Predicting procrastination with academic performance: Towards the anticipation of a higher education problem

Purpose: With the purpose of predicting the problem of procrastination, we study how age, sex, type of studies and grade for admission to higher education influence the procrastination behavior of students.Design/methodology/approach: In a sample of 359 university students, the Pure Procrastination scale was applied, as well as data on sex, age, grade previous to join the university, grade completed and year of study (first to fourth). To identify underlying variables or factors that explain the configuration of correlations in the items of the scale used, an exploratory factor analysis was carried out (principal component analysis with Varimax normalization). Next, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed with the variables sex, age, and admission grade as independent variables and academic procrastination as the dependent variable.Findings: It has been possible to identify the variables that influence the procrastinating behavior of university students. From the identification of which students will possibly present procrastinating behaviors, the people responsible for university education will be able to implement intervention programs to deal with procrastination.Research limitations/implications: The sample is not representative of the universe of university students, although the results obtained are relevant enough to replicate the study in other university contexts. Our data could have included more instruments for collecting information, which in future studies would entail incorporating scales related to the perception of time management, motivation or self-regulation.Practical implications: Distinguishing, among university students, those who may present more procrastination tendencies will guide those responsible for the educational process of said students with respect to measures to alleviate the negative effects of procrastination through psycho-socio-educational intervention programs.Social implications: The knowledge derived from this work has practical implications for the students themselves who, in the case of being identified as a potential procrastinator, may benefit from a psycho-socio-educational intervention that will help them manage their time and reduce the discomfort derived from the procrastination.Originality/value: On the previous corpus of existing scientific knowledge, this work provides knowledge that allows optimizing, both at a public and private level, the academic, economic and social resources of university institutions in which procrastination can affect the preparation and the student performance.