COUNS-EDU The International Journal of Counseling and Education
Vol.2, No.1, March 2017, pp. 6-10

p-ISSN: 2548-348X- e-ISSN: 2548-3498
http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu

DOI: 10.23916/002017025510

Received on 02/09/2017; Revised on 03/21/2017; Accepted on 02/26/2017; Published on 03/31/2017

Effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique to reduce

academic procrastination of vocational high school

students

Wahyu Nanda Eka Saputra
*)

Universitas Ahmad Dahlan
*) Corresponding author,  e-mail: wahyu.kons@gmail.com

Abstract
Academic procrastination is a serious problem among student. Academic procrastination

refers to delaying in doing assignments and preparing for examinations until the last period

of examination time and submission date of assignments. To solve this problem we could

use cognitive restructuring technique. The purposes of this research are to gain the

description of academic procrastination decrease by implementing the cognitive

restructuring technique. This research used a single subject research as the research design.

The type of the single subject research which used in this research is multiple baselines. The

result of this research shows that academic procrastination had significant decrease by

implementation the cognitive restructuring technique. This research gives advice for two

parts. First, it will be better if counselor implement the cognitive restructuring technique to

decreasing academic procrastination. Second, it will be better if stakeholder of school gives

support to counselor for implementation the cognitive restructuring technique to decrease

academic procrastination.

Keywords: Academic Procrastination, Cognitive Restructuring Technique

How to Cite: Saputra, W. N. E.(2017). Effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique to reduce
academic procrastination of vocational high school students. Couns-Edu: International Journal of Counseling and

Education, 2(1): pp. 6-10. DOI: 10.23916/002017025510

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and

Introduction

Delays in academic tasks become a serious problem among students. The phenomenon of delays in

academic task called academic procrastination. Solomon & Rothblum (1984) says that academic

procrastination is delay on academic tasks such as writing papers, preparing for exams, reading to

complete a task, perform the administration tasks, attendance in class and completing academic tasks.

The phenomenon of academic procrastination among students showed some of the research. Research

of Carolia, Yusuf & Yanuvianti (2012) in one of the universities in Bandung showed that 52.94% of the

subjects are in a moderate, 41.18% are at a low level, while the remaining 5.88% are at a high level.

Research of Utaminingsih & Setyabudi (2012) in one of the Tangerang city high school showed that

43.70% of the students have a high level of procrastination and the remaining 56.30% had low academic

procrastination.

The students in One of the areas in Indonesia, that experiencing of academic procrastination problem is

Ngawi, East Java. Academic procrastination scale given to 37 students randomly. Results of data analysis

of academic procrastination scale showed that 27% of students experiencing academic procrastination high

http://dx.doi.org/10.23916/002017025510

COUNS-EDU 
Vol.2, No.1, March 2017
Available online: http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu Saputra, W. N. E Adnan Arafani

Effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique to reduce academic procrastination … | 7
Indonesian Counselor Association (IKI) | DOI: 10.23916/002017025510

category, 57% of students experiencing procrastination medium category, and 16% of students

experiencing academic procrastination lower category.

Academic procrastination is effect on student achievement. Research of Tice & Baumeister (1997)

concluded that academic procrastination impact on the low score of the subjects and the final exam.

Research of Steel, Brothen & Wambach (2000) concluded that students who commit academic

procrastination tend to get lower grades in each subject and final exam scores. Research of Popoola (2005)

stated that the low academic achievement happened to students who have high and moderate

procrastination. Research of Akinsola, Tela & Tela (2007) stated that academic procrastination was a

significant correlation with academic achievement in mathematics.

Besides effect on academic achievement, academic procrastination also affect on academic

performance. Research Jiao et al. (2011) concluded that academic procrastination contributes to a decrease

in academic performance of students in the form of products study groups. Research of Michinov et al.

(2011) concluded that procrastination is highly correlated with lower academic performance of students in

the discussion forum. Research of Savithri (2014) concluded that academic procrastination effect on

students' academic performance.

Academic procrastination does not happen by itself, but due to certain factors. Research of Chow

(2011) concluded that academic procrastination happens to students who have a negative self-evaluation as

a form of mind dysfunctional. Research of Flett et al. (2012) concluded that academic procrastination

correlated with negative automatic thoughts. Dysfunctional thinking also makes students become a person

who easily give up before the task. Personal quitter encourage students delay their academic tasks.

Academic procrastination need to be addressed. One effort to overcome academic procrastination

among students is counseling sessions with cognitive restructuring techniques. Cognitive restructuring

techniques using the assumption that the responses of behavior and emotional adaptive influenced by

beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions (cognition) counselee (Coermir, Nurius & Osborn, 2009). This study

sought to examine whether cognitive restructuring techniques can reduce academic procrastination of

vocational high school students.

Method

This research used a single subject research as the research design. The researcher studies the behaviors

of single individuals rather than a group of subjects. There are several reasons this study uses a single

subject research design, namely: (1) This study sought to learn the behavior of a single individual rather

than a group; (2) study the single subject research design can observe the behavior of research subjects

from time to time; and (3) study using single subject research design can control the threat of internal

validity (Creswell, 2012). The type of the single subject research which used in this research is multiple

baselines. The use of multiple baseline type of intervention aims to diffusion will not occur on the subject

of research (Creswell, 2012). Measurement of baseline and intervention phases of data on a single subject

research study design with multiple baseline type performed repeatedly (Lodico, Spaulding & Voegtle,

2010). Subjects in this study are a class XI student of SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Ngawi. Methods of data

analysis used in this study is based on experimental design single subject research design with multiple

baseline type is a visual data analysis. Visual data analysis is a process of reading a chart to determine

whether the intervention has shown a change in the condition before the intervention. There are three

important things that must be considered in analyzing visual data, namely the level, trend and variability.

