Differences in procrastination and motivation between undergraduate and graduate students

Abstract

Procrastination became increasingly prevalent among students in recent years. However, little research was found that directly compares academic procrastination across different academic grade levels. The present study used a self-regulated learning perspective to compare procrastination types and associated motivation between undergraduate and graduate students. Sixty-six undergraduate and sixty-eight graduate students responded to a packet of questionnaires concerning their experience in an educational psychology class. The results show that students’ beliefs about the usefulness of procrastination were a better predictor of academic procrastination than self-efficacy beliefs and achievement goal orientations. Student age was related to procrastination types. Among the undergraduate procrastinators, the younger students were more likely to engage in active procrastination while the older students tended to engage in passive procrastination. Implications and future research directions are discussed.