(76) Impact of Commitment Devices on Academic Performances

Objective : This study aimed to investigate whether using commitment devices would improve students' academic performance.

Methods: Students enrolled in the course were allowed to participate by committing to develop a habit from a predetermined list. The options included were daily exercise, sufficient sleep, abstaining from television or social media use, or completing additional self-assessments throughout the course. Students signed contracts specifying the option they chose and confirmed the absence of that habit in their current practices. Each committed student also chose a “referee” to monitor their progress. The study compared three groups. These groups were students who successfully committed to the habit 100% (COMMIT), students who attempted but failed to commit 100% (ATTEMPT), and students who did not attempt at all (ABSTAIN).

Results: Of 140 enrolled students, 88.57% (n=124) attempted the commitment device. The most common commitments were exercise (47.58%), sleep (36.29%), and completing self-assessments (11.29%). A total of 78.23% (n=97) were in the COMMIT. COMMIT students achieved a higher mean final grade of 86.46% (±3.94%) compared to ABSTAIN students, averaging 84.05% (±4.12%), and ATTEMPT students had a mean of 83.68% (±4.79%) (p=.002).

Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate a significant positive impact of the commitment devices on academic performance. Students who successfully committed to a new habit outperformed their peers who only attempted their commitments or did not commit at all. These results not only highlight the effectiveness of commitment devices, but they also suggest that successful commitment to healthy habits positively correlates with improved academic performance. Further prospective research may be done into which habits yield better academic results for students.