A Study of the Prevalence of Academic Procrastination among Students and its Relationship with Demographic Characteristics, Preferences of Study Time, and Purpose of Entering University

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of academic procrastination among students of Islamic Azad University- Abadan Branch, and its relationship with demographic characteristics, preferences of study time, and purpose of entering university. This study was a cross–sectional descriptive study. The sample consisted of 600 students (281 females and 319 males) selected using cluster random sampling from a population of students of Islamic Azad University-Abadan Branch. The participants were assessed using Aitken Procrastination Inventory. The collected data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, correlation coefficient, and multivariate regression analysis, and with the help of SPSS 18. The findings showed that 14% of all students, 12% of female students, and 14.1% of male students had high levels of academic procrastination, while 70.8% of all students, 68.8 % of female student, and 68.7% of male students showed average levels of academic procrastination. Other results indicated that females and students who were interested to their fields of study showed lower levels of procrastination. The relationship between procrastination and age was not significant, but there was a negative relationship between procrastination and academic achievement. Moreover, students who studied in the morning and during the semester, as well as those who entered the University for gaining knowledge and skills showed lower levels of procrastination. The multivariate regression analysis showed that preferences of study time, interest in a field of study, academic achievement, and gender variables accounted for 22.6% of the variance in academic procrastination. Academic procrastination is highly prevalent among university students. This issue may affect different aspects of students’ education, health, and career prospects. Therefore, appropriate measures are recommended to diagnose and treat academic procrastination in university students.