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A Significant Obstacle to Success: Academic Procrastination

Behavioral Psychology
İrem Tapcı Author: İrem Tapcı
4 minreading time
A Significant Obstacle to Success: Academic Procrastination

Introduction

Assignments to complete, presentations to prepare, upcoming exams, and lessons to review—all of these await you. Yet, you may find yourself unable to get started, telling yourself, "I’ll do it later." Consequently, your coursework and assignments pile up, making things even more difficult. This often leads to stress, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. In today’s article, we will focus on this phenomenon, known as "academic procrastination." We will examine what academic procrastination is and explore the reasons behind this behavior.

What Is Academic Procrastination?

As the name suggests, academic procrastination can be defined as the act of delaying the start or completion of any school-related task (Tekin, 2022). Students who engage in procrastination may genuinely want to complete their work and succeed, yet they still encounter resistance when it comes to beginning or staying on task (Tekin, 2022). Furthermore, they are often aware that delaying these tasks will not improve the situation (Tekin, 2022). After procrastinating for a period, they may then find themselves scrambling to finish their work in a rush (Yüksel et al., 2020).

Reasons for Academic Procrastination

There are various reasons why students delay fulfilling their academic responsibilities:

  • Fear of Failure: The fear of failure can exert pressure on students, deterring them from engaging in tasks such as studying or completing assignments (Tekin, 2022).
  • Perfectionism: A desire to complete assignments flawlessly, achieve the highest grades, or a perfectionistic personality trait can lead to an over-focus on details, resulting in the postponement of tasks (Tekin, 2022).
  • Stress and Anxiety: The assignments students are required to complete can trigger stress and anxiety, which may subsequently lead to procrastination (Yüksel et al., 2020).
  • Low Level of Responsibility: A diminished sense of responsibility toward their academic tasks can be a reason for students to procrastinate (Yüksel et al., 2020).
  • Low Self-Efficacy: Students who perceive themselves as academically inadequate and believe they cannot succeed may exhibit a tendency to procrastinate on academic tasks (Tekin, 2022).

Factors Influencing Academic Procrastination

Certain factors can either increase or decrease students' tendencies toward academic procrastination:

  • Rumination: Constantly dwelling on the tasks that need to be completed—and the anxiety stemming from them—without taking any concrete steps to carry them out can be a factor that increases procrastination (Yüksel et al., 2020).
  • Cognitive Flexibility: Cognitive flexibility—the ability to adapt to new situations and transition between different tasks—can help students experience less stress; thus, procrastination behavior may decrease (Yüksel et al., 2020).
  • Problem-Solving Skills: Students’ tendencies to avoid the problems they encounter, to perceive them as overwhelming, to deny their existence, or to refrain from taking action to resolve them can be factors that contribute to increased academic procrastination (Yüksel et al., 2020).
  • Self-Esteem: Holding positive thoughts and views about oneself can help reduce academic procrastination among students (Erdoğdu, 2019).
  • Motivation: Students who require external encouragement to begin a task may be more prone to academic procrastination; conversely, students who are self-motivated—requiring no external incentive to start a task—may exhibit less procrastination (Demirbilek & Han, 2022).

Other factors that influence procrastination include students' inability to manage their time effectively and difficulties in focusing on their academic tasks (Demirbilek & Han, 2022).

Potential Consequences of Academic Procrastination

Academic procrastination behaviors often lead to negative outcomes for students:

  • Decline in Academic Achievement: One of the most significant consequences of academic procrastination is a drop in academic performance (Erdoğdu, 2019). Conversely, students with lower academic achievement may also be more prone to procrastination.
  • Increased Internet Use: When students put off their tasks, they may turn to the internet; conversely, excessive internet use can also lead to procrastination (Erdoğdu, 2019).
  • High Levels of Anxiety: Academic procrastination results in high levels of anxiety among students (Demirbilek & Han, 2022). While procrastination may initially provide a brief sense of relief, it subsequently triggers anxiety. Beyond anxiety, procrastination can also lead to an intense sense of guilt (Tekin, 2022). Furthermore, students may experience regret for having delayed their tasks (Tekin, 2022).
  • Depression: In addition to increasing anxiety, procrastination can also lead to depression in students (Demirbilek & Han, 2022).

Conclusion

Academic procrastination is defined as the irrational delay of a school-related task. Although procrastination may initially offer a student a fleeting sense of relief, it can subsequently result in intense stress and anxiety. The causes of procrastination include factors such as a fear of failure, perfectionism, and a low level of personal responsibility. Other factors that influence procrastination include rumination, problem-solving skills, cognitive flexibility, and self-esteem. As a result of procrastination, academic achievement declines, and depression or intense anxiety may develop. In other words, academic procrastination serves as a significant barrier to students' academic success, and this behavior needs to be addressed.

Kaynakça

  • Demirbilek, N., & Han, F. (2022). Academic Motivation, Social Connectedness, and Procrastination Tendency as Predictors of Academic Self-Efficacy in University Students. Journal of the Institute of Social Sciences of Bingöl University, (24), 311-324.
  • Erdogdu, M. (2019). The Effect of Self-Esteem, Achievement, and Certain Demographic Variables as Predictors of Academic Procrastination. Erciyes Journal of Education, 3(1), 1-15. https://izlik.org/JA68NS36NU
  • Tekin, B. (2022). Frequency and Predictors of Academic Procrastination Among Medical School Students.
  • Yüksel, M. Y., Sayın, M., & Dinç, S. (2020). The Effect of Cognitive Flexibility and Rumination on Predicting Academic Procrastination Behaviors in High School Students. IBAD Journal of Social Sciences, 202-218.
İrem Tapcı İrem Tapcı
İrem Tapcı continues her work as a psychologist and content writer. She completed her undergraduate education in psychology and specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy. She has gained experience in various fields of psychology through internships in hospitals, laboratories, and clinics. She produces content in the fields of psychology and personal development on various digital platforms. Her goal is to integrate psychology with personal development and to ensure that psychology contributes to the personal growth of individuals. Through the content she creates, she aims to make psychology more accessible to everyone, enhance individuals' well-being, and help them achieve their best versions.