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This study explores the role of the motivational self-regulation in academic procrastination under the personality framework. Therefore, the aims of the study were to investigate: (a) the role of personality dimensions in the self-regulation of motivation; (b) the role of self-regulation of motivation in procrastination; and (c) the mediating role of the self-regulation of motivation. The participants were 274 university students (M ¼ 21 years). The Big Five traits explained from 6% to 17% variance of the individual motivational regulation strategies (MRSs). Both personality (conscientiousness) and the MRS (environmental control) were significant predictors of academic procrastination. Conscientiousness, agreeableness, and intellect showed an indirect effect on reducing academic procrastination, mediated through the strategy of environmental control, thus additionally suggesting the important role of this motivational strategy. Since this strategy can be taught, these findings have a strong practical value.

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The present study examined the role of sensation seeking (SS) in different types of delinquent behavior across sex, controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions. The sample of Croatian adolescents comprised 117 boys and 137 girls. As predicted, SS was the central explanatory variable beyond the Big Five dimensions in both the boys’ and girls’ normative antisocial behavior, minor delinquency, and overall delinquency. In only the girls, SS was also a risk factor for serious and violent delinquency along with extraversion and emotional instability. In both sexes, the explanatory power of SS decreased as the severity of the offenses increased. The results underscore the significance of SS in normative and minor types of adolescent delinquency and indicate a different etiology of normative adolescent delinquency from severe and violent delinquency. The results also suggest a different constellation of personality risk factors for boys and girls for each different type of delinquency.

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Academic burnout has serious negative consequences for both physical and mental health of college students. Therefore, studies trying to find the protective factors are beginning to emerge. The main research question was to assess whether flow experienced in different domains of students' life can be a protective factor of their academic burnout. Since longitudinal studies that would determine whether flow experienced in different activities prevents academic burnout are lacking, the aim of this study was to assess whether flow in academic and leisure activities predict longitudinal changes in students' academic burnout and to what extent. Using a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, the current study examined academic flow, flow in leisure activities and academic burnout in 160 first year students of University of Zagreb. Burnout and flow were assessed in two time waves: one month after beginning of the academic year, and then after 8 months, at the end of the academic year. Structural equation modeling was employed to test a series of competing models. Direct model with a path from flow in academic activities and leisure at the beginning of the academic year to burnout at the end of the academic year provided acceptable model fit. Academic flow was related to less, and flow in leisure activities to more subsequent academic burnout. The study suggests that enhancing flow experiences in academic activities may be relevant for reducing students' burnout. At the same time, results suggest that many leisure activities, although flow inducing, may be counterproductive for preventing students' burnout.

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"Appropriate self-regulation in motivation and experiencing flow in learning and other academic activities are important factors for success in study and psychological wellbeing. Previous studies suggested that achievement goals have role in student’s motivation for learning, but there is only partial knowledge regarding the role of achievement goals in motivational regulation and academic flow. The aim of this study was to explore: a) the role of achievement goals in motivational self-regulation and study-related flow; b) the incremental role of mastery self-talk motivational strategy in academic flow over the mastery-approach goal; c) the mediating role of mastery self-talk motivational strategy in the relationship between mastery-approach goal and academic flow. It was expected that both mastery-approach goal and mastery self-talk motivational strategy will have positive and incremental role in academic flow, and that the relationship between mastery-approach goal and academic flow would be mediated through using motivational strategy of mastery self-talk. The participants were 113 university undergraduate students studying mathematics (M= 20 years, 61% females). Self-report questionnaires assessing achievement goals, strategies used for self-regulation of motivation, and study-related flow were applied. Data analysis included regression analyses and mediational analyses. Regression analyses revealed that personal goal achievements explained 43% of variance in mastery self-talk strategy, 32% of variance in performance-approach self-talk strategy, 18% of variance in performance-avoidance self-talk strategy, 11% of variance in environmental control strategy, 7% of variance in self-consequating strategy, and 10% of variance in proximal goal strategy. Personal achievement goals explained 45% of variance in academic flow. Mastery-approach goal was predictive for explaining individual variance in most of positive motivational strategies and academic flow. In line with hypothesis, it was found that mastery self-talk mediated the relationship between mastery-approach goal and flow. The results underscore the importance of adopting mastery-approach goal and using mastery self-talk strategy in order to experience study-related flow."