Personal, Motivational, Volitional and Contextual Antecedents of Procrastination in Homework

Abstract

This study was conducted with a total of 1496 students in 8 secondary schools in Istanbul and examines the personal, motivational, volitional, and contextual factors that influence homework procrastination behavior. Hierarchical linear analysis was used to analyze student-level and class-level data. Results indicated that conscientiousness was the personal factor with the strongest negative relationship with homework procrastination. The expectancy component reflected students’ perceptions of homework self-efficacy, and higher levels of expectancy were found to reduce procrastination. The use of self-regulation strategies (organizing the environment, time management, monitoring motivation, managing distractions) plays a critical role in reducing the tendency to procrastinate. In terms of contextual factors, parental autonomy support and control reduced homework procrastination, while teacher autonomy support had a similar effect. However, there was no significant relationship between homework procrastination and teacher homework quality and feedback process. An increase in homework frequency led to an increase in procrastination, and male students tended to procrastinate more than female students. These findings provide important implications for interventions targeting homework completion and procrastination behaviors.