Impulsivity and academic procrastination: Effects of achievements through academic procrastination with Indian students
Abstract
This study examined the mediating role of academic procrastination between impulsive behavior and academic achievement among Indian business-major students (men, n = 125, women, n = 80; M age = 22.4 years) using standardized self-report reliable and valid measures. We explored the synchronization of the relationship between these variables. To test our hypotheses, PLS-SEM was applied. Results found that academic procrastination mediated the relationship between impulsiveness and academic achievement. These results demonstrate that academic procrastination is present in diverse, ethnic countries. Implications and limitations of the study for academic procrastination tendencies and for impulsivity were discussed.
References
1. Sarker S, Paul MK, Thasin STH, et al. Analyzing students’ academic performance using educational data mining. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. 2024; 7: 100263. doi: 10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100263
2. Singh S. Procrastination in relation to personality, leadership style and work environment [PhD thesis]. Punjabi University Patiala; 2017.
3. Singh S, Dhaliwal RS. Perceived performance and procrastination in hospitality industry: Examining the mediator role of work environment. Journal of Hospitality Application & Research. 2018; 13(2): 44-62.
4. Baş G. How to improve academic achievement of students? The influence of academic emphasis on academic achievement with the mediating roles of school belonging, student engagement, and academic resilience. Psychology in the Schools. 2024; 62(1): 313-335. doi: 10.1002/pits.23326
5. Ferrari JR. Procrastination and impulsiveness: Two sides of a coin? In: The impulsive client: Theory, research, and treatment. American Psychological Association; 1993.
6. Singh S. Linking procrastination behavior with perceived psychological performance. Gian Jyoti E-Journal. 2017; 7(3): 20-26.
7. Sokić K, Qureshi FH, Khawaja S. The role of impulsivity in predicting the subjective well-being of students in private higher education. European Journal of Education Studies. 2021; 8(12). doi: 10.46827/ejes.v8i12.4009
8. Munir F, Khalid S, Mukhtar B. An Investigation of the Correlation between Self- Control, Impulsivity and Interpersonal Difficulties among College Students: An Empirical Study. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 2024; 12(2): 1976-1989. doi: 10.52131/pjhss.2024.v12i2.2031
9. Zhang S, Dang J, Tao Y, et al. The profiles of social anxiety and impulsivity among college students: differences in aggression. Current Psychology. 2023; 43(12): 10621-10630. doi: 10.1007/s12144-023-05207-7
10. Ferrari JR. Still procrastinating: The no regrets guide to getting it done. John Wiley & Sons; 2010.
11. Ferrari JR, Tibbett TP. Procrastination. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK (editors). Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. New York: Springer Meteor Press; 2017.
12. Van Eerde W. A meta-analytically derived nomological network of procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences. 2003; 35(6): 1401-1418. doi: 10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00358-6
13. Steel P, König CJ. Integrating Theories of Motivation. Academy of Management Review. 2006; 31(4): 889-913. doi: 10.5465/amr.2006.22527462
14. Ferrari JR, Johnson JL, McCown WG. The role of personality disorders and characterological tendencies in procrastination. Springer; 1995.
15. Ferrari JR, Johnson JL, McCown WG. Procrastination and Task Avoidance: Theory, research, and treatment. New York: Plenum Press; 1995.
16. Ferrari JR, Dovidio JF. Examining Behavioral Processes in Indecision: Decisional Procrastination and Decision-Making Style. Journal of Research in Personality. 2000; 34(1): 127-137. doi: 10.1006/jrpe.1999.2247
17. Rad HF, Bordbar S, Bahmaei J, et al. Predicting academic procrastination of students based on academic self-efficacy and emotional regulation difficulties. Scientific Reports. 2025; 15(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87664-7
18. Suleiman IB, Okunade OA, Dada EG, et al. Key factors influencing students’ academic performance. Journal of Electrical Systems and Information Technology. 2024; 11(1). doi: 10.1186/s43067-024-00166-w
19. Kocak O, Goksu I, Goktas Y. The factors affecting academic achievement: a systematic review of meta-analyses. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching. 2021; 8(1): 454-484
20. Crow LD. Adolescent development and adjustment. United States: McGrow-Hill company; 1969.
21. Vigil-Coleṭ A, Morales-Vives F. How Impulsivity is Related to Intelligence and Academic Achievement. The Spanish Journal of Psychology. 2005; 8(2): 199-204. doi: 10.1017/s1138741600005072
22. Ferrari JR, Beck B. Affective responses before and after fraudulent excuses by academic procrastinators. Education. 1998; 118: 529-537.
