Reasons and Motivations for Procrastinating Academic Activities in First-Year Medical Students

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which procrastination occurs in first-year medical students and the reasons for this behavior. It was a cross-sectional study conducted with 388 medical students from a public university in Mexico City. The Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS) was used. A descriptive analysis of procrastination behaviors and the reasons for their manifestation was carried out using frequencies and percentages. On the other hand, a comparative analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test for sex, age, and school of origin. In addition, Kruskal-Wallis and Bonferroni tests were performed for high school grade point average, mother's education, and the people with whom the students lived when applying the instrument. About 30% of the students reported postponing homework or studying, while 27% or less postpone other activities (e.g., tutoring or academic paperwork). As for the reasons why students delay their chores, the ones that stand out are: poor time management, feeling overwhelmed, laziness, frustration (because they think the task takes too much time), anxiety about the evaluation, perfectionism, and difficulty in making decisions when performing the task. As a result of the comparative analysis, it was found that younger people tend to procrastinate less than older people (Z= -2.42; p= .016) when postponing their homework. Males tend to do it more than females as a way of experiencing excitement when rebelling against control (Z= -2.76; p= .006) and taking risks (Z= -2.32; p= .020). However, female students tend to procrastinate more than males when they felt overwhelmed by academic work and the lack of time to carry it out (Z= -2.47; p= .013). In addition, those who attended private schools during high school tend to procrastinate more than those who attended public academies when they have doubts and require assistance but find it difficult to ask the teacher or other people (Z= -2.33; p= .020). In conclusion, the results of this work will help to know the motivation for postponing academic activities and the influences associated with delaying these responsibilities, and therefore, to develop proposals on dealing with bad practices.