Procrastination: The Mortal Enemy of Production

Dirk Jian P. Ybañez

Lars Cussack C. Sepe

Yngrid Denielle P. Comiling

October, 2018

STEM

Abstract

The primary purpose of the study is to determine the effects of procrastination to the
Grade 12 senior high school students present in Father Saturnino Urios University,
Morelos Campus, in where a purposive sampling technique followed by an oral
interview was used in order to perceive the specific participants who will take part in the
study and be able to seize the information needed; more specifically, the effects of
procrastination. The data accumulated by the response of the respondents will help in
expanding the knowledge of the society in terms of this epidemic. Other than that, this
study will help raise awareness as to what could be the effects of procrastination to the
students. The conceptual model present in figure 2 - Chapter 3 represents the change
in the conceptual framework, wherein some points, which regards to the participants’
answers, were added to the following factors, mainly: Academic, Social and
Psychological. The participants have different views regarding how procrastination
affects them, but mainly revolve around the act of laziness; for the act of procrastination
reveals an unwillingness to act, either caused by the lack of motivation and prioritizing
other unnecessary tasks which could lead to stress, cramming and bad relationships
between peers and family. Furthermore, the results come to show that the participants
have different perspectives/views as to how procrastination affects them; may it be
positively or negatively.

Keywords: Procrastination, Laziness, Academic, Social, Psychological

 Chapter One

Introduction

Procrastination is a behavioral problem that needs to be addressed through

directive counseling, psychotherapy or other appropriate interventions. Some studies
say that these appeared to be a connection with issues of anxiety, low self-esteem, and
a self-deafening mentality. Some noted that impulsiveness is the strongest link to
procrastination (Arayata, 2015).

Procrastination is so widespread in schools that the novelist Eliyahu Goldratt

dubbed it “student syndrome” in his book “Critical Chain.” Students who suffer from this
syndrome delay doing a task until right before deadline. They work on a paper just
before it is due and, for lack of time, often resort to cutting and pasting passages from
other sources, without proper attribution. They cut classes to print out their papers and,
when something goes awry, blame the printer, the ink cartridge, even the dog (Chua,
2011).

Procrastinating is done by people who have difficulty becoming motivated in

accomplishing their tasks, trying to avoid working on projects, and cramming until the
last minute. Those who procrastinate prefer to do enjoyable activities that suit their
current moods, such as playing, using social media, and anything else that makes them
refrain to do something “relevant” or needed. Simply put, they put off important tasks to
do other less important ones (Bernard, 2015).

Students are biologically and socially predisposed to put off until tomorrow what
we should do today, says Dr. Piers Steel, author of The Procrastination Equation. He
argues that the closer you are to the temptation of fun, the more likely you are to
indulge. Research has also shown that evaluation threat and fear of failure correspond
with higher levels of procrastination. It is a disease that is eating away a student’s
productivity (Knezevic, 2012).

Many high schoolers suffer from chronic procrastination. These students cannot
complete necessary tasks and feel serious stress which could lead to cramming.
Procrastinating in high school causes anxiety and drops in success, which can lead to
long term problems. Students who do not fully complete assignments and put off crucial
studying receive poorer grades. Procrastination also causes heightened stress. Many
students reason that if they procrastinate schoolwork, they can blame their lack of
attentiveness and not their lack of skill (Levin, 2016).

We all know procrastination can turn into the enemy if it keeps us from doing
what we want. But aside from that, Procrastination can
actually improve your productivity and happiness. First and foremost, active
procrastination makes you get more things done. Second, unnecessary tasks disappear
with procrastination. Third, procrastination shines light on what’s most important to you.
Fourth, it helps you to make better decisions. Fifth, it leads to better apologies. And
lastly, it makes you more creative (Halonen, 2015).

Many students do not lack intelligence but lag in executive function, which
regulates a person’s goal-oriented behavior. The executive function is the ability to
anticipate problems, set goals, plan, organize, prioritize, delay gratification, monitor
progress and shift if necessary, all of which are antidote to procrastination. People
procrastinate, or put off doing things, when they overestimate how much time they have
or underestimate how long it takes to do a task. They may also overestimate they
abilities and motivation, expecting things will go smoothly without a snag (Koo, 2013).

