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Final Research Report for KHA112. Grade CR...

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Personality Dimensions and Academic Procrastination: A Correlational Approach

Student ID Department of Psychology, University of Tasmania KHA112: Psychology B Instructor Date

2 Abstract The following is a correlational study on the relationship between Academic Procrastination and personality traits. The personality traits analysed were Conscientiousness, Emotionality, and Extraversion. Eighty-one first-year undergraduate psychology students participated in the study as part of a class exercise. Participants completed a self-directed 10-minute online survey comprised of questions to measure personality factors and Academic Procrastination. The questions ranged on a 5-point Likert scale. We predicted a significant positive correlation between Conscientiousness and Academic Procrastination, a significant negative correlation between Emotionality and Academic Procrastination, and an insignificant positive correlation between Extraversion and Academic Procrastination. Our hypotheses were supported and were consistent with past studies. The results showed that as Conscientiousness increases, Academic Procrastination decreases, and as Emotionality increases, Academic Procrastination decreases. In terms of future research, the relationship between personality traits and Academic Procrastination could be investigated further by a greater analysis of the facets of each personality dimension.

3 Personality Dimensions and Academic Procrastination: A Correlational Approach The extent to which individuals engage in Academic Procrastination may share a relationship with certain personality traits. Procrastination is the delaying of a task to give priority to another generally less essential or unrelated task. It is an inauspicious and irrational behaviour that an individual actively realizes is not to their advantage (Svartdal et al., 2018). The prevalence of students engaging in Academic Procrastination is estimated to be up to 95%, with estimates also indicating 50% of students find procrastination to be consistently hindering their studies (Steel, 2007). It may be assumed from this estimation that Academic Procrastination is universal. It is the extent to which individuals consistently engage in this behaviour that they may struggle and be hindered. Students that suffer from persistent procrastination often have lower academic performance, increased stress, heightened agitation before assessments, and heightened anxiety overall, especially at the end of a semester (Klingsieck et al., 2013). The degree to which individuals actively engage in this dilatory behaviour may be related to specific traits and personality factors, chiefly where individuals predominantly lie in the Big Five model of personality (Karatas, 2015). Johnson and Bloom (1995) obtained and analysed the correlational data of two-hundred and two undergraduate psychology students who were given a packet of questionnaires comprised of two tests to determine procrastination and personality values, namely the API and the NEO-PI-R. The results found a significant, strong, negative correlation between Conscientiousness and Academic Procrastination and a significant, weak, positive correlation between Neuroticism and Academic Procrastination. Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness were recorded as being not significant. This is typical of previous research; Conscientiousness and Neuroticism consistently register as significant, and correlational values are consistent, while

4 Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness tend to produce inconsistent and or insignificant results. This study aims to examine the relationship between dimensions of personality and academic procrastination. Specifically, whether certain personality traits have a positive or negative relationship with academic procrastination and whether these results are significant. In our study, we expect to see a significant, moderate, negative correlation (r=-0.5) between Conscientiousness (as measured by the HEXACO-60) and academic procrastination (as measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form). Secondly, we expect to see a significant, moderate, positive correlation (r=0.5) between Emotionality (as measured by the HEXACO-60) and academic procrastination (as measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form). Lastly, we expect to see an insignificant, weak, positive correlation (r=0.1) between extraversion (as measured by the HEXACO-60) and academic procrastination (as measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form). Method Participants Eighty-one first-year undergraduate psychology students participated in the study as part of a class activity. The sample ages ranged from 18 to 75 years (Mage=32.71 years, SDage=11.32 years), and was comprised of 22 males and 59 females (n=81). Materials Participants were asked to complete a self-directed online questionnaire that was a combination of the following two measures. The HEXACO-60. Developed by Ashton and Lee (2009), a short version of the HEXACO that presents 60 personality statement items measured on a 5-point Likert scale

