Stop Procrastinating on Procrastination: An Exploration of Academic Procrastination Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Abstract

A significant portion of students engage in the problematic behaviour of procrastination. Previous research has suggested that motivation, or a lack thereof, may play an important role in developing and maintaining this behaviour. From a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, autonomous motivation results from having one’s basic psychological needs satisfied. Given this perspective, it is possible that targeting the basic psychological needs could have implications for procrastination. There have been few studies, however, that have examined the interaction between basic psychological need satisfaction, motivation, and procrastination from an SDT perspective. Furthermore, there have been no interventions for procrastination that have targeted these variables. Broadly, the goal of the present research is to examine the relationships between basic psychological needs, academic motivation, and academic procrastination, and to develop and implement an intervention targeting academic procrastination based on SDT as a theoretical framework. Given that previous research has suggested the utility of motivational interviewing (MI) in the context of SDT, this study will use MI techniques to target SDT variables. The first study examined the role of each of the basic psychological needs (BPN) and their relationship with the different types of academic motivation (autonomous, controlled, and amotivation) and academic procrastination through a mediation model where academic motivation mediates the relationship between BPN satisfaction and frustration, and academic procrastination. A sample of undergraduate students (N= 617) completed an online questionnaire about their university experience. The data was analyzed using a mediational structural equation model. Results suggested that the different types of academic motivation partially mediated the relationship between BPN satisfaction and procrastination, but not the relationship between BPN frustration and procrastination. The second study used the first study as a theoretical foundation for the design and implementation of a brief intervention that used SDT as a theoretical framework and MI strategies to target the three BPN as a means of increasing autonomous motivation and decreasing academic procrastination. Two hundred and twenty-three university students were randomized to the intervention or control groups. The participants completed an online questionnaire pre- and post-intervention. Results suggested that our intervention increased BPN; however, it did not significantly increase autonomous motivation or decrease academic procrastination. The findings of the second study demonstrated the effectiveness of MI strategies in targeting BPN. As a whole, the current research contributed to a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between BPN satisfaction and frustration, the different types of academic motivation, and academic procrastination. It also highlights the effectiveness of MI strategies in targeting BPN variables, as well as future theoretical and methodological considerations when designing future procrastination interventions.