Unhappy to be Guided: Students' Negative Affect and Digital Nudge Effectiveness in Combating Procrastination Towards Informal Learning

Procrastination has been observed to produce various consequences, yet many students still engage in this behavior. Digital nudging is a promising technique for influencing student procrastination, but its effectiveness varies across individuals' characteristics. Research has neglected digital nudge effectiveness within informal learning environments and the influence of affect, both of which represent promising avenues for deeper investigation. This study investigated the correlations between students' recent positive and negative affect levels and their degrees of procrastination in completing informal learning tasks, following their exposure to digital nudges. Following a diary study which facilitated students' exposure to digital nudges and informal learning tasks, this study collected 88 during-study questionnaire responses from 29 university students, measuring their positive and negative affect levels and degrees of procrastination in completing informal learning tasks. Findings indicated that the students' negative affect levels possessed a significant and moderate positive correlation with their degrees of procrastination. This finding highlighted the potential influence of students' negative affect levels on the digital nudge interventions' effectiveness.