Academic Procrastination: An Exploration for the Cause at University Level

  • Saira Ijaz Ahmad University of Gujrat
  • Samina Malik International Islamic University Islamabad
  • Nabi Bux Jumani International Islamic University Islamabad

Abstract

Academic Procrastination is an attitude of delaying academic tasks without having any logical and conscious cause. It is a universal phenomenon that exists among the general population. The present study is an attempt to identify the academic areas in which students procrastinate at university level along with finding out the cause of Academic Procrastination. For sampling, two-stage Cluster Random Sampling Technique was used. Mainly, four departments from the Faculty of Social Sciences (Education, Psychology, Sociology, and Political Science) at University of the Punjab were randomly selected. These four sampled departments were considered as cluster for the study and all the enrolled students studying at MS/M.Phil. level were contacted for data collection. Total sample size included 78 students. PASS was adopted for data collection. Findings of the study revealed that the students at University level have moderate level of Procrastination. The major causes of Academic Procrastination are Dependency, Poor Self Confidence, Idleness, Denial, Fear to Success, Poor Time Management and Lack of Risk-Taking. Study recommended that students must be aware of the negative impacts of the phenomenon of academic procrastination.

Author Biographies

Saira Ijaz Ahmad, University of Gujrat
Lecturer, Department of Education
Samina Malik, International Islamic University Islamabad
Professor of Education/ Dean Faculty of Social Sciences
Nabi Bux Jumani, International Islamic University Islamabad
Professor of Education/Director, Directorate of Distance Education

References

Abbasi, I. S. & Alghamdi, R. G. (2015). The prevalence, predictors, causes, treatment, and implications of procrastination behaviours in general, academic, and work settings. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 7, 59-66.

Ammermueller, A. & Pischke, J. (2009). Peer effects in European primary schools: Evidence from PIRLS. Journal of Labor Economics, 27(3), 315-348.

Andreou, C. (2007). Understanding procrastination. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37, 183-193.

Beheshtifar, M. & Nasab, H. (2012). Effect Procrastination Behaviour on Organization-Based Self-Esteem. Innova Ciencia, 4(1), 55-63.

Burka, J. B. & Yuen, L. M. (1983). Procrastination: Why you do it. What to do about it. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Burns, D. D. (1980). The perfectionist’s script for self-defeat. Psychology Today, November, 34-52.

Burns, L., Dittmann, K., Nguyen, N. & Mitchelson, J. (2000). Academic procrastination, perfectionism, and control: Associations with vigilant and avoidant coping. Journal of Social Behaviour & Personality, 15(5), 35-46.

Chang, C. E. & Zurilla, J. T. (2007). Irrational beliefs as predictors of anxiety and depression in a college population. Personality and Individual Differences, 20(2), 215–219.

Cox, B. J., Clara, I. P. & Enns, M. W. (2009). Self-Criticism, maladaptive perfectionism, and depression symptoms in a community sample: A longitudinal test of the mediating effects of person-dependent stressful life events. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(4), 336-349.

De Vellis, R. F. (1991). Scale development: Theory and application. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Dilmac, B. (2009). An Analysis of Teachers’ General Tendency to Procrastinate, Perception of Professional Efficiency/Self Efficiency and Altruism. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 7(3), 1323-1338.

Dusselier, L., Dunn, B., Wang, Y., Shelley, M. C. & Whalen, D. F. (2005). Personal, health, academic, and environmental predictors of stress for residence hall students. Journal of American College Health, 54, 15-24.

Ferrari, J. R. & Tice, D. M. (2000). Procrastination as a self-handicap for men and women: a task-avoidance strategy in a laboratory setting. Journal of Research in Personality, 34, 73–83.

Ferrari, J. R. (2001). Procrastination as self-regulation failure of performance: effects of cognitive load, self-awareness, and time limits on ‘‘working best under pressure’’. European Journal of Personality, 15, 391–406.

Flett, G. L. & Hewitt, P. L. (2002). Perfectionism and maladjustment: An overview of theoretical, definitional, and treatment issues. In P. L. Hewitt & G. L. Flett (Eds.), perfectionism (pp. 5-31). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Frost, R. O., Marten, P., Lahart, C. & Rosenblate, R. (1990). The Dimensional of perfectionism. The Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14(5), 449-468.

Graham, B. (2008). Identifying social interactions through conditional variance restrictions. Econometrica, 76 (3), 643-660.

Grunschel, C., Patrzek, J. & Fries, S. (2013). Exploring the Reasons and Consequences of Academic Procrastination: An Interview Study. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28, 841-861.

