Determining the Variables Which Explain the Behavior of Academic Procrastination in University Students

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate if academic motivation, anxiety, time management, general procrastination and irrational beliefs predicted academic procrastination behaviour. Participants (N=250) were the students attending different faculties of Ankara University. The Academic Procrastination Scale (Yorulmaz, Çakıcı ve Gülebağlan, 2003), the Irrational Beliefs Scale (Türküm, 1999), the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (Köymen, 1994) and the General Procrastination Scale (Yorulmaz, Çakıcı ve Gülebağlan, 2003) were the tools employed in order to collect data. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used in the process of data analysis. Correlation analyses showed that there are positive and significant relationship between academic procrastination and general procrastination, significant but mild relationship between academic procrastination and anxiety, positive and significant relationship between academic procrastination and time management. There were no significant relations between academic procrastination and other variables. The equation variables in regression analysis, cognitive distortion and anxiety did not predicted the academic procrastination significantly. However, it’s found that general procrastination, time management and motivation predicted the academic procrastination significantly