Procrastination is a bad habit that can have many negative effects on your life. If
not dealt with effectively, procrastination can damage your studies, relationships and
even your mental health. Procrastination can make you miss out on countless
opportunities. As humans we tend to avoid pain and seek pleasure. We avoid things we
don’t like in the mistaken belief that the temporary enjoyment we get from
procrastination is worth it. The pleasure will be short-lived, however, and only lead to a
lot more pain in the long run (Heiser, 2015).

Procrastination - procrastinating, is an actual action that can sabotage people on

their path to success. It's a chronic issue and a very serious problem that has had its
origins in developmental growth. Procrastination is not something you just pick up one
day, it's something you adapt to your lifestyle. It's a maladaptive one, but it's a lifestyle
nevertheless (German, 2017).

Admittedly, one of the worst negative traits of many Filipinos is procrastination.

We are fond of delaying or postponing an important action. A motto of procrastinators:
“Do not do today, what you can do tomorrow”. People procrastinate and fail to act most
of the time because it is basically due to fear. It is observable that people are afraid to
be evaluated; afraid they will make a mistake and be criticized by others; afraid the
result will not be perfect. Sometimes, we are afraid of completing the job and wonder
what to do next. And we vacillate what to do first. So, we delay our action (Somera,
2012).

From this study, the researchers would like to perceive the answer to the following
questions:

1. What are the academic effects of procrastination to the students?

2. How does procrastination affect a student psychologically?
3. What are the social effects of procrastination to the students?
 The purpose of this study is to understand and determine the effects of
Procrastination to the students who are affected by this epidemic.

The results of the study will give awareness not only to the society, but to the
students, who are affected by this epidemic, as well. In addition to what has been said,
this study can be used as a reference for further researches.

This research will only focus on the Academic, Social and Psychological effects of
procrastination to the Grade 12 students of Father Saturnino Urios University, Morelos
Campus. The chosen participants will be chosen from the ABM, HUMMS, and STEM
strand; specifically from St. Andrew, St. Jude, St. Timothy, St. Titus, and St. Stephen.

Theoretical Framework

Various efforts have been made to comprehend the effects of an individual's

conduct of procrastination. The Temporal Motivational Theory proposed by Piers Steel
and Cornelius Köni states that one is more likely to pursue goals or tasks that are
pleasurable and easier to attain than tasks that lack enjoyable qualities. One will also
most likely procrastinate tasks that are unpleasant in the present and only after small
rewards in the future. With the help of this theory, the researchers will be able to
determine the effects of procrastination of their chosen participants which are from the
G12 senior high school students.

Another is the Grounded Theory of Academic Procrastination, this theory states

that most people view procrastination as a negative personality trait. Procrastinators are
compared to non-procrastinators who are thought to be indifferent to the quality of their
work and possibly their cognitive ability. Previous studies in relation to their theory have
supported this view of procrastination, revealing that procrastination results in lost time,
poorer health, decreased long-term learning, and lower self-esteem. A number of
studies also indicated that procrastination is an impediment to academic success
because it decreases the quality and quantity of learning while increasing the severity of
stress and negative outcomes in students' lives. This theory will help in both
understanding and distinguishing the performance of G12 senior high school students
supplemental to academic factors.

The Theory of Anxiety proposed by Timothy Phycht and Joseph Ferrari which
states that people are believed to procrastinate certain tasks because the task itself is
stressful or aversive. Therefore, people who are more prone to stress could be said to
procrastinate more. There are many reasons that can cause anxiety and mainly
includes irrational belief such as perfectionism and the fear of failure. The theory also
believes that the brain is built to minimize danger. Too much uncertainty can be painful
which gives a possibility for the painful event to cause one's delay. This theory will be of
great help to authenticate the effects of procrastination to the G12 senior high school
students, especially in psychological terms.

