Those who say they will start tomorrow: Success in the shadow of academic procrastination

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the academic procrastination behaviour of university students and their perceived level of academic failure. The study was conducted with a sample of one hundred and seventy third-year students studying in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Management Information Systems departments of a state university in the 2025-2026 academic year. The data collection tool was prepared on Google Form and applied to the students in the departments where the researchers teach. The Perceived Academic Failure Scale developed by Bozgün, Can, and Baytemir (2022) and the Academic Procrastination Scale developed by Ocak and Bulut et al. (2015) were used in the study. Descriptive statistics, an independent sample t-test, a one-way ANOVA, and correlation and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. The findings show that there were significant differences in terms of gender and programme type, and academic procrastination behaviour could significantly predict perceived academic failure in the context of specific sub-dimensions of academic procrastination.

Keywords

• academic procrastination
• perceived academic failure
• academic attitudes

Yarın başlarım diyenler: Akademik ertelemenin gölgesinde başarı

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, üniversite öğrencilerinin akademik erteleme davranışları ile algıladıkları akademik başarısızlık düzeyi arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Çalışma, 2025-2026 eğitim-öğretim yılında bir devlet üniversitesinin Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi ile Yönetim Bilişim Sistemleri bölümlerinde öğrenim gören üçüncü sınıf öğrencilerinden oluşan 170 kişilik bir örneklemle yürütülmüştür. Veri toplama aracı Google Form üzerinden hazırlanmış ve çalışmacıların ders verdikleri bölümlerdeki öğrencilere uygulanmıştır. Çalışmada Bozgün, Can ve Baytemir (2022) tarafından geliştirilen Algılanan Akademik Başarısızlık Ölçeği ile Ocak ve Bulut vd. (2015) tarafından geliştirilen Akademik Erteleme Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistikler, bağımsız örneklem t-testi, tek yönlü ANOVA, korelasyon ve regresyon analizlerinden yararlanılmıştır. Bulgular, cinsiyet ve program türü açısından anlamlı farklılıkların bulunduğunu; akademik erteleme davranışının ise algılanan akademik başarısızlığı bazı alt boyutlarda anlamlı düzeyde yordayabildiğini göstermiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• akademik erteleme
• algılanan akademik başarısızlık
• akademik tutumlar

References

1. Balkis, M. (2013). Academic procrastination, academic life satisfaction and academic achievement: the mediation role of rational beliefs about studying. Journal of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies, 13(1).
2. Balkis, M., & Duru, E. (2017). Gender differences in the relationship between academic procrastination, satifaction with academic life and academic performance. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 15(1), 105-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.14204/ejrep.41.16042
3. Balkis, M., Duru, S., & Duru, E. (2024). Academic procrastination and fear of failure: The role of irrational/rational academic beliefs. Psychology in the Schools, 61, 2376–2387. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23171
4. Bhat, S. A., & Jan, K. (2023). Examining Academic Procrastination among College Students in Relation to Academic Satisfaction: A Correlational Study. Research Review International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 8(7), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2023.v08.n07.003
5. Bozgün, K., Can, F. & Baytemir, K. (2022). Adaptation of the Triarchic Model of Grit Scale and Perceived Academic Underachievement Scale into Turkish. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 9(3), 691-705. https://doi.org/10.52380/ijpes.2022.9.3.736
6. Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539.
7. Daud, M., Siswanti, D. N., Nugraha, D. Y., & Surijah, E. A. (2024). How do grit and academic stress influence academic performance? The role of academic self-efficacy as a mediator and moderator variable. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 9(2), 233–252. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v9i2.22692
8. Day, V., Mensink, D., & O'Sullivan, M. (2000). Patterns of Academic Procrastination. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 30(2), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2000.10850090