23. Abdel Hadi S, Gharaibeh M, Alghazo E. Impulsiveness among Undergraduates from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan: Role of Socio-demographic Variables. Health Psychology Research. 2023; 11. doi: 10.52965/001c.81045
24. Rodrı́guez-Fornells A, Maydeu-Olivares A. Impulsive/careless problem-solving style as predictor of subsequent academic achievement. Personality and Individual Differences. 2000; 28(4): 639-645. doi: 10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00127-0
25. Spinella M, Miley WM. Impulsivity and academic achievement in college students. College Student Journal. 2003; 37(4): 545-549.
26. Türel YK, Dokumaci O. Use of media and technology, academic procrastination, and academic achievement in adolescence. Participatory Educational Research. 2022; 9(2): 481-497. doi: 10.17275/per.22.50.9.2
27. Singh S, Phoolka S, Mago M, et al. Linking Interpersonal Communication with Workplace Deviance through Transmittal Mediation Effect of Interpersonal Conflict. Journal of content community and communication. 2023; 17(9): 97-108. doi: 10.31620/jccc.06.23/08
28. Goroshit M. Academic procrastination and academic performance: An initial basis for intervention. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community. 2018; 46(2): 131-142. doi: 10.1080/10852352.2016.1198157
29. Kumari G, Malik S. Impulsiveness and fear of failure as predictors of academic procrastination. Mahadevi Dayanand University Research Journal ARTS. 2021; 20: 19-30.
30. Hamvai C, Kiss H, Vörös H, et al. Association between impulsivity and cognitive capacity decrease is mediated by smartphone addiction, academic procrastination, bedtime procrastination, sleep insufficiency and daytime fatigue among medical students: a path analysis. BMC Medical Education. 2023; 23(1). doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04522-8
31. Noviana Khoirunnisa R, Soetjipto BE, Chusniyah T, et al. Academic self-efficacy and future time perspective predict academic procrastination: The mediating function of academic self-control. International Journal of Body, Mind, and Culture. 2024; 11: 669-686.
32. Schouwenburg HC, Lay CH. Trait procrastination and the big five factors of personality. Personality and Individual Differences. 1995; 18: 481-490. doi: 10.1016/0191-8869(94)00176-S
33. Chamorro-Premuzic T, Furnham A. Personality predicts academic performance. Evidence from two longitudinal university samples. Journal of Research in Personality. 2003; 37(4): 319-338. doi: 10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00578-0
34. Muhammed NO. Academic procrastination and its relationship to neurotic perfectionism among university students. Journal of University of Human Development. 2025; 11(1): 68-82. doi: 10.21928/juhd.v11n1y2025.pp68-82
35. Joubert CP. The relationship between procrastination and academic achievement of high school learners in North West province, South Africa [PhD thesis]. University of South Africa; 2015.
36. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates; 1988.
37. Hair JF, Hult GTM, Ringle C, Sarstedt M. A primer on partial least Squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks; 2014.
