Conscientiousness and procrastination: the mediating role of time management practices during academic study sessions among undergraduate students
Date
2025
Authors
Johnston, Victoria
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between conscientiousness and procrastination in undergraduate students and investigate whether time management practices (planning time and monitoring time), as a subset of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies, mediate this relationship during academic study sessions. Participants were recruited from a population of undergraduate students attending a Western Canadian University (N=277) who were enrolled in a Learning to Learn (L2L) course during the fall 2021 semester. Participants completed self-assessments online. A seven-item conscientiousness subscale, a five-item procrastination subscale, and a time management scale, subdivided into a five-item planning time and a four-item monitoring time subscale. Path analysis with parallel mediation showed the total effect and direct effect of conscientiousness on procrastination to be significant and negative, and that this relationship was partially mediated by time management practices. Monitoring time emerged as a functional mediator— higher levels of conscientiousness predicted greater monitoring of time, which in turn reduced procrastination. In contrast, planning time showed a paradoxical effect: although higher levels of conscientiousness predicted greater planning of time, increased planning was associated with greater procrastination. The findings underscore the importance of viewing time management as a multidimensional construct. Future research should examine the conditions under which planning helps versus hinders academic performance.
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Keywords
Procrastination, Time Management, Self-regulated Learning