9. Ferrari, J. R. (2001). Procrastination as self-regulation failure of performance: Effects of cognitive load, self-awareness, and time limits on ‘working best under pressure’. European Journal of Personality, 15(5), 391-406. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.413
10. Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., and Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). New York: Mc Graw Hill.
11. George, D., and Mallery, P. (2019). IBM SPSS statistics 25 step by step: Asimple guide and reference (15th ed.). Routledge.
12. Haghbin, M., McCaffrey, A., & Pychyl, T. A. (2012). The complexity of the relation between fear of failure and procrastination. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 30(4), 249-263.
13. Hair, JF., Black, WC., Babin, BJ., Anderson, R.E. and Tatham, R.L. (2010), Multivariate Data Analysis, Pearson-Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
14. Hess, B., Sherman, M. F., & Goodman, M. (2000). Eveningness predicts academic procrastination: The mediating role of neuroticism. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 15(5), 61-74.
15. Higgins, G. E., & Tewksbury, R. (2006). Sex and self-control theory: The measures and causal model may be different. Youth & Society, 37(4), 479-503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X05282752
16. Kim, K. R., & Seo, E. H. (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 26-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.038
17. Krause, K., & Freund, A. M. (2014). Delay or procrastination–A comparison of self-report and behavioral measures of procrastination and their impact on affective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 63, 75-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.050
18. Lee, W. W. S. (2017). Relationships among grit, academic performance, perceived academic failure, and stress in associate degree students. Journal of Adolescence, 60, 148-152.
19. Mansouri, K., Ashouri, A., Gharraee, B., & Farahani, H. (2022). The mediating role of fear of failure, self-compassion and intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between academic procrastination and perfectionism. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, 28(1), 34-47.
20. McCown, W., Blake, D., & Keiser, R. (2012). Content analyses of procrastination cognition. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 30(4), 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-012-0150-z
21. Neff, K. D., Hsieh, Y. P., & Dejitterat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, Achievement Goals, and Coping with Academic Failure. Self and Identity, 4(3), 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500444000317
22. Obenza, B. N., Kileste, F. L., Mesajon, J., Canciller, C., Escudero, M. J. F., Ligasan, N. G., ... & Solis, J. (2024). The mediating effect of academic stress on fear of failure and academic procrastination of college students. International Journal of Humanities, Management and Social Science (IJ-HuMaSS), 7(2), 63-73.
23. Patrzek, J., Grunschel, C., & Fries, S. (2015). Academic procrastination: The perspective of university counsellors. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 37(1), 36-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9224-8
24. Peker, M., Erol, R., & Gultekin, M. (2012). Investigation of the academic procrastination behavior of preservice teachers. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 650-659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.712
25. Phillips, L., & Shewmaker, J. (2024). Supporting Healthy Affect and Coping After Perceived Failure in College Students in Christian Higher Education. Christian Higher Education, 24(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15363759.2024.2385300
26. Rabin, L. A., Fogel, J., & Nutter-Upham, K. E. (2011). Academic procrastination in college students: The role of self-reported executive function. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 33(3), 344-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2010.518597
27. Sabalani Taleshmekaeil, N. ., Panah Ali, A., Badri Gargari, R., & Hoseini Nasab, S. D. . (2025). Formulation of an Academic Failure Model Based on Fear of Failure and Academic Procrastination with the Mediating Role of Mindfulness. International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences, 1-10. https://journalecs.com/index.php/ecs/article/view/230
28. Sirois, F. M., & Pychyl, T. A. (2013). Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation: Consequences for future self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(2), 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12011
29. Snyder, K. E., & Adelson, J. L. (2017). The development and validation of the Perceived Academic Underachievement Scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35(2), 192-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282915618295
30. Solomon, L. J., & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: Frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31(4), 503-509. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.31.4.503
31. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
32. Steel, P., & Ferrari, J. (2013). Sex, education and procrastination: An epidemiological study of procrastinators' characteristics from a global sample. European Journal of Personality, 27(1), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1851
33. Steel, P., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2016). Academic procrastination: Psychological antecedents revisited. Australian Psychologist, 51(1), 36-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12173
34. Strüber, D., Lück, M., & Roth, G. (2008). Sex, aggression and impulse control: An integrative account. Neurocase, 14(1), 93-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/13554790801992854
35. Sudirman, S. A., Reza, F. A., Yusri, N. A., Rina, R., & Bah, M. (2023). Putting Off Until Tomorrow: Academic Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Fear of Failure. International Journal of Islamic Educational Psychology, 4(1), 136–153. https://doi.org/10.18196/ijiep.v4i1.17576
36. Tan, E. W. Y., & Prihadi, K. D. (2022). Fear of Failure and Academic Procrastination among University Students: The role of achievement expectancy and year of study. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 11(1), 69-77.
37. Ucar, H., Bozkurt, A., & Zawackı-rıchter, O. (2021). Academic procrastination and performance in distance education: A causal-comparative study in an online learning environment. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 22(4), 13-23.
38. Uzun Özer, B., Demir, A., & Ferrari, J. R. (2009). Exploring academic procrastination among Turkish students: Possible gender differences in prevalence and reasons. The Journal of Social Psychology, 149(2), 241-257. https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.149.2.241-257
39. Zacks, S., & Hen, M. (2018). Academic interventions for academic procrastination: A review of the literature. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 46(2), 117-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2016.1198154
40. Zarrin, S. A., Gracia, E., & Paixão, M. P. (2020). Prediction of academic procrastination by fear of failure and self-regulation. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 20(3), 34-43.