EMOTION REGULATION TRAINING PROGRAM PREDICTING DIFFICULTIES IN EMOTION REGULATION, PROCRASTINATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

In recent years, there have been a growing number of studies exploring the impact of difficulties in emotion regulation and procrastination on students’ academic performance. It has been found that poor emotion regulation and procrastination affects academic performance negatively. However, there has been limited research exploring emotion regulation interventions in an education setting and in an Asian context. The present article seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented emotion regulation training program that aims to reduce difficulties in emotion regulation and procrastination, among a sample of 208 undergraduate university students in Singapore. A mediation analysis was also conducted to investigate the potential mechanisms through which the emotion regulation training program impacted students’ academic performance. Results showed that students who went through the emotion regulation training program had lesser difficulties with emotion regulation. Difficulties in emotion regulation also had an indirect effect on the relationship between emotion regulation training program and academic performance. However, the emotion regulation training program did not predict reductions in self-reported procrastination. The findings indicate that emotion regulation skills taught in the program was adaptable to the Asian context and it suggests that emotion dysregulation could be explored further in the academic settings.