Academically Productive Procrastination:
Links to Unique Motivations and Academic Consequences
1
Wormington ,
2
Westgate ,
Stephanie V.
Erin C.
& Kathryn C.
1Duke University, 2University of Virginia, 3Reed College
Abstract
Method
Undergraduates identified classes in which they engaged or did not
engage in academically productive procrastination (i.e., tendency to
put off difficult academic tasks by working on easier academic tasks).
Students were less engaged, less motivated, and less certain of their
ability in the classes in which they engaged in the most academically
productive procrastination.
Purpose
Challenge the assumption that procrastination is a unidimensional
construct by:
• Measuring a form of academically-productive procrastination
• Examining its associations with academic beliefs and behaviors
Table 1
Profile Adaptiveness Across Academic Outcomes
Table 2
Differences in Most versus Least Procrastination Classes
Note: all items aside from academically productive procrastination measured using a 5 point Likert-type scale.
Participants to responded to all questions separately for classes in which they reported the most and least academically productive
procrastination.
Which Classes Do Students Academically
Procrastinate in?
Figure 1
Classes with Most Academically Productive Procrastination
Note: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .0001
Summary
• Academically productive procrastination is common among college students
• Participants differed in all measured academic beliefs and behaviors across
classes with the most and least academically productive procrastination,
• Academically productive procrastination has important correlates with
respect to academic beliefs and behavior
• Document the academic correlates of academically productive
procrastination
Proposed Model
Academically
Productive
Procrastination
Overall, students reported engaging in a fair amount of academically
productive procrastination (M = 3.43, SD = 0.91)
• As expected, there was a high amount of reported procrastination in
class with the most academically productive procrastination (M = 3.46,
SD = 1.20)
• As expected, there were fairly low levels of procrastination reported in
the class with the least academically productive procrastination (M =
2.11, SD = 1.14)
• When faced with a difficult academic task, students report using
academically productive procrastination as a strategy 73% of the time
• Data Analytic Strategy: run paired-sample t tests to compare students’
reported academic beliefs and behaviors in classes where they reported
engaging in academically productive procrastination the most and least.
Current Study
Academic Beliefs
(i.e., motivation,
self-beliefs)
•
Do Students’ Beliefs and Behaviors Differ
Across Classes?
Background
• Procrastination is rampant among college students, with 80-95% of
students reporting frequent procrastination (Ellis & Knaus, 1977;
Soloman & Rothblum, 1984)
• Classic conceptualizations of procrastination characterize it as a
unidimensional construct (Ferrari, 1993; Steel, 2007)
• However, recent work has challenged this assumption and has
identified qualitatively distinct forms of procrastination (Bernstein,
1998; Chu & Choi, 2005; Shraw et al., 2007)
• Another form of procrastination worth exploring is academically
productive procrastination (Wormington et al., 2011)
• Academically productive procrastination: the tendency to put
off difficult academic tasks by working on easier academic tasks
instead
• Fairly commonly reported among college students (Westgate,
Wormington, Oleson, & Lindgren, in preparation)
• Often associated with less maladaptive outcomes than classic
forms of procrastination, including higher grades and lower
rates of problematic drinking
• To date, researchers have not adequately examined the
academic correlates of academically productive procrastination
• Academic motivation is a particularly important precursor of
procrastination to consider (e.g., expectancies for success
and perceived value; Eccles et al., 1983; Wolter, 2003)
Do Students Report Using Academically
Productive Procrastination?
Participants and Procedure
• 83 undergraduate students from a small liberal arts school in the Northwest
• 71% female (2 neutral, non binary)
• 34% 1st year, 32% 2nd year, 18% 3rd year, 16% 4th year
• Major: 36% Math/Science, 15% Social Sciences, 11%
Literature/Languages, 3% Arts, 14% Philosophy/Psychology, 9%
Undeclared
• Participants filled out all self-report measures (for most and least
procrastination classes) in an online anonymous survey
3
Oleson
Academic Behaviors
(e.g., class
engagement)
• Math and social studies courses were by far the most commonly
reported classes for procrastination (especially Biology and Chemistry)
Questions? Contact Stephanie Wormington at [email protected]