Marcela Paz González-Brignardello, Ángeles Sánchez-Elvira Paniagua | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | (2023)

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Key Takeaways

Plain English Takeaway

This study created and tested a new survey to measure why students put off their schoolwork. The survey found three main reasons for procrastination and works well for students learning online or in person.

Study Aim

The main goal of this study is to examine the structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Academic Procrastination Scale (MAPS-15), a new tool designed to measure different aspects of academic procrastination (putting off schoolwork) in self-regulated learning environments. The authors also aim to confirm whether the scale works well for students in various learning settings and to test if it accurately captures the different reasons students delay their academic tasks. Simply put: The study wants to see if a new survey can reliably show why students delay doing their schoolwork.

Study Design

The researchers used a cross-validation approach, splitting 1,289 distance university students into two groups. One group was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to find possible structures in the survey, and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test these structures. The MAPS-15 was developed from existing questionnaires and new items, and students answered it online at two points in their first semester. The study also checked the scale's reliability, validity, and stability over time, and compared it to a time management questionnaire. Simply put: The researchers tested the new survey with a large group of online students to see if it measures procrastination reasons well and stays reliable over time.

Findings

The study reveals that the MAPS-15 survey has a clear three-part structure: core procrastination (trouble starting or continuing tasks), poor time management (difficulty organizing and controlling time), and work disconnection (lack of focus and persistence). The scale showed strong reliability, good validity, and stable results over three months. The three factors are closely related but each adds unique information about procrastination. The survey works for different types of students and learning environments, but future research should test it with more groups and over longer periods. The authors recommend using MAPS-15 to better understand and address academic procrastination in higher education. Simply put: The survey found three main reasons students put off work, and it can help teachers and counselors spot and help students who struggle with procrastination.

Abstract

Academic procrastination is a complex behavior that hampers the cyclical process of self-regulation in learning, impeding the flow of actions necessary to achieve the goals and sub-goals that students have set out to attain. It has a high frequency of occurrence and has been linked to lessened student performance and a decrease in psychological and physical well-being. The objective of this study is to analyze the psychometric characteristics of a new academic procrastination scale MAPS-15 (Multidimensional Academic Procrastination Scale) applicable in self-regulated learning environments through a cross-validation study (exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis). The sample consisted of 1289 students from a distance/online university, with a wide age range and sociocultural variability. The students completed self-reported online questionnaires on two dates: during the university access and adaptation phase and before the first period of compulsory exams. One-, two- and three-factor structures were tested as well as a second-order structure. The results support a three-dimensional structure of MAPS-15: core procrastination, a pure dimension of procrastinating behavior and difficulty in carrying out the action; poor time management, a dimension related to time organization and perceived control over time; and work disconnection, a dimension conceptually related to lack of persistence, and work interruptions.