Understanding Academic Procrastination: A Study on What Causes Students to Procrastinate and Its Relationship with Academic Work of Varying Perceived Difficulty Levels

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Patrick Kyle Wang Ang Ngo Ching, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Chester Hui Wong, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Darrin Rallos Lipardo, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Constantine Juris Gabriel Chico, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow

Document Types

Paper Presentation

School Name

De La Salle University, Manila

Track or Strand

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

N/A

Start Date

25-6-2025 10:30 AM

End Date

25-6-2025 12:00 PM

Zoom Link/ Room Assignment

https://zoom.us/j/92672219055?pwd=omqbcbIQdkFT4AEGXSTVit7ZX6kQBG.1 Meeting ID: 926 7221 9055 Passcode: 679533

Abstract/Executive Summary

Procrastination is the tendency to delay starting or finishing tasks, with perceived task difficulty being one of the common causes. This study examines how students’ perceptions of task difficulty influence their tendency to procrastinate on three academic tasks: essay writing, group projects, and studying. Additionally, the study aims to identify the most procrastinated activities and analyze correlations. Through a survey, data was collected from N = 65 randomly sampled senior high school students at De La Salle University Manila, specifically from the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strands. Participants answered two modified scales across the three tasks with the Academic Performance Scale (APS) to assess procrastination and the Perceived Task Difficulty Scale (PTDS) to measure perceived task difficulty. Results indicate that students procrastinate the most on studying and find it the most difficult. Essay writing also showed a strong link between difficulty and procrastination, while group projects were the least affected. Statistical analysis revealed moderate positive correlations between perceived task difficulty and procrastination, with essay writing showing the strongest connection. Regression analysis further confirmed that as the perceived difficulty increases, so does the likelihood of procrastination. As expected, this relationship was strongest for individual tasks, especially essay writing, as students often feel overwhelmed when working independently. These findings highlight the role of task difficulty in procrastination and suggest how educators can support students in improving task completion and academic performance. Future research could explore how additional variables interact with task difficulty to influence procrastination.

Keywords

academic procrastination, perceived task difficulty, essay writing, group projects, studying

Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)

21st Century Learning and Innovations (CLI)

Initial Consent for Publication

no

Statement of Originality

yes