statement a numerical value based upon the following scale: 1 = Never 2 = Rarely 3 =

Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Always

Part I. Personal Data

Name: Course (Optional):

Part II. Statements about Procrastination

Always Often Sometime Rarel Never


(5) (4) s (3) y (2) (1)
Statement

1.) I do not get tasks accomplished on time.

2.) I find myself being late to appointments.

3.) I feel lazy thus I do the tasks at the last minute


and complete them under pressure.

4.) I spend a lot of time on routine and trivial things.

43
5.) I get distracted and read things that aren’t
essential to finishing the work at hand.

6.) I am bad at establishing priorities. I treat


everything as if it were equally important.
7.) I create justifications and reasons for delaying
getting tasks done.

8.) I complete easier, low-priority jobs before the


tough tasks.

9.) I start a task, put it aside, start another, put it


aside, and continue doing this, so I rarely finish
any one project.

10.) I am guilty of not having clear goals or


objectives for what I want to do.

11.) I wait until a classmate did his/her task so that


he/she could give me some advice.

12.) I find it difficult to begin a paper or project.

13.) I spend time worrying about making mistakes


before starting on a task.

14.) I feel overwhelmed by my daily tasks.

15.) I have difficulty making up my mind.

16.) I doubt myself.

17.) I can’t finish a project unless it’s perfect.

18.) I’m afraid of making the wrong decision.

19.) I feel like I’m trying to catch up.

20.) I do not find it easy to motivate myself.

Interview Research Questions

OBJECTIVE1
Before Week 1
1. Do you struggle with organizing priorities and establishing a study habit? What effect does
it have on you?
2. Do you think you procrastinated more after the implementation of the online mode of

44
education?
3. How often do you procrastinate, and what are the reasons?

OBJECTIVE 2
After Week 1
1. Did the scheduling method help you become more organized? If so, do you think it is
attainable to maintain in the long run?
2. Does having a scheduling system motivate you and lessen your procrastination? If so, in
what way?
3. Do you have any difficulties in doing the scheduling method? How did you adjust or not
adjust?
OBJECTIVE 3
After Week 2
1. Does having an accountability partner and scheduling system promote productivity and
motivation to do work? How?
2. What do you think is the best part about the intervention?
3. What is the difficult part about the combined interventions?
4. What can be improved in the system?

Observation Research Questions

OBJECTIVE1
Before Week 1
1. How well do the researcher’s fellow students react when a new task is given?
2. What do others think of a member or a peer who puts off something they want to be done
soon?
3. How does procrastination affect the academic life of students? Why do they do it at first?
OBJECTIVE 2
After Week 1
1. Did the scheduling method help you become more organized? If so, do you think it is
attainable to maintain in the long run?
2. Does having a scheduling system motivate you and lessen your procrastination? If so, in
what way?
3. Do you have any difficulties in doing the scheduling method? How did you adjust or not
adjust?
OBJECTIVE 3
After Week 2
1. Does having an accountability partner and scheduling system promote productivity and
motivation to do work? How?
2. What do you think is the best part about the combined interventions?
3. What is the difficult part about the combined interventions?
4. What can be improved in the system?

45
Appendix C. Responses
Survey Responses
Figure 7. Survey Questionnaire Response before Week 1, After Week 1, and After Week 2

Interview Responses
Figure 8. Single and All Interview Responses Before Week 1

46
Figure 9. Single and All Interview Responses After Week 1

Figure 10. Single and All Interview Responses After Week 2

47
Figure 11. Single and All Observation Results Before Week 1

Figure 12. Single and All Observation Results After Week 1

48
Figure 13. Single and All Observation Results After Week 2

49
Appendix D.

Action plan

Table 13. Action Plan for Online Scheduling and Accountability Partner System

Key Action Specific Who is Who to When Where Resou


Finding tasks Responsible Consult or rces
Inform Neede
d
Develop Participants Accountability 1st to Home Intern
daily & Partner 2nd et
weekly Week
personal of Notio
schedule Final n
classe
s
Students in
Commit to Participants Accountability 1st to Home Notio
the New
the Partner 2nd n
Normal
Online developed Week
claim to
scheduling schedule. of
have
Final
increased
classe
procrastinat
s
ion and
Recording Accountability Participants 1st and Home Intern
reduced
of Partner 2nd et
productivit
Accountabi performanc Week
y than they
lity System e of Notio
were in the
Final n
Old
Classe
Normal.
s
Coaching Accountability Participants 2nd Home Intern
and Partner Week et
feedback of
on Final Messe
Performanc Classe nger
e s

50
Appendix E. Interventions

Scheduling Intervention

Figure 14. Personal Scheduling Page

Accountability Intervention

51
Figure 15. Accountability through chat message

Figure 16. Accountability through a video call

52
Appendix F. Researcher’s Profile

Researcher’s Profile
Vohn Archie Edjan
Block 24, Lot 24-B, Purok Mahimaya-on,
Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
+639305142381
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Don Jose R. Torres Elementary School
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7-10)
Negros Occidental High School — Special Science Class
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
Liceo de La Salle Senior High School —Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Class

