Academic Procrastination Behavior among Public University Students

Abstract

Academic procrastination among university students is a common problem. The authors examined the prevalence, reasons, areas, and effects of academic procrastination in selected higher education institutions in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. We also examined whether academic procrastination varied with respect to the institutional category and gender of the student. 323 students sampled from three universities, using a stratified sampling technique, completed the questionnaire. In a concurrent mixed-methods study, both qualitative and quantitative data are integrated starting from data collection through conclusion. The results indicate that nearly 80 percent of the students are procrastinators to varying degrees, of which half always procrastinate due to poor time management skills, lack of planning for academic activities, laziness, and stress. The results also showed that procrastination happens irrespective of gender and institutional realities and results in not only academic failure but also affects student affective and emotional behavior. Finally, it is suggested that students are expected to improve their time management practices to minimize negative effects of the delay. It is also suggested that universities shall include such activities in their student support systems as counseling and training on specific areas that students procrastinate most.

Students’ Time Management, Academic Procrastination, and Performance during Online Science and Mathematics Classes

“…average. Similarly, procrastination affects the behavior of students, and this is true, independent of gender or educational setting (Fentaw et al, 2022). Njuguna (2022) came to the same conclusion and stated that gender did not influence either time management or procrastination.…”

Analysis of Factors Causing Academic Procrastination in Students

“…The findings are in line with the opinion that the factors that cause academic procrastination in students are internal factors and external factors including (Klassen et al, 2010), students do not understand the material presented by the teacher, are not confident in their abilities (Shaked & Altarac, 2022), are unable to manage time to do assignments and other activities, the four students feel bored and bored because of online/online learning, lack of attention and motivation to learn from parents, and what often happens is signal problems, cell phones, and internet quota (Balhara et al, 2022;Fentaw et al, 2022). In another study, it was explained that the factors that influence academic procrastination behavior are parenting style, environmental conditions, and family economic factors (Makbul et al, 2021;Putri Daryani & Yuni Nugrahayu, 2021).…”

Explaining the changes in procrastination in an ACT-based course – psychological flexibility and time and effort management as mediators

“…Procrastination is frequently viewed as a failure in self-regulation, characterized by a lack of willpower and an inability to organize one’s own studying ( Wolters and Brady, 2021 ). Recent studies suggest that procrastination often stems from an individual’s struggle to effectively manage their time ( Hailikari et al, 2021 ; Fentaw et al, 2022 ; Sefriani et al, 2022 ). Time and effort management skills encompass a university student’s capacity to establish goals, study in alignment with those goals, manage their time efficiently and prioritize tasks ( Entwistle, 2001 ).…”

“…Time management has been found to be related to procrastination. It has been shown that poor time management skills are positively related to procrastination behavior ( Wolters et al, 2017 ; Fentaw et al, 2022 ). In a study by Wolters et al (2017) , time management skills had the strongest association with procrastination compared to other aspects such as motivation and metacognition factors.…”