Conceptual Framework

Effects of
Social Academic
Procrastination

Psychological

Figure 1. The effects of Procrastination

The conceptual framework shown in figure 1 represents the main objective of the
researchers which is to identify and determine the effects of procrastination to the G12
senior high school students of Father Saturnino Urios University, Morelos Campus by
the following factors: Academic, Social and Psychological.
 Chapter Two

Research Design

Sample and Sampling Technique

The purpose of this study is to determine and understand the effects of

procrastination to give awareness to the senior high school students of Father Saturnino
Urios University, Morelos Campus. The researchers will research about the effects of
procrastination; more specifically, its academic, social and psychological effects to
further gain knowledge about the chosen topic. After identifying the different effects of
procrastination, the researchers will share their acquired knowledge about
procrastination to give awareness to those who are and are not affected by this
syndrome.

For this study, the researchers will choose 7 participants from the senior high
school students of Father Saturnino Urios University, Morelos Campus. The chosen
participants will be chosen from the ABM, HUMMS and STEM strand which consist of 5
sections; particularly from St. Andrew, St. Jude, St. Stephen, St. Timothy and St. Titus.
A purposive sampling technique will be used to help the researchers choose the
participants who are not randomly picked and are qualified to gain accurate information
that will benefit the study being conducted. The samples represent the whole population
of the senior high school students of Father Saturnino Urios University.

Instrumentation

A survey interview will be used as an instrument. It is a formal consultation from

a specific person to obtain information. The survey interview contains 7 questions
respectively and these are as follows:

1. What are the reasons as to why you procrastinate?

2. Do you procrastinate due to the influence of others or is it your own choice?
Why?
3. Does procrastination affect your social life? If yes, how? If no, why?
4. Do you procrastinate school work? Why?
5. When you procrastinate school work, does it affect your academic status? If yes,
how? If no, why?
6. How do your peers and family react when you procrastinate?
7. When you procrastinate, do you feel or know any changes regarding how you
act or think? If yes, how? If no, why?
Data Collection Procedures

This study will be done in an orderly and organized manner to gain a result more
understandable and precise for the readers to easily grasp the content of the study. In
collecting the data, the researchers are going to interview seven (7) selected senior high
school students of Father Saturnino Urios University, Morelos Campus. The
researchers will first ask permission from the chosen participant if they will choose to
take part in the study. The said survey interview will contain seven (7) questions.
 Chapter Three

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

This chapter aims to discuss and interpret the results of the data gathered from
the students of the Senior High School Department of Father Saturnino Urios University
Morelos campus. These data were collected through series of interviews from Grade 12
students of Father Saturnino Urios University.

The primary purpose of the study is to determine the effects of procrastination.

The data accumulated by the response of the respondents will help in expanding the
knowledge of the society in terms of this epidemic. Other than that, this study will help
raise awareness as to what could be the effects of this epidemic to the students; may it
be socially, academically or psychologically.

What are the academic effects of procrastination to the students?

By virtue of research question number one, the participants were asked if they
consider procrastinating school work and they have answered that they do indeed,
wherein majority of the participants are used to the idea of doing things at the last
minute or in other terms, cramming; wherein they stated that they start doing tasks as
soon as the deadline is near. Participant 7 specifically mentioned that gadgets are one
of the reasons as to why people procrastinate, in which they tend to get distracted by
the temptation to play games and social media. When asked if they procrastinate school
work, does it affect their academic status? Most of the participants were affirmative for
they have mentioned that procrastinating indeed affects their academic status for it
serves as a hindrance to their studies. Participant 4 specifically mentioned that putting
off school works for playing computer games profusely affected his grades in a contrary
way. According to Piers Steel and Cornelius Köni who proposed the Temporal
Motivational Theory states, “one is more likely to pursue goals or tasks that are
pleasurable and easier to attain than tasks that lack enjoyable qualities.”

Procrastinating is also explained by (Koo, 2013) as an act of putting off doing

things, when they overestimate how much time they have or underestimate how long it
takes to do a task. They may also overestimate the abilities and motivation, expecting
things will go smoothly without a snag; in which most of the participants articulated that
because of having other interests and priorities, leads them to procrastinate their school
works. A number of studies, according to the Grounded Theory of Academic
Procrastination, indicated that procrastination is an impediment to academic success
because it decreases the quality and quantity of learning while increasing the severity of
stress and negative outcomes in students' lives.
How does procrastination affect a student psychologically?

