The effects of decisional and academic procrastination on students' feelings toward academic procrastination

摘要

Procrastination is often associated with feelings of discomfort. The current research examined the effects of decisional and academic procrastination on students' feeling of discomfort related to academic procrastination and the desire to change their procrastination habits. We assumed that academic procrastination would mediate the relationship between decisional procrastination and students' feelings toward academic procrastination. A total of 373 undergraduate social sciences students from northern Israel participated in the study. The results challenge the traditional perception that procrastination is mostly associated with feelings of discomfort and may imply that while decisional procrastinators experience discomfort associated with procrastination, academic procrastinators want to change their procrastination habits but do not report feelings of discomfort. The findings also suggest a difference between the two types of procrastination and may contribute to the argument that for some students, procrastination serves as an immediate emotional relief, followed by negative academic outcomes that enhance the desire to change this habit.