5 from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. An example statement is as follows ‘I plan ahead and organize things, to avoid scrambling at the last minute’. The Academic Procrastination Scale Short Form. Developed by Yockey (2016), a short version of the Academic Procrastination Scale that presents 5 Academic Procrastination statement items measured on a 5-point Likert scale from ‘agree’ to ‘disagree’. An example statement is as follows ‘I get distracted by other, more fun, things when I am supposed to work on university work’. Procedure All participant involvement was self-directed and performed online within the timeframe provided to them. Participants were first asked to give their informed consent to participate in the study before completing some basic demographic questions, specifying their age and gender. Next, participants completed a 10-minute online survey answering questions measuring personality and Academic Procrastination comprised of the HEXACO-60 and the Academic Procrastination Scale short form. Results Analysis of participants results presented the following mean and standard deviation data: Academic Procrastination (M=14.47, SD=4.36), Conscientiousness (M=4.38, SD=0.43), Extraversion (M=3.02, SD=0.56) and Emotionality (M=2.89, SD=0.63). Three correlational analyses were run measuring the relationship of each of the HEXACO dimensions with Academic Procrastination. The first correlational analysis revealed a significant, moderate, positive relationship between Emotionality (measured by the HEXACO-60) and Academic Procrastination (measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form), r(n=81) = .43, p = .025.

6 The second correlational analysis revealed a significant, moderate, negative relationship between Conscientiousness (measured by the HEXACO-60) and Academic Procrastination (measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form), r(n=81) = -.56, p = .002. The last correlational analysis revealed an insignificant, weak, positive relationship between Extraversion (measured by the HEXACO-60) and Academic Procrastination (measured by the Academic Procrastination Scale short form), r(n=81) = .08, p = .845. Discussion The results from the correlational analyses support the hypotheses presented in the present study. The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between Emotionality and Academic Procrastination, a negative relationship between Conscientiousness and Academic Procrastination, and an insignificant relationship between Extraversion and Academic Procrastination. These results are consistent with past research and specifically the correlational data obtained by Johnson and Bloom (1995), which measured Conscientiousness (r=-0.72) and Neuroticism (r=0.18) as being significant, and Extraversion (r=0.11) as being insignificant. From these analyses, we can suggest that individuals who fall under the dimension of Emotionality may be at a disadvantage in an academic setting due to an increase in Academic Procrastination. It may also be suggested that conscientious individuals hold an advantage over their peers who predominately fall under the Emotionality dimension. As we see in the correlational data, the more conscientious an individual is, the more Academic Procrastination decreases. Past studies have effectively shown the significant correlation of Conscientiousness and Emotionality to Academic Procrastination. In conclusion, the relationship between

7 personality traits and Academic Procrastination could be investigated further by a greater analysis of the facets of each personality dimension. Another suggestion for further research is to include a correlational analysis between self-efficacy and Academic Procrastination. The shortcomings of the present study may be that it is too broad. An approach that is enlarged, such as the suggested study of facets, may be better able to indicate more effectively where the magnitude of the correlation is coming from.

8 References Ashton, M., & Lee, K. (2009). The HEXACO-60: A short measure of the major dimensions of personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(4), 340-345. doi:10.1080/00223890902935878 Johnson, J. L., & Bloom, A. M. (1995). An analysis of the contribution of the five factors of personality to variance in academic procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 18(1), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(94)00109-6 Karatas, H. (2015). Correlation among academic procrastination, personality traits, and academic achievement. Anthropologist, 20(1,2), 243-255. Klingsieck, K.B., Grund, A., Schmid, S., & Fries, S. (2013). Why Students Procrastinate: A Qualitative Approach. Journal of College Student Development 54(4), 397-412. doi:10.1353/csd.2013.0060. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65– 94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65 Svartdal, F., Granmo, S., & Færevaag, F. S. (2018). On the Behavioral Side of Procrastination: Exploring Behavioral Delay in Real-Life Settings. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 746. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00746 Yockey R. D. (2016). Validation of the Short Form of the Academic Procrastination Scale. Psychological reports, 118(1), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294115626825...