Higher-education course characteristics relate to academic procrastination: a multivariate two-level analysis

Abstract Procrastination is a widespread phenomenon in higher education. Recently, specific aspects of the higher education course context have been theoretically linked to procrastination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to integrate specific course characteristics (e.g., feedback structure, social norms, clarity of assignments), examine in which way they relate to procrastination, and if this relation can be explained by the satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. We conducted a multivariate two-level study with a sample of 90 courses with 1,809 students from different faculties and semesters. Results imply that academic procrastination is associated with specific course characteristics to a considerable degree. Basic need satisfaction was negatively related to academic procrastination at a medium level on both, the individual student level as well as the course level. Moreover, basic need satisfaction explained the relations between specific course characteristics and procrastination.