Systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of time management on college students’ learning outcomes

Introduction Time management strategies are critical components of self-regulated learning and a key factor influencing learning outcomes. Although the application of time management strategies to learning behaviors has increased, their outcomes remains a subject of debate. Currently, there is a paucity of reliable, data-driven research conclusions on this topic. This study employed a meta-analytic approach to investigate the primary effect of time management on college students’ learning outcomes, as well as five categories of moderating variables. Methods A meta-analysis was conducted on 31 studies published in both Chinese and English, utilizing CMA V3 software to analyze 33 aggregated independent samples (derived from 60 original effect sizes) derived from a total sample of 13,506 participants. Results The results indicate that time management is significantly and moderately positively correlated with college students’ learning outcomes ( r = 0.250). Moderation analysis revealed that both educational level and the time management measurement significantly moderate the relationship between time management and learning outcomes among college students. Specifically, time management strategies have the most pronounced effect on the learning outcomes of undergraduate students. Additionally, measurement instruments that assess time management abilities and behaviors more accurately capture the influence of time management on learning outcomes. Discussion These results have practical implications for designing interventions that directly support the growth of students’ self-regulation capacities via structured time management training.