Narrative perspective matters: Designing chatbot interventions for academic procrastination through motivational framing

This study examines how narrative perspective (first-, second-, or third-person framing) in chatbot dialogues influences academic procrastinators' task engagement, engagement trajectories over time, and motivational experience. Eighty-six university students participated in an eight-day chatbot-based intervention and were randomly assigned to one of three narrative perspective conditions. Results showed that narrative perspective did not significantly affect overall task engagement, but significantly influenced engagement trajectories and users' motivational experience. Second-person framing was associated with higher engagement during the early phase of the intervention, suggesting its role in action initiation, but was also linked to increased perceptions of pressure. First-person framing supported more gradual and sustained engagement and was associated with more positive emotional tone and stronger identification with the chatbot. Third-person framing produced greater psychological distance and emotional neutrality, resulting in moderate engagement and relatively high acceptance. Overall, the findings indicate that narrative perspective functions as a communicative mechanism that shapes how users interpret chatbot interactions and respond to motivational prompts over time. This study contributes to understanding how linguistic framing influences self-regulation in digital interventions and extends the application of Temporal Motivation Theory to conversational contexts.