Procrastination in university students: Role of self-esteem, self-efficacy beliefs, and achievement motivation

Abstract

Procrastination implies a behavioral pattern of delay in carrying out previously planned activities. This tendency is influenced by various conditions, however, there are others that can act in the opposite direction and promote more adaptive behaviors. The objective of the present study was to identify procrastination levels in university students and determine their relationship with self-esteem, self-efficacy beliefs and achievement motivation. It is based on a quantitative methodology, a non-experimental, cross-sectional design with a descriptive-correlational scope. 319 university students from public schools participated; Rosenberg’s (1965) Self-esteem Scales, Baessler and Schwarzer’s (1996) General Self-Efficacy Scales, Achievement, Power and Affiliation Motivation Scales (Steers and Braunstein, 1976), and the General Procrastination Scale (Busko, 1998) were used. The application was carried out collectively within the classrooms, with the prior informed consent of the participants. The results show the predominance of procrastinating behavior patterns in the participants. At the same time, there are negative correlations of procrastination with self-esteem, self-efficacy beliefs, and achievement motivation reported, which means that the more positive the personal worth, the better self-efficacy beliefs and the greater the achievement motivation, the less tendency to delay activities planned by adolescents. It is concluded that university students are at risk given their predominantly delaying behaviors; however, self-esteem, self-efficacy and achievement motivation are seen as powerful resources that can promote healthy behaviors, since they act as protective factors against procrastination, when an inverse relationship is found.