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Original Article

How Conscientiousness and Neuroticism Affect Academic Procrastination

Mediated by Motivational Regulation?

Published Online:May 26, 2021https://doi.org/10.1026/0049-8637/a000225

Abstract

Abstract. We examined students’ procrastinatory behavior in a specific higher-education learning situation in relation to conscientiousness and neuroticism as well as motivational regulation. We hypothesized that conscientiousness would be associated with low levels and favorable trajectories of academic procrastinatory behavior, and neuroticism would be associated with high levels and unfavorable trajectories of procrastinatory behavior. Furthermore, we examined whether motivational regulation mediates these effects. To answer our research questions, we used data from a diary study that spanned a period of 28 days with a total of 3,121 single measurements of 128 university students (mean age = 21.7 years; SD = 2.2; 53 % female). The results of conditional growth curve models indicated that levels of procrastinatory behavior were negatively linked to conscientiousness and positively linked to neuroticism. Motivational regulation mediated the relation between conscientiousness and procrastinatory behavior. No effects on the trajectories of procrastinatory behavior were found. Our findings provide insights into procrastinatory behavior in a specific learning situation and emphasize the functional effects of motivational regulation on academic procrastination.


Wie Persönlichkeit Prokrastination beeinflusst: Mediiert durch Motivationsregulation?

Zusammenfassung. Wir untersuchten Zusammenhänge von akademischem Prokrastinationsverhalten in einer spezifischen Lernsituation mit Gewissenhaftigkeit, Neurotizismus sowie Motivationsregulation. Dabei testeten wir die Annahme, dass Gewissenhaftigkeit mit einem geringen Niveau und günstigen Verläufen sowie Neurotizismus mit einem erhöhten Niveau und ungünstigen Verläufen in Prokrastinationsverhalten assoziiert ist. Weiterhin wurde Motivationsregulation als ein potentieller Mediator dieser Effekte untersucht. Es wurden Daten einer 28 Tage umfassenden Tagebuchstudie mit 3.121 Einzelmessungen von insgesamt 128 Studierenden (Durchschnittsalter = 21.7 Jahre; SD = 2.2; 53 % weiblich) analysiert. Wachstumskurvenmodelle zeigten, dass das Prokrastinationsniveau negativ mit Gewissenhaftigkeit und positiv mit Neurotizismus assoziiert war. Der Effekt zwischen Gewissenhaftigkeit und Prokrastinationsverhalten wurde durch Motivationsregulation mediiert. Effekte auf die Verläufe von Prokrastinationsverhalten konnten nicht gefunden werden. Die Ergebnisse geben Einblicke in akademisches Prokrastinationsverhalten in spezifischen Lernsituationen und weisen auf schützende Effekte von Motivationsregulation gegenüber akademischem Prokrastinationsverhalten hin.

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