Why Students Procrastinate: A Qualitative Approach
Abstract
In this study we adopted an impartial view on academic procrastination in order to gain new insights for the development of intervention programs. Following a qualitative approach, we thereby explored antecedents of procrastination by attending to the actual voices and experiences of 29 students. Students’ subjective theories were in line with some antecedents that previous research had addressed (lack of motivation or volitional control), but also revealed relatively new aspects of academic procrastination that concern students’ social relatedness and task competence. Considering these findings, we suggest ideas on how to assist students and how to design intervention programs.
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Qualitative interview studies support the finding that task aversiveness is related to procrastination.
“Results of qualitative interview studies support these findings (Grunschel et al., 2013; Klingsieck et al., 2013; Visser et al., 2018).”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
Qualitative studies show students reported feeling lost and overwhelmed by the task of planning a whole course of studies, a semester, or even an exam phase on their own.
“Overall, students reported feeling lost and overwhelmed by the task of planning a whole course of studies, a semester, or even an exam phase on their own.”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
Working alone is associated with increased procrastination.
“However, working alone is associated with increased procrastination (Klingsieck et al., 2013).”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
Distraction by peers can be a source of academic procrastination.
“Both qualitative (Klingsieck et al., 2013) and quantitative (Chen et al., 2016) evidence support the idea that distraction by peers can be a source of academic procrastination.”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
Peer behavior is taken into account by procrastinating students.
“Indirect support for this notion also comes from Klingsieck et al. (2013) and Nordby et al. (2017), who report that peer behavior is taken into account by procrastinating students.”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
Group work with interdependence between group members may reduce academic procrastination.
“Qualitative evidence suggests that group work with interdependence between group members may reduce academic procrastination (Klingsieck et al., 2013).”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Klingsieck et al., 2013
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“Apparently, the intention– action gap (Steel, 2007) was as an antecedent to procrastination in these studies.”
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Academic procrastination: psychological antecedents revisited
Steel, P., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2016) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1111/ap.12173 · Cited by 534 · see citing works
Self-citationProcrastination: When Good Things Don’t Come to Those Who Wait
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Self-citationExploring reasons and consequences of academic procrastination: an interview study.
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“…may contribute significantly to this situation, the majority of research efforts to clarify mechanisms involved in procrastination has focused on individual variables related to personality, motivation, affect, and others (for reviews, see van Eerde, 2003; Steel, 2007; Klingsieck, 2013).”
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Do procrastination-friendly environments make students delay unnecessarily?
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From distraction to delay: Unpacking academic procrastination
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“Academic procrastination, defined as the voluntary delay of important tasks despite expecting negative consequences, is a widespread self-regulatory failure among students, often accompanied by feelings of guilt, stress, and reduced well-being (Klingsieck et al., 2013; Sirois & Pychyl, 2016).”
- Authors
- Klingsieck, K. B., Grund, A., Schmid, S., & Fries, S.
- Affiliations
- Paderborn University (DE)
- University of Luxembourg (LU)
- University of Regensburg (DE)
- Bielefeld University (DE)
- Venue
- Journal of College Student Development
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2013-07
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 397-412
- ISSN
- 0897-5264 (ISSN-L)
- 1543-3382
- OpenAlex
- W2045477559
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of college student development (publishedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (acceptedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Luxembourg) (submittedVersion)
- PUB – Publications at Bielefeld University (Bielefeld University) (submittedVersion)
- Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld (Universität Bielefeld) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation
- Keywords
- academic procrastination, student experience, lack of motivation, volitional control, social relatedness, task competence, university students
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