Content area
Full Text
Procrastination appears to be a major problem in the Indian society. Several scientific researches on procrastination have demonstrated it as a personality characteristic far more than time management. It has affected our personal, social and national growth. Thus the present study aims to explore academic procrastinating behaviour among college going students. Researchers suggest that variables like fear of failure, task aversiveness, self-regulation and self-efficacy are related to academic procrastination. This study tries to understand the role of self-efficacy and hope in academic procrastination in the Indian scenario. To fulfil this purpose, a sample of 150 undergraduate students was drawn from Delhi University and academic procrastination, hope and self-efficacy for self-regulation were measured. The findings suggested that there is a predicable relationship between self-efficacy' for self-regulation and academic procrastination; and higher the level of hope, lesser is the procrastination.
Keywords; academic procrastination, self efficacy, self regulation, hope
The tendency to postpone what is necessary' to reach goal is called procrastination (Lay, 1986). Affective, Cognitive and Behavioural components are included in this complex process (Rothblum, Solomon & Murakami, 1986). Despite the growing amount of research, "much has yet to be learned about the causes of procrastination" (Steel, 2007, p. 65) and it remains "one of the least understood human miseries" (Ferrari, 1994, pg. 673). It means delaying an intended course of action intentionally, despite knowing the negative outcomes one will have to face and it often results in unsatisfactory performance (Ferrari, O'Callaghan & Newbegin, 2005; Solomon & Rothblum, 1984). It is generally acknowledged that when an individual puts some aversive tasks off and do something enjoyable instead, it makes him feel good, further enhancing the momentary satisfaction. Thus the existing literature paints somewhat a mixed picture on procrastination, seeing it both in positive andnegative light.
Several societal problems are due to procrastinating behaviour (Critchfield & Kollins, 2001 ; Ainslie, 2005) and one of its forms, the most significant problems among the university students is academic procrastination. It means to put off the academic goals to the point where optimal performance on that task becomes highly unlikely or to delay tasks to a point of discomfort. Depression, guilt, low grades, anxiety, neuroticism, irrational thinking, cheatingand low self-esteem are most likely associated with this academic procrastination (Solomon &...