In the question, when you procrastinate, do you feel or know any changes
regarding how you act or think? 5 out of 7 participants have similar reasons in which
they think procrastination affects their behavior and way of thinking because
procrastination for them has become a habitual act which correlates to being a part of
their lifestyle. Procrastination is not something you just pick up one day; it's something
you adapt to your lifestyle (German, 2017). When asked if procrastination is either due
to the influence of others or their own choice, majority of the participants chose to agree
that procrastination is indeed a person’s own choice for the sole reason that they are
the ones in control of their actions. Participant 3 particularly mentioned two sides as to
how procrastination affects an individual psychologically, “Negative, for sometimes you
become too reckless wherein you cannot easily comprehend all the things you hastily
studied; and positive, because it helps you in becoming a more responsible student who
can manage his/her time.” Wherein Participant 3’s claim can be supported by both
(Halonen, 2015) and (Levin, 2016), for they believe that procrastination can improve
productivity and creativity but could also cause heightened stress. The Theory of
Anxiety proposed by Timothy Pycht and Joseph Ferrari also stated that people are
believed to procrastinate certain tasks because the task itself is stressful or aversive.
Therefore, people who are more prone to stress could be said to procrastinate more.

What are the social effects of procrastination to the students?

In the question, does procrastination affect your social life? Most of the
participants’ answers correlate to the prioritized task behaviors; like using social media
and socializing with their friends rather than school-related tasks. Those who
procrastinate prefer to do enjoyable activities that suit their current moods, such as
playing, using social media, and anything else that makes them refrain to do something
“relevant” or needed. Simply put, they put off important tasks to do other less important
ones (Bernard, 2015). Procrastination, for Participant 6, serves as a hindrance in doing
the right things because of the act of laziness; wherein it affects a person’s relationship
with his/her friends, for they might get the idea of getting disrespected or offended by
their act of procrastinating.

When asked as to how their peers and family react when they procrastinate,
majority of the participants articulated that their families get furious to their habit of
procrastinating, where they are not doing the things they should be doing, especially
those that are related to their studies. The second interview question which asks if
procrastination is either due to the influence of others or their own choice, also acquired
some social effects wherein some of the participants claimed that their friends are
mostly the reason as to why they procrastinate; for the sense that procrastinating
begets procrastinating as well.
Conceptual Model of the Effects of Procrastination

Effects of
Social Academic
Procrastination

Bad Cramming
Relationships Psychological

Stress

Figure 2. The effects of Procrastination

The conceptual model shown in figure 2 represents the change in the conceptual
framework, wherein some points, which regards to the participants’ answers, were
added to the following factors, mainly: Academic, Social and Psychological. Whereas
the main objective of the researchers is to identify and determine the effects of
procrastination to the Grade 12 senior high school students of Father Saturnino Urios
University, Morelos Campus.
 Chapter Four

Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendation

Summary of Findings

Procrastination is something we should take into the consideration of notice, for it

could affect a student negatively on their path to success. Ironically, procrastination
helps a student develop the act of being more productive because when the deadline is
closer, they tend to get the task done in an instant. Moreover, this act does not assure
them the highest grade possible, for cramming could lead to a student not giving their
best effort to the outputs they make. It may also be the cause of bad relationships
between their peers and family, and could also cause heightened stress.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the participants were able to conceive the different effects of

procrastination as to how it affects them as a student, or in general, as a person by the
following factors: Academic, Psychological, and Social. The participants' views
regarding procrastination mainly revolves around the act of laziness, for the act of
procrastination does reveal an unwillingness to act; the lack the motivation to do their
designated tasks on time, and may have the intention to act but fail in a timely fashion
which could either lead to stress, bad relationships between peers and family, and
unfavorable grades due to cramming. Furthermore, the results come to show that the
participants have different perspectives/views as to how procrastination affects them;
may it be positively or negatively.

Recommendation

The researchers recommend that the school admin should impose a time and
stress management campaign to help address the problems of the students regarding
this issue, which may also be of help in lessening the students’ impulse in
procrastinating. The researchers recommend to future researchers that further research
should be conducted regarding the identification and explanation on the causes of
procrastination, for knowing the effects alone is not enough to resolve this issue. One
particular example of this is the investigation of the correlation between peer pressure
and procrastination, for it could affect a student either academically, psychologically and
socially.
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