Determining Factors of Academic Procrastination

Abstract Background and purpose: Procrastination is a common phenomenon, especially in education. The purpose of this study was to recognize and identify the predictive factors of academic procrastination. Material and method: The present study was performed in a causal framework. The statistical population included all students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. Sampling was carried out in two stages and in two ways, namely available and targeted sampling. In the first stage, from among 181 subjects, two samples with high and low procrastination level were identified and the data were analyzed using diagnostic analysis. The data were collected using Procrastination Assessment Scale – Students (PASS), Test Anxiety Scale, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Self-efficacy Scale, Rosenbergu0027s Self-esteem Scale, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results: The results showed that out of 35 subjects, 33 (94.3%) showed low procrastination level, and 29 (93.5%) out of 31 subjects showed low procrastination level based on the scores of mindfulness, self-efficacy and perfectionism. Information about these three variables can help to accurately categorize people (up to 93.5%) to high and low procrastination level. Conclusion: The results help to diagnose students’ academic procrastination before they encounter any problems. Based on the results, mindfulness therapies are recommended to reduce academic procrastination. Key Words: Procrastination, Mindfulness, Self-efficacy, Perfectionism