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Higher academic procrastination is generally linked to modestly lower student grades or GPA.

The Claim

Among students, procrastination is associated with lower academic performance, such as lower grades or grade point average (GPA).

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The Short Version

The evidence supports a real overall link between student procrastination and lower grades or GPA. Multiple reviews and meta-analytic findings show that higher academic procrastination is generally associated with worse academic performance, though the effect is usually modest rather than large. Some specific subtypes or samples show weak, null, or even positive results, so the pattern is not universal.

Caveats

  • This is an association claim, not proof that procrastination directly causes lower grades.
  • The average effect appears small to moderate, so procrastination is one factor among many influencing academic performance.
  • Results vary by how procrastination is defined and measured; some narrow contexts, including 'active procrastination,' may not show the same negative pattern.

The Receipts

  1. Relationship between academic procrastination and students’ academic achievement

    National Library of Medicine (PMC)

  2. Academic Procrastination in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

    National Library of Medicine (PMC)

  3. Procrastination or 'intentional delay'?

    American Psychological Association

  4. The Mediating Role of Procrastination and Perceived School Belongingness on Academic Performance in First Term Freshmen

    The Ohio State University / AERA conference paper

  5. Systematic Review: Academic Procrastination in Students

    International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews (IJRPR)

  6. The relationship of procrastination, flow, and academic achievement

    Social Behavior and Personality

  7. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF TINSUKIA DISTRICT

    International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation (IJRTI)

  8. Effect of procrastination on academic performance of undergraduate students

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ScholarWorks

  9. Procrastinators Get Poorer Grades In College Class, Study Finds

    Ohio State University News

  10. EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ASSOCIATE DEGREE STUDENTS

    Agecon Search (conference paper repository)

+ 5 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Academic AchievementGrade Point AverageProcrastination

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