An Analysis Of Academic Procrastination On Postgraduate

Academic procrastination, refers to the tendency that students putting off an academic task required without any good reason. It is a very common phenomenon, and the result is not good, for it would impair goal achievement, resulting in poor grade and negative emotion like nervousness and anxiety, as well as less life happiness. Previous research on academic procrastination focused on undergraduates, however, not enough attention has been paid to postgraduates. In China, research in this field is still in blank.The present study tried to explore the status and reasons of academic procrastination among postgraduates by self-report. The study is divided into three parts: first, developing an academic procrastination questionnaire for postgraduates; second, exploring the status in quo, defining factors; third, exploring its relationship between academic self-efficacy and three-dimensional perfectionism.Summarizing the results above, the conclusion is as follows:(1) The self-designed questionnaire of postgraduates' academic procrastination has good reliability and validity. It could be used as an evaluative implement on postgraduates' academic procrastination.(2) About 70% postgraduate have academic procrastination tendency, about 15% postgraduates often feel trouble because of academic procrastination, and about 50% strongly wish to decrease their procrastination behaviors.(3) Among six academic activities, the procrastination tendency from high to low is: reading literature, releasing papers, writing term papers, completing tutor's tasks, writing thesis including the opening report, participating tasks.(4) There is significant gender difference in academic procrastination tendency, and female is higher than male.(5) In general, academic procrastination tendency become more serious with grade rising.(6) The reasons for postgraduates' academic procrastination are complicated; there is great difference among individuals. For most postgraduates, the identification from high to low is: task quality, stress tolerance, lack of decision, perfectionism, insufficient reinforcement, action style, self-regulation and impulsiveness.(7) Action style, task quality, stress tolerance and insufficient reinforcement have positive effect on academic procrastination tendency; impulsiveness has negative effect on academic procrastination tendency. Action style has strongest effect among these factors.(8) Self-oriented perfectionism and academic self-efficiency have interaction effect, and they have a negative effect on academic procrastination tendency.