Academic Achievements and Awards

53
Junior High School
Grade 7-10: With High Honors
Grade 8 & 10: 1st place - 2 National Wildlife Quiz bowls
Grade 9: Authored project of National Science and Technology Research Fair Finalist
Grade 10: 5th Place National Nuclear Science Quiz
School’s SciTech Writer in Filipino
Senior High School
Grade 11: With High honors – Gold
Imake.Wemake DOST National Research Fair Finalist
Grade 12: With High and Highest honors – Gold and Principal’s Distinction

Skills
 Technical Project Management
 Arduino and Python Coding
 Microsoft Office proficiency

Cherro Clark S. Geronimo


Purok Lerio, Barangay Vito, Sagay City,
Negros Occidental
+639518747727
[email protected]

Education
2013 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Vito Elementary School (S.Y. 2007-2013)
2019 Junior High School (7-10)
Vito National High School
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod

Skills
 Good listener
 Fast learner
 Can do both written and oral communication

54
Aira E. Gallardo
#1315 Sarmiento Extension,
Barangay Poblacion, Bago City
Negros Occidental
+639999715499
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Bago City Elementary School
2019 Junior High School (7-10)
Ramon Torres National High School-Bago City, Negros Occidental
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
Ramon Torres National High School Senior High School, Bago City, Negros
Occidental

Academic Achievements and Awards


Elementary School

55
Grade 2-6: National Athlete, 2015 Palarong Pambansa- Bronze Medalist
Junior High School
Grade 7: Second Honorable Mention & Student-Athlete Award
Grade 8-9: With High Honors, Service & Student-Athlete Award
Grade 10: With Honors, Service & Student-Athlete Award
Senior High School
Grade 11: With High Honors, Service & Student-Athlete Award
Grade 12: With High Honors

Skills
 Word Processing
 Oral and Written Communication

K Caeiande Bee C. Gonzaga


Bagtican St., Canlaon View Subdivision,
Barangay Blumintritt, Murcia
Negros Occidental, 6129
+639216579369
[email protected]

Education
2012 Elementary School (Grade 1-3)
Don Bosco Technical Institute - Victorias Milling Company, Compound,
Victorias City, 6119 Negros Occidental
2015 Elementary School (Grade 4-6)
E.B. Magalona Elementary School - F. Maravilla St. Enrique B. Magalona
(SARAVIA), Negros Occidental
2019 Junior High School (7-10)
Murcia National High School - De La Rama Street, Barangay Blumentritt,
Murcia, Negros Occidental
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
Murcia National High School - De La Rama Street, Barangay Blumentritt,
Murcia, Negros Occidental

56
Academic Achievements and Awards
Elementary School
Grade 1-4: With Honors

Skills
 Good Communication Skills

Hannah Grace D. Plomines


Trece Martires City, Cavite
+639991535651
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Sto. Niño De Praga Academy
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7-10)
Trece Martires City National High School
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
National College of Science and Technology

Academic Achievements and Awards


Junior High School
Grade 7: Division Spelling Bee Champion, Special Science Class Student,
With Honors
Grade 8-10: Special Science Class Student, With Honors

57
Senior High School
Grade 11-12: With Honors, School Band Member

Skills
 Digital-age Literacy
 English and Tagalog Fluency
 Adaptive Thinking
 Communication

Wayne Kenneth P. Tipontipon


Blk. 5 Lot 4 East Homes 1 Subdivision, Barangay Estefania,
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, 6100
+639673292506
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1 - 6)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7- 10)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11 -1 2)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City

Academic Achievements and Awards


Junior High School
Grade 7-8: With Honors
Grade 9-10: With Highest Honors & H&B Award
Senior High School

58
Grade 12: With High Honors & H&B Award

Skills
 Journalism
 Photography
 Multimedia

Mary Zyann B. Tupas


#151 Dahlia St.
Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City
Negros Occidental
+639129119076
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Jack & Jill School – Homesite Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7-10)
St. Joseph School – La Salle Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
University of St. La Salle – Liceo De La Salle Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Academic Achievements and Awards


Elementary School
Grade 1-6: With Honors
Grade 6: Best in Journalism, Cultural Award
59
Junior High School
Grade 7-10: Blue Shield Awardee
Senior High School
Grade 12: With Honors

Skills
 Composition and layout
 Fiction writing

Kobe Andre R. Uy
Blk. 5 Lot 4 East Homes 1 Subdivision, Barangay Estefania,
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, 6100
+639223767659
[email protected]

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1 - 6)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7- 10)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11 -1 2)
Bacolod Trinity Christian School - Bacolod City

Skills
 Online Consultant
 Audio Visual Editor
 Sports

60
Angel Mae C. Villeta
Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City
Negros Occidental
+639292615131
[email protected].

Education
2015 Elementary School (Grade 1-6)
Montevista Elementary School
2019 Junior High School (Grade 7-10)
Negros Occidental High School
2021 Senior High School (Grade 11-12)
STI West Negros University

Academic Achievements and Awards


Elementary School
Grade 1-6: With Honors
Junior High School

61
Grade 7-10: With Honors
Senior High School
Grade 11-12: With Honors

Skills
 Written and Verbal Communication
 Determined, Initiative, Resourceful

62

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