Anxiety in relation to academic procrastination and self-efficacy among undergraduate students

Pages: 762-768
Poorva Pradhan (M.Sc. Psychological Studies, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Graduate Member British Psychological Society (BPS))
Charvi Didwania, Eisha Arun, and O.P. Sharma (Department of Psychology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan)

Students these days encounter difficulties in their academic life that prevent them from carrying out educational responsibilities and challenges. The present study addresses three of these issues namely, academic anxiety, academic procrastination, and academic self-efficacy. They regulate student’s behaviour through self-awareness, regulation, planning and enabling to take action or restrain academic potential by creating self-doubt, fear of consequences and tendency to delay the deadlines. The study examines relationship between academic procrastination, anxiety and self-efficacy. For this purpose, the study group consisted of 160 (80 students each for first & third year) undergraduate engineering students. Academic self-efficacy scale, academic anxiety scale, and academic procrastination scale were used as scaling instruments. Pearson’s correlation and independent samples t-test were used to analyse the data collected. The obtained results indicated a negative correlation between academic self-efficacy, academic anxiety, and academic procrastination. Furthermore, a significant difference existed between high and low anxiety students in terms of exhibiting self-efficacy and procrastination. While, relation between first and third year students in terms of academic self-efficacy and academic procrastination was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that high anxiety is indicative of low self-efficacy and high academic procrastination indicates high anxiety among students which ultimately leads to maladjustment and impedes successful academic experiences. These findings are discussed in the light of the past literature and limitations and new directions for further studies are suggested.