Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students

Academic dropout is a concern in the current university context and addressing it is especially complex, as the reasons or causes behind it are multifactorial. Among these factors, procrastination stands out, so this study aims to analyse whether university students with high levels of procrastinati...

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Main Authors: Manuel Delgado-García, Francisco Javier García-Prieto, David López-Aguilar, Cristina Ceinos-Sanz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Social Sciences and Humanities Open
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002347
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author Manuel Delgado-García
Francisco Javier García-Prieto
David López-Aguilar
Cristina Ceinos-Sanz
author_facet Manuel Delgado-García
Francisco Javier García-Prieto
David López-Aguilar
Cristina Ceinos-Sanz
author_sort Manuel Delgado-García
collection DOAJ
description Academic dropout is a concern in the current university context and addressing it is especially complex, as the reasons or causes behind it are multifactorial. Among these factors, procrastination stands out, so this study aims to analyse whether university students with high levels of procrastination have a greater intention of dropping out of university. Using a quantitative methodology with a procedure based on an unintentional non-random sampling, a validated scale was applied to 1001 undergraduate students from two Spanish universities. The study's results show that 18.8 % of the participants expressed an intention to drop out of their studies. Additionally, the findings reveal a moderately low level of procrastination among the students, with statistically significant differences between those who intended to abandon their university degree and those who indicated they would continue their studies. The conclusions derived from the study confirm the initial hypothesis, which reflects a positive correlation between procrastination levels and the intention to drop out of studies. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen research into the relationship between these two constructs, as well as the influence that other variables can exert, as they affect the teaching and learning process in the university context. At the same time, through education in general and academic guidance in particular, intervention is needed to ensure that university students have the resources and support to reduce their procrastination levels, as well as specific tools that help students self-assess to reduce the impact that certain factors, such as procrastination, have on academic dropout intentions.
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spelling doaj-art-628919c9c1f24c72a8b32fde6fe139e22025-08-20T02:37:06ZengElsevierSocial Sciences and Humanities Open2590-29112025-01-011110150610.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101506Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university studentsManuel Delgado-García0Francisco Javier García-Prieto1David López-Aguilar2Cristina Ceinos-Sanz3University of Huelva (Department of Pedagogy), Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sports Science, Campus El Carmen, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas, s/n, C.P. 21007, Huelva, SpainUniversity of Huelva (Department of Pedagogy), Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sports Science, Campus El Carmen, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas, s/n, C.P. 21007, Huelva, SpainUniversity of La Laguna (Department of Didactics and Educational Research), Faculty of Education, Avda. Universidad, s/n, C.P. 38206, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainUniversity of Santiago de Compostela (Department of Pedagogy and Didactics), Faculty of Educational Sciences, R/ Profesor Vicente Fráiz Andón, s/n, C.P. 15782, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain; Corresponding author.Academic dropout is a concern in the current university context and addressing it is especially complex, as the reasons or causes behind it are multifactorial. Among these factors, procrastination stands out, so this study aims to analyse whether university students with high levels of procrastination have a greater intention of dropping out of university. Using a quantitative methodology with a procedure based on an unintentional non-random sampling, a validated scale was applied to 1001 undergraduate students from two Spanish universities. The study's results show that 18.8 % of the participants expressed an intention to drop out of their studies. Additionally, the findings reveal a moderately low level of procrastination among the students, with statistically significant differences between those who intended to abandon their university degree and those who indicated they would continue their studies. The conclusions derived from the study confirm the initial hypothesis, which reflects a positive correlation between procrastination levels and the intention to drop out of studies. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen research into the relationship between these two constructs, as well as the influence that other variables can exert, as they affect the teaching and learning process in the university context. At the same time, through education in general and academic guidance in particular, intervention is needed to ensure that university students have the resources and support to reduce their procrastination levels, as well as specific tools that help students self-assess to reduce the impact that certain factors, such as procrastination, have on academic dropout intentions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002347Academic procrastinationAcademic dropoutUniversity studentHigher educationGuidance intervention
spellingShingle Manuel Delgado-García
Francisco Javier García-Prieto
David López-Aguilar
Cristina Ceinos-Sanz
Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Academic procrastination
Academic dropout
University student
Higher education
Guidance intervention
title Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
title_full Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
title_fullStr Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
title_full_unstemmed Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
title_short Association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
title_sort association between procrastination and academic dropout intention in university students
topic Academic procrastination
Academic dropout
University student
Higher education
Guidance intervention
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002347
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