The Effect of Cognitive Avoidance and Fear of Failures on Academic Procrastination: The Mediating Role of the Difficulty of Emotion Regulation in Second Middle School Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of cognitive avoidance and fear of failure by mediating difficulty in regulating emotion in predicting academic procrastination. The method of this research is correlation. The statistical population of this study was secondary school students of Bastak. 234 students (122 males and 112 females) were selected using random multistage cluster sampling method. data were collected using Sexton & Dugas’ Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (2008), Conroy, Willow & Metzler’s fear of failure Scale (2002), Gratz & Roemer’s Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (2004) and Solomon & Rothblum’s Academic Procrastination Scale (1984). The data were analyzed using methods of multiple regression analysis and path analysis by SPSS 20 and Amos 20 software. Data analysis showed that difficulties in emotion regulation subscale including non acceptance of Emotional response, difficulties engaging in goal directed behavior and limited access of emotion regulation strategies mediated to some extent between cognitive avoidance and fear of failure with academic procrastination. Therefore, teachers, trainers and consultants to reduce academic procrastination should challenge with negative and maladaptive cognitive and emotional beliefs(Cognitive Avoidance & fear of failure) and, on the other, to replace more appropriate strategies for management and regulation of emotions.