Results and Discussions

The results of research that considers the trend, the level and variability indicates a student's academic

procrastination decreased significantly through the application of counseling intervention with cognitive

restructuring techniques. The results of research that considers the trend, level, and such variability

visually depicted in figure 1.1.

COUNS-EDU 
The International Journal of Counseling and Education Vol.2, No.1, March 2017

Effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique to reduce academic procrastination … |8

Indonesian Counselor Association (IKI) | DOI: 10.23916/002017025510

Figure 1 Graph of academic procrastination scores

The study's findings indicate that students' academic procrastination decreased significantly through the

application of counseling intervention with cognitive restructuring techniques. Trend research subjects

decreased after getting counseling intervention with cognitive restructuring techniques. Changes in levels

reached diverse and counseling intervention with cognitive restructuring techniques demonstrated

therapeutic in lowering academic procrastination of student. In addition, intervention counseling with

cognitive restructuring techniques to experience variability of the data and the decline in academic

procrastination scores fluctuated.

Based on the results of previous research studies, has not carried out studies that specifically examine

the decline of academic procrastination through the application of counseling intervention with cognitive

restructuring techniques. Nonetheless, previous studies involving cognitive restructuring techniques have

the same characteristics, namely changing dysfunctional thoughts became more functional in overcoming

the problems (Allain & Lemieux, 2007). Changing patterns of thinking will be a stimulus to changes in

behavior (Turner & Napolitano, 2010).

The study of Marcello, Hilton-Lerro & Mueser (2009), examines the application of cognitive

restructuring as CBT techniques in dealing with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The result of

research indicating cognitive restructuring techniques can be applied as a counseling technique in dealing

with individuals who experience PTSD. Cognitive restructuring techniques in the study were designed

specifically for individuals with psychotic disorders and mood by focusing on modifying dysfunctional

beliefs and behaviors.

The study of Hope et al. (2010) concluded that cognitive restructuring techniques in Cognitive

Behavioral Group Therapy can reduce social anxiety. A cognitive restructuring technique used in reducing

social anxiety is designed to challenge and change the irrational thoughts automatically become more

rational. Automatic thoughts reflected in three fundamental themes, namely experience anxiety, negative

self-evaluation and negative evaluation scary.

The study of Rosenberg et al. (2011) concluded that cognitive restructuring program can to solve PTSD

experienced by adolescents. Cognitive restructuring programs that are used in addressing adolescent PTSD

designed to teach cognitive skills and changing dysfunctional thoughts be functional. Subjects who had

undergone counseling sessions, reported high satisfaction and provide positive feedback to the counselor.

The study was conducted Ekennia, Otta & Ogbuokiri (2013) that concluded cognitive restructuring

techniques can be used to reduce nocturnal behavior enuresis. The study explains that cognitive

restructuring is CBT techniques that can be observed and practiced by students. Similar to this study,

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6

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COUNS-EDU 
Vol.2, No.1, March 2017
Available online: http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu Saputra, W. N. E Adnan Arafani

Effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique to reduce academic procrastination … | 9
Indonesian Counselor Association (IKI) | DOI: 10.23916/002017025510

cognitive restructuring techniques allow students to absorb and apply the results of counseling outside the

counseling session.

Past research has shown that a problematic behavior caused by dysfunctional thoughts. Academic

procrastination caused by dysfunctional thoughts (Chow, 2011). Dysfunctional thinking is a denial of the

reality and illogical ways of evaluating yourself, others, and the world (Balkis, Duru & Bulus 2012; Ellis,

2000; Robertson, 2000).

Dysfunctional thoughts on the subject of research trigger very diverse academic procrastination. Corey

(2009) explains that humans basically have a tendency to have a mindset of dysfunctional, have confidence

in the outer reality, self-deprecating, and avoid the potential for self-actualization. At times like that a

human being personally ineffective. Dysfunctional thinking begins with learning illogically obtained from

the parents and the culture of the place grew. Dysfunctional thinking will be reflected on the verbalization

used. Verbalization illogical show wrong thoughts and verbalize the right shows the right way of thinking.

Conclusions

Results of visual data analysis by observing the trend, the level and variability of the data, it was

concluded that a student's academic procrastination decreased significantly through the application of

counseling intervention with cognitive restructuring techniques. Counselors need to identify academic

procrastination problems that occur in students in schools and implementing counseling interventions with

cognitive restructuring techniques to reduce it. Schools should support and provide facilities to the

counselor to intervene counseling with cognitive restructuring techniques and cognitive diffusion.

Acknowledgments

This article was compiled with the support of several parties. The parties to assist the completion of this

article are Prof. Dr. Andi Mappiare AT., M Pd and Dr. Blasius Boli Lasan, M.Pd who helped found the

theme of this article. In addition, the support from my wife Prima Rohmadheny, M.Pd who have

commented on the technique of writing articles that he wrote for the better governance.

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