THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELF-REGULATION AND PROCRASTINATION AMONG PRIVATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Low Sew Kim, Sarvarubini Nainee, Tan Soon Aun

Abstract


Academic procrastination is prevalent among university undergraduates and it affects students’ well-being and academic performance. Procrastination has become a concerning phenomenon in recent years and is not taken seriously. As self- regulation is one of the predictors of academic achievement among undergraduates it is often linked to procrastination. Thus, this study aimed to investigate if there are gender differences in self- regulation and procrastination and whether there is a relationship between self- regulation and procrastination among 287 undergraduates from four different private universities in Malaysia. Data were collected using self-report survey with convenience sampling method. The Short Self- Regulation Questionnaire (Carey, Neal, Collins, 2004) was used to measure self-regulation while procrastination was measured using Tuckman Procrastination Scale (Yockey, 2016). Results of t-test analyses showed that there is no significant gender difference in both self-regulation and procrastination. Moderate significant negative relationship was found between self-regulation and procrastination. Hence the findings reflect self-regulation can predict procrastination where students with high self-regulation will tend to less procrastinate. Therefore, undergraduates should be taught self-regulated strategies and interventions to further enhance their self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation to be more goals directed.

 

Keywords: gender; procrastination; private university undergraduates; self- regulation.

 


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