Academic Procrastination and its Measurement: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Academic Procrastination Scale in Pakistani Universities

Abstract

This research examines Academic Procrastination among Pakistani university students using the validation of the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS) created by MeCloskey (2011). Academic procrastination as the voluntary postponing of academic tasks despite expecting adverse consequences, is a ubiquitous problem negatively impacting students' learning performance and psychological health. The study seeks to measure the construct validity and reliability of the APS via Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Cronbach's alpha. A sample consisting of 100 Government College University Faisalabad students was obtained using convenience sampling. The APS, a 25-item one-factor scale was applied with slight modifications to make it culturally relevant. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed using LISREL 8.80 to test the factor structure of the APS. Those items with factor loadings less than 0.40 (items 1, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 25) were deleted to enhance model fit and quality of measurement thereby yielding a final 17-item scale. The new scale demonstrated good factor loadings between 0.46 and 0.81. Reliability analysis showed a very high internal consistency for the final APS of 0.89 for Cronbach's alpha indicating that the scale is measuring the construct of academic procrastination among Pakistani university students reliably. The results show the strong psychometric properties of the scale and ascertain its use in this population. This research adds to the body of literature on academic procrastination by testing an already existing scale in a Pakistani context, highlighting the psychological and environmental intricacies of procrastination, including stress, fear of failure, perfectionism, and distractions. It provides a valid measure for researchers and educators to use in understanding and addressing procrastination behaviors. Implications interventions that support effective time management, stress, and self-regulation skills to the adverse effects of procrastination on students' academic achievements and well-being.