Primary data from an experience-sampling study on the relationship between self-regulation and the everyday experience of students

Personality Psychology

Authors(s) / Creator(s)

Grund, Axel
Fries, Stefan
Senker, Kerstin

Abstract

This study is a continuation of the pre-study "Primary data Pre-Study Experience-Sampling 2017". The aim of both studies was to relate various aspects of self-regulation to the everyday experience of students. The focus was on the construct complexes of mindfulness, self-control, affect and motivation. The special feature of both studies is that these constructs were operationalised at both trait and state level.

In contrast to the previous study, the present study includes a larger convenient sample of students (N = 109) from Bielefeld University who participated in a specific lecture ("Psychology for School" in Educational Sciences). In addition to experience sampling (ES) in the students' everyday lives over a period of eight days, there was also event sampling within two lecture sessions at the beginning and end of the ES phase. In addition, there was an end-of-day questionnaire every evening during this phase in retrospect of the respective day.

The study structure was as follows: first, students were familiarised with the study procedure in small groups. In addition, the trait measurement of the different constructs (e.g. trait mindfulness and self-control) was done via self-report questionnaire and the study participants loaded an experience sampling (ES) software (LifeData) onto their private smartphones. They then provided information about their current experience and behaviour at five random times throughout the day over eight days (up to 40 measurements per person in total). Central constructs in the ES were momentary affect, mindfulness and motivational conflict experience.

Every evening (over eight days), they answered an end-of-day questionnaire by providing information on their current stress experience, achievement emotions and the amount of time spent studying and leisure time, among other things.

Within two lecture sessions, they also provided information on their experience and behaviour within these lectures at 3 measurement points each (beginning, middle and end of the respective session).

Subsequently, the study participants received monetary compensation of up to 40 Euros depending on their compliance with the ES and answered some of the trait questionnaires again to determine possible changes over time.

Initial publications showed, among other things, that mindfulness seems to positively influence the cognitive-emotional effects of motivational conflicts (Grund et al., 2021) and that mindfulness is associated with emotions that promote learning (Senker et al., 2021).

Due to the high expense of ES studies, additional constructs beyond the central constructs were measured at both trait and state level (e.g. trait well-being, achievement motive, study interest and motivational regulation levels).

Persistent Identifier

https://doi.org/10.5160/psychdata.gdal18pr18

Year of Publication

2022

Funding

German Research Foundation (DFG)

Citation

Grund, A., Fries, S. & Senker, K. (2022). Primary data from an experience-sampling study on the relationship between self-regulation and the everyday experience of students (Version 1.0.0) [Data and Documentation]. Trier: Research Data Center at ZPID. https://doi.org/10.5160/psychdata.gdal18pr18

Study Description

Research Questions/Hypotheses:

Overall, we assumed that mindfulness, due to various mechanisms, shows beneficialeffects on both the experiential and behavioural level. This should be demonstrable both atthe "between-" and "within-person" level.

Research Design:

Fully standardised survey instrument (provides question formulation and answeroptions); repeated measurement

Measurement Instruments/Apparatus:

Where possible, we have used validated instruments for operationalisation. This appliesin particular to the trait measurements. For the state measurements of mindfulness, wedeveloped (Senker et al., 2020) and improved our own items on the basis of the relevantliterature, each with four statements covering two central aspects of mindfulness,present orientation or "presence" and acceptance without evaluation or "equanimity",analogous to the trait level, whereby the content validity of both facets of statemindfulness was particularly important to us, as well as the possibility of calculatingvarious quality criteria of measurement accuracy. In this sense, the present study was acontinuation of the "pre-study" mentioned above.

Specifically, the subjects were asked to comment on statements such as "I was able toconcentrate fully on the present moment." (KF_Presence_2) or "I wished I had otherthoughts/feelings." ("KF_Equi_3") with reference to their current experience andbehaviour (or their experience and behaviour before the ES signal reached them) (cf.Grund et al., 2021; Senker et al., 2020).

Data Collection Method:

Survey in the presence of an investigator

group setting
computer-based
special apparatus or measuring instruments, namely:
Trait questionnaires: Unipark

Survey in the absence of an investigator

Other method, namely: Experience sampling: LifeData software (on the private smartphones of the study participants), i.e. online, without the presence of an
investigator.

Population:

Students of the lecture "Psychology for Schools" at Bielefeld University

Survey Time Period:

Intensive longitudinal design (cf. Bolger & Laurenceau, 2013); up to 54 measurement time points nested within individuals

Sample:

Convenience Sample

Gender Distribution:

85,0% weibliche Probanden
15,0% männliche Probanden

Age Distribution: 19 bis 42 Jahre

Spatial Coverage (Country/Region/City): Germany/East Westphalia/-

Subject Recruitment:

Potential test subjects were recruited at the beginning of the lecture "Psychology for School" in the winter semester 2017/2018 at Bielefeld University.

The central criterion was to attend the specific lecture as actively as possible at the time of the study, to speak German fluently and to complete as many measurement time points as possible.

Sample Size:

105 - 107 participants

Return/Drop Out:

109 people had registered for the study and completed the pre-measurements. Two people had to be excluded due to technical problems with the experience sampling. Two other people did not take part in the post-measurement (= complete postmeasurements of 105 people).

gdal18pr18_readme.txt

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