Harrington, N. (2006). Frustration intolerance beliefs: Their relationship with depression, anxiety, and anger, in a clinical Population. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 30(6), 699–709.

Hermann, A. D., Leonardelli, G. J. & Arkin, R. M. (2002). Self-doubt and self-esteem: A threat from within. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 395-408.

Hoffrogge, J. (2001). Academic procrastination: Low Frustration Tolerance-behaviour correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31, 503-509.

Hoxby, C. & Weingarth, G., (2006). Taking Race Out of the Equation: School Reassignment and the Structure of Peer Effects. Retrieved from https://www.pausd.org/sites/default/files/pdf-faqs/attachments/ TakingRaceOutOfTheEquation.pdf

Hoxby, C. (2000). Peer Effects in the Classroom: Learning from Gender and Race Variation. NBER Working Paper 786.

Knaus, W. J. (2000). Procrastination, blame, and change. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 15, 153–166.

Landau, S. & Everitt, B. S. (2004). A Handbook of Statistical Analyses Using SPSS. CRC Press.

Lee, E. (2005). The relationship of motivation and flow experience to academic procrastination in university students. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 166(1), 5-15.

Mahasneh, A. M., Bataineh, O. T., & Al-Zoubi, Z. A. (2017). The Relationship between Academic Procrastination and Parenting Style among Jordanian Undergraduate University Students. The open Psychology Journal, 10, 25-34.

McDermut, J. F., Haaga, D. A. F. & Bilek, L. A. (2002). Cognitive bias and irrational beliefs in major depression and dysphonia. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 21(4), 459–476.

McEwan, P. J. (2003). Peer effects on student achievement: Evidence from Chile. Economics of Education Review, 22, 131-141.

Neil, A. F. (2007). Now Habit: A strategic Program for overcoming procrastination and enjoying guilt-free play paperback. USA: Penguin Group Publishers Inc.

Noran, F. Y. (2000). Procrastination among students in institutes of higher learning: Challenges for K-Economy. Retrieved from http://www.mahdzan.com/papers/ procrastinate

Onwuegbuzie, A. J. & Wilson, V. A. (2003). Economics anxiety: nature, ethology, antecedents, effects and treatments: a comprehensive review of the literature. Teaching in Higher Education, 8, 195–209.

Ozer, B. U. (2011). A Cross Sectional Study on Procrastination: Who Procrastinate More? International Conference on Education, Research and Innovation, IPEDR, 18, 34-37.

Plessis, D. (2006). Self Confidence, Fear and the Inevitable Procrastination. Retrieved from http://www.selfimprovement-gym.com

Sacerdote, B. (2001). Peer Effects with Random Assignment: Results for Dartmouth Roommates. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(2), 681–704.

Schouwenburg, H. C. (2004). Trait procrastination in academic settings: An overview of students who engage in task delays. In H. C. Schouwenburg, C. Lay, T. Pylchyl, & J. Ferrari, (Eds.), Counselling the procrastinator in academic settings (pp. 3-18). Washington: American Psychological Association.

Shafran, R. & Mansell, W. (2001). Perfectionism and Psychopathology: A review of research and treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 879-906.

Simpson, W. K. & Pychyl, T. A. (2009). In search of the arousal procrastinator: Investigating the relation between procrastination, arousal-based personality traits and beliefs about procrastination motivations. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 906-911.

Solomon, L. J. & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: Frequency and cognitive-behavioural correlates. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 31, 503–509.

Stankovic, S. & Vukosavljević-Gvozden, T. (2011). The relationship of a measure of frustration intolerance with emotional dysfunction in a student sample. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, 29(1), 17–34.

Stead, R., Shanahan, R. & Neufeld, W. J. (2010). I’ll go to therapy eventually: Procrastination, stress and mental health. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 175-180.

Steel, P. (2007). The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94.

Steel, P. (2010). The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done. New York: HarperCollins.

Tice, D. M. & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological Science, 8, 454–458.

Van-Eerde, W. (2003). Procrastination at work and time management training. Journal of Psychology, 137(5), 421-434.

Vodanovich, S. J. & Seib, H. M. (1997). Relationship between time structure and procrastination. Psychological Reports, 80, 211-215.

Wang, Z. & Englander, F. (2010). A cross-disciplinary perspective on explaining student performance in introductory Economics - What is the relative impact of procrastination? College Student Journal, 44(2), 458-471.

Zimmerman, D. J. (2003). Peer Effects in Academic Outcomes: Evidence from a Natural Experiment. Review of Economics and Economics, 85(1), 9-23.

Published
2018-12-31