To date, research has suggested that multiple dimensions of procrastination exist; however, there are no known empirical examinations that confirm this assertion. The purpose of the study was to design and psychometrically examine a multidimensional measure of procrastination. The current study was divided into two phases. During the first phase, a 70-item version of the measure was evaluated with a sample of 338 undergraduate students. Items were removed from the Multidimensional Procrastination Assessment for College Students (MPACS) based on reliability estimates. The four dimensions of the scale (self-regulation procrastination, performance pressure procrastination, emotional instability procrastination, rebellious procrastination) were internally consistent with alphas estimates ranging from .85 to .90. During phase 2, 576 participants completed the 56 item MPACS and a diverse range of affective and characterlogical measures. The dimensions of MPACS were internally consistent with alphas ranging from .92 to .94. Correlational analyses provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity as each dimension was related to relevant constructs in the expected directions. Fisher’s r to z analyses suggested that the MPACS is better understood as a measure of procrastination for college students, rather than a measure of academic procrastination. As the first measure of procrastination styles, the MPACS functions as a new tool for assessing students who may be at risk for academic difficulties in the college setting. Furthermore, the MPACS may serve as a method of refining and directing the treatment of students who struggle with procrastination. Limitations in the current study with suggestions for future research are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>To date, research has suggested that multiple dimensions of procrastination exist; however, there are no known empirical examinations that confirm this assertion. The purpose of the study was to design and psychometrically examine a multidimensional measure of procrastination. The current study was divided into two phases. During the first phase, a 70-item version of the measure was evaluated with a sample of 338 undergraduate students. Items were removed from the Multidimensional Procrastination Assessment for College Students (MPACS) based on reliability estimates. The four dimensions of the scale (self-regulation procrastination, performance pressure procrastination, emotional instability procrastination, rebellious procrastination) were internally