Academic procrastination in college students - research

Procrastination, or the intentional delay of due tasks, is a widespread phenomenon in college settings. Because procrastination can negatively impact learning, achievement, academic self-efficacy, and quality of life, research has sought to understand the factors that produce and maintain this troublesome behaviour. Procrastination is increasingly viewed as involving failures in self-regulation and volition, processes commonly regarded as executive functions. 

Academic procrastination—the intentional delay in the beginning or completion of important and timely academic activities (Schouwenburg, 2004; Ziesat, Rosenthal, & White, 1978)—is a widespread phenomenon in college settings. 

This discomfort may manifest as anxiety, irritation, regret, despair, or self-blame (Burka & Yuen, 1983; Pychyl et al., 2000a; Rothblum, Solomon, & Murakami, 1986). There are also external consequences to chronic academic procrastination such as compromised performance and progress, decreased learning, lost opportunities, increased health risks, and strained relationships.

Procrastination is increasingly recognized as involving a failure in self-regulation such that procrastinators, relative to non-procrastinators, may have a reduced ability to resist social temptations, pleasurable activities, and immediate rewards when the benefits of academic preparation are distant.

 These individuals also fail to make efficient use of internal and external cues to determine when to initiate, maintain, and terminate goal-directed actions (Senécal et al., 1995). Associated characteristics include reduced agency, disorganization, poor impulse and emotional control, poor planning and goal setting, reduced use of metacognitive skills to monitor and control learning behaviour, distractibility, poor task persistence, time and task management deficiencies, and an intention–action gap.

Rabin, L., Fogel, J. and Nutter-Upham, K., 2010. Academic procrastination in college students: The role of self-reported executive function. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 33(3), pp.344-357.