Self-regulated Learning, Social Media Use, and Thesis Writing Procrastination among Undergraduate Thesis Writers

Abstract

Writing a thesis is a critical milestone for undergraduate students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs. However, many students experience thesis writing procrastination, which may be influenced by both internal and external factors. In the digital era, social media use has become one of the most common sources of distraction, while self-regulated learning (SRL) is considered an important mechanism for maintaining academic progress. Although previous studies have examined these variables separately, limited research has explored how self-regulated learning and different types of social media use jointly predict thesis writing procrastination among EFL undergraduate students. Therefore, this study investigated the predictive roles of self-regulated learning, learning-oriented social media use (LO-SMU), and non-learning-oriented social media use (NLO-SMU) on thesis writing procrastination. This study employed a quantitative survey design involving 108 undergraduate EFL students from the 2019–2023 cohorts who were actively working on their theses. Data were collected using adapted versions of the QEWSRLS Scale, the Social Media Use Scale, and the Thesis Writing Procrastination Scale. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the simultaneous and individual contributions of the independent variables to thesis writing procrastination. The findings showed that self-regulated learning had the highest mean score among the variables measured, while non-learning-oriented social media use was reported more frequently than learning-oriented social media use. Inferential analysis revealed that self-regulated learning was significantly and negatively associated with thesis writing procrastination, particularly through the personal regulation dimension. In contrast, non-learning-oriented social media use demonstrated a positive contribution to procrastination tendencies, whereas learning-oriented social media use showed no significant relationship with procrastination. Furthermore, the regression model was statistically significant, explaining 24.7% of the variance in thesis writing procrastination (Adjusted R² = 22.5%). These findings suggest that thesis writing procrastination among EFL students is influenced by both students’ self-regulatory capacities and their patterns of social media use. Strengthening personal self-regulation strategies while reducing non-academic social media engagement may help students manage procrastination more effectively and support the timely completion of their theses.