38. Steel P. Arousal, avoidant and decisional procrastinators: Do they exist? Personality and Individual Differences. 2010; 48(8): 926-934. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.02.025
39. Sirois FM, Yang S, van Eerde W. Development and validation of the General Procrastination Scale (GPS-9): A short and reliable measure of trait procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences. 2019; 146: 26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.039
40. Henseler J, Ringle CM, Sarstedt M. A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 2014; 43(1): 115-135. doi: 10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
41. Dewitte S, Schouwenburg HC. Procrastination, temptations, and incentives: the struggle between the present and the future in procrastinators and the punctual. European Journal of Personality. 2002; 16(6): 469-489. doi: 10.1002/per.461
42. Tuckman BW. The Development and Concurrent Validity of the Procrastination Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 1991; 51(2): 473-480. doi: 10.1177/0013164491512022
43. Rabin LA, Fogel J, Nutter-Upham KE. Academic procrastination in college students: The role of self-reported executive function. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. 2010; 33(3): 344-357. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2010.518597
44. Tavakoli N, Hasanzadeh R, Emadian O. The Mediating Role of Identity Styles in the Relationship Between Procrastination and Academic Performance in High School Boy Students. Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology. 2019; 6(4): 211-218. doi: 10.32598/ajnpp.6.4.7
45. Valiente C, Eisenberg N, Spinrad TL, et al. Effortful Control and Impulsivity as Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictors of Academic Achievement. The Journal of Early Adolescence. 2013; 33(7): 946-972. doi: 10.1177/0272431613477239
46. Jin H, Wang W, Lan X. Peer Attachment and Academic Procrastination in Chinese College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Future Time Perspective and Grit. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019; 10. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02645
47. Kurtovic A, Vrdoljak G, Idzanovic A. Predicting Procrastination: The Role of Academic Achievement, Self-efficacy and Perfectionism. International Journal of Educational Psychology. 2019; 8(1): 1. doi: 10.17583/ijep.2019.2993
48. Graziano PA, Reavis RD, Keane SP, et al. The role of emotion regulation in children’s early academic success. Journal of School Psychology. 2007; 45(1): 3-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2006.09.002
49. Wypych M, Matuszewski J, Dragan WŁ. Roles of Impulsivity, Motivation, and Emotion Regulation in Procrastination – Path Analysis and Comparison Between Students and Non-students. Frontiers in Psychology. 2018; 9. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00891
50. Dike I, Emmanuel SO. Study on conscientiousness, academic self-efficacy and self-esteem predictive power on academic procrastination among counselling students. Psychocentrum Review. 2019; 1(2): 69-78. doi: 10.30998/pcr.1281
51. Guo M, Cao Y, Hu X. Chinese students’ filial piety beliefs and procrastination in mathematics learning: The mediating role of academic emotions. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023; 14. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1050259
52. Košíková M, Loumová V, Kovaľová J, et al. A Cross-Culture Study of Academic Procrastination and Using Effective Time Management. Periodica Polytechnica Social and Management Sciences. 2019; 28(2): 121-128. doi: 10.3311/ppso.13348
53. Anuddin FO. Academic Performance and Procrastination: The Case of Education Students in MSU-Sulu. Indonesian Community Empowerment Journal. 2021; 1(2): 23-28. doi: 10.37275/icejournal.v1i2.6
54. Rusdi M, Hidayah N, Rahmawati H, et al. Academic procrastination data of students in Makassar, Indonesia. Data in Brief. 2020; 33: 106608. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106608
55. Tibbett TP, Ferrari JR. The U.S. as a ‘ProcrastiNATION’: Assessing indecision on life satisfaction and life regret. North American Journal of Psychology. 2018; 20: 111 -120.
56. Zingoni AK, Bates CJ. Course difficulty as a predictor of academic success in college-level online science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. International Journal of Learning and Technology. 2022; 13: 358-374.
57. Ferrari JR, Crum KP, Pardo MA. Decisional Procrastination: Assessing Characterological and Contextual Variables around Indecision. Current Psychology. 2017; 37(2): 436-440. doi: 10.1007/s12144-017-9681-x
58. Schnauber-Stockmann A, Meier A, Reinecke L. Procrastination out of Habit? The Role of Impulsive Versus Reflective Media Selection in Procrastinatory Media Use. Media Psychology. 2018; 21(4): 640-668. doi: 10.1080/15213269.2018.1476156
59. Day V, Mensink D, O’Sullivan M. Patterns of Academic Procrastination. Journal of College Reading and Learning. 2000; 30(2): 120-134. doi: 10.1080/10790195.2000.10850090
Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Submit a Paper
