Examining Procrastination among University Students through the Lens of the Self-Regulated Learning Model.

Pierpaolo Limone,Flavio Ceglie,Maria Sinatra,Lucia Monacis

doi:10.3390/bs10120184

Abstract

Generally considered as a prevalent occurrence in academic settings, procrastination was analyzed in association with constructs such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and fear of failure. This study investigated the role played by self-regulated learning strategies in predicting procrastination among university students. To this purpose, the relationships of procrastination with cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies and time management were explored in the entire sample, as well as in male and female groups. Gender differences were taken into account due to the mixed results that emerged in previous studies. This cross-sectional study involved 450 university students (M = 230; F = 220; Mage = 21.08, DS = 3.25) who completed a self-reported questionnaire including a sociodemographic section, the Tuckman Procrastination Scale, the Time Management Scale, and the Metacognitive Self-Regulation and Critical Thinking Scales. Descriptive and inferential analyses were applied to the data. The main findings indicated that temporal and metacognitive components play an important role in students’ academic achievement and that, compared to females, males procrastinate more due to poor time management skills and metacognitive strategies. Practical implications were suggested to help students to overcome their dilatory behavior.

Highlights

In 1886, William James wrote in a letter to Carl Stumpf: “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task” [1]
Following the two main traditions of research, that is, as a stable personality trait or as a behavior closely linked to the characteristics of a given situation [12], procrastination was investigated from five perspectives, including: 1. general procrastination, referring to a dysfunctional behavior
The findings showed that: 1. Procrastination was negatively correlated with time management and metacognitive self-regulation, and was unrelated with critical thinking; 2. time management was positively correlated with metacognitive self-regulation and critical thinking

Summary

Introduction

In 1886, William James wrote in a letter to Carl Stumpf: “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task” [1]. Decisional procrastination, related to a stable maladaptive pattern of postponing a decision when faced with conflicts and choices [16,17]; 4. Neurotic procrastination, referring to difficulties with building critical judgments and making well-timed life decisions [18]; 5. Compulsive or dysfunctional procrastination, referring to the coexistence of both decisional and behavioral procrastination [19], where the latter is related to failing task completion, feeling guilty after a positive event, and choosing handicapping situations Sci. 2020, 10, 184 negatively associated with health, wealth, and happiness [13] as well as to difficulty in meeting deadlines within a specific time-frame; 2. academic procrastination, considered as a pervasive and permanent desire on the part of the learner to postpone academic activities, such as deferring study the night just before the exam—this form of procrastination is usually accompanied by anxiety [14,15]; 3. decisional procrastination, related to a stable maladaptive pattern of postponing a decision when faced with conflicts and choices [16,17]; 4. neurotic procrastination, referring to difficulties with building critical judgments and making well-timed life decisions [18]; 5. compulsive or dysfunctional procrastination, referring to the coexistence of both decisional and behavioral procrastination [19], where the latter is related to failing task completion, feeling guilty after a positive event, and choosing handicapping situations

Methods

Results

Conclusion