Exploring Associations Between Substance Use, Self-Regulated Learning Practices, and Academic Challenges at Five Canadian Universities

Self-regulated learning (SRL) practices and academic challenges are crucial factors in student success and academic performance. Frequent cannabis and alcohol use can negatively affect emerging adults’ cognitive abilities which in turn diminishes their academic performance. Research has not yet fully explored how substance use effects university student engagement with SRL practices (e.g., task understanding) and academic challenges (e.g., motivational challenges). Participants ( N = 1,247) were first- and second-year undergraduate students at five Canadian Universities ( M age = 19.1 years). Cannabis use negatively associated with reports of task understanding and metacognitive monitoring and positively associated with five academic challenges: goal and time management, cognitive, social-emotional, metacognitive, and motivational challenges. Alcohol use negatively associated with reports of goal and time management, and task understanding, and positively associated with academic social engagement practices, social-emotional and initiating-sustaining engagement challenges. Findings enhance understanding about how specific substances affect emerging adults on academic success precursors early in their transition to university.