The role of internal locus of control for the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and academic procrastination

Abstract

Academic procrastination is a prevailing practice among university students. It has been shown to relate to various negative academic and health consequences. It is an oversimplification to view procrastination as the synonym of laziness, instead, researcher considered procrastination as a form of self-regulation failure that usually stems from an unrealistic, high standard, a characteristic often observed in perfectionistic individuals. Employing self-regulation theory as a framework, the study first examined the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and academic procrastination, as well as the potential moderating role of internal locus of control. 133 full-time university students in Hong Kong completed a self-report survey online. Results supported that socially prescribed perfectionism is positively related to academic procrastination, but it did not support the hypothesis that self-oriented perfectionism is negatively related to academic procrastination. Also, the moderating effect of internal locus of control on the relationship between the respective dimension of perfectionism and academic procrastination was found to be insignificant. The results, as well as the limitations, were discussed.