Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 118(2), Feb 2026, 139-152; doi:10.1037/edu0000984
Motivational regulation is essential for effective learning when facing obstacles in higher education. Students failing to maintain (or increase) their motivation may be prone to dysfunctional learning behaviors, such as academic procrastination. Frequently, motivational challenges in an academic course of study arise from environmental conditions that should thus foster the need to develop knowledge about motivational regulation strategies. However, research has yet to determine the extent to which motivational regulation strategy knowledge develops over the course of study and whether this knowledge is associated with changes in academic procrastination (as an important example of dysfunctional learning behavior). Thus, we aimed to examine how intraindividual changes in motivational regulation strategy knowledge are related to intraindividual changes in academic procrastination over the course of study. We hypothesized that motivational regulation strategy knowledge would increase across four semesters and that this increase would lead to a decrease in academic procrastination. For this purpose, we used a cohort sequential longitudinal data set with six measurement occasions across four semesters and seven cohorts (which were based on students’ university semester at the first measurement occasion) comprising N = 1,344 undergraduate students. On average, motivational regulation strategy knowledge increased significantly over students’ course of study. Results of a bivariate latent change score model indicated that positive development in motivational regulation strategy knowledge was associated with a subsequent decrease in academic procrastination, but not vice versa. The findings thus suggest a certain temporal causality, implying that motivational regulation strategy knowledge is relevant for overcoming academic procrastination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)