Patterns in assignment submission times: Analysis of factors contributing to undergraduate students' commitment to core-curriculum related course

Ahmad Bisyri Husin Musawi Maliki; Abd Majid Mohd Isa; Mohamad Nizam Nazarudin; Mohamad Razali Abdullah; Siti Musliha Mat-Rasid; Rabiu Muazu Musa

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26214

Patterns in assignment submission times: Analysis of factors contributing to undergraduate students' commitment to core-curriculum related course

Heliyon. 2024 Feb 17;10(4):e26214. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26214. eCollection 2024 Feb 29.

Authors

Ahmad Bisyri Husin Musawi Maliki¹, Abd Majid Mohd Isa², Mohamad Nizam Nazarudin³, Mohamad Razali Abdullah⁴, Siti Musliha Mat-Rasid⁵, Rabiu Muazu Musa⁶

Affiliations

¹ Defense Fitness Academy, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) Sungai Besi Camp, Sungai Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
² Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts, INTI International University, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
³ Center for the Study of Education and Community Wellbeing, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁴ Faculty of Health Science, School of Rehabilitation Science, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, Kuala Terengganu 21300, Terengganu, Malaysia.
⁵ Faculty of Sports Science and Coaching, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.
⁶ Centre for Fundamental and Continuing Education, Department of Credited Co-Curriculum, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia.

Abstract

Co-curricular activities equip students with essential skills and knowledge for personal and professional growth. Despite their importance, many students exert minimal effort to complete the assigned tasks. Instructors perceive that the lack of emphasis on final exams in co-curricular subjects reduces student effort and commitment. Moreover, poor time management and lack of effort in completing tasks have increased across various subjects in recent years. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors that contribute to student commitment towards co-curricular subjects. In this study, the submission status of 339 tasks was retrieved from the student learning system to measure student commitment based on whether tasks were submitted on time, delayed, or not submitted. A chi-square test f was used to investigate the relationship between students' demographic characteristics and their commitment. The findings revealed a significant association between student commitment and the type of task given (p < 0.001). Students were more likely to submit presentations on time compared to written assignments. Projects were more likely to be delayed, while written assignments had a high frequency of no submission. Age was a significant predictor of commitment (p < 0.05), with students over 20 more likely to submit on time and students under 20 more likely to ignore submission. Gender was also a significant predictor of commitment (p < 0.001), with female students having a higher percentage and frequency of on-time submissions while male students having a higher number of no submissions. However, no significant association was found between the study year and commitment (p > 0.05), indicating that the year of the study could not determine the level of commitment to the course. Overall, these findings could be used to guide the preparation of tasks and assignments in co-curricular subjects to enhance student commitment and holistic development.

Keywords: Academic procrastination; Assignment submission patterns; Co-curricular activities; Late submissions; Student commitment; Time management.