Evaluation of structural equation model explaining academic procrastination based on perception of learning environment and social responsibility with the mediating role of academic anxiety

Academic procrastination as an educational problem affects all aspects of the educational system. students with procrastination experience problems in other psychoanalytical aspects. Although the literature of the current research has addressed academic procrastination, influential variables such as academic anxiety and social responsibility have been neglected.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structural equation model of explaining academic procrastination based on the perception of the learning environment and social responsibility with the mediating role of academic anxiety.

The method of the present research was applied in terms of purpose and in terms of method, structural equation modeling (path analysis). The statistical population of the research included all the students of Babol Noshirvani University of Technology in the academic year of 2021-2022, Among them, 350 people were selected by random cluster sampling, and they completed the questionnaires of academic procrastination (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984), academic achievement anxiety (Alpert & Haber, 1960), perception of the learning environment (Roff et al., 2001) and responsibility (Kordlow, 2014). Data analysis was done using Pearson correlation methods, structural equation modeling and with the help of SPSS-19 and AMOS-20 software.

The results showed that the variables of perception of the learning environment (-0.35 and -0.21), and responsibility (0.22 and -0.13) had direct and significant effects on academic procrastination and academic anxiety, respectively (P<0.05). Also, academic anxiety (0.27) had a direct and significant effect on academic procrastination (P<0.01). The results also showed that the two variables of perception of the learning environment (-0.13) and responsibility (-0.12) had an indirect and significant effect on academic procrastination.

Based on the results of this study, all three variables of academic anxiety, perception of learning environment, and responsibility had significant direct and indirect effects on academic procrastination. This model showed that it can be a suitable model for reducing academic procrastination and academic anxiety and strengthening the learning environment and responsibility of students. Also, conductiing the more studies with larger sample size could be helpful.