A Review of Academic Procrastination: Retrospect and Prospect

Simin Huang; Gengsheng Xiao

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202605_9(5).0020

Authors

Simin Huang
Gengsheng Xiao

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202605_9(5).0020

Keywords:

Academic procrastination; Measurement; Influencing factors; Intervention.

Abstract

Academic procrastination is a common negative learning behavior among students and is also an important research topic in educational psychology. This paper systematically reviews current research on academic procrastination, focusing on its key influencing factors, core theoretical perspectives, and documented consequences. The findings show that academic procrastination arises from the interplay of contextual and intra-personal factors, with cognitive-behavioral theory and temporal motivation theory offering primary explanatory frameworks. While the behavior correlates with poor academic performance and increased psychological distress, existing research remains fragmented, lacking integrated analyses of multi-factor interactions and context-specific mechanisms. Future studies should adopt more holistic designs to explore these pathways and develop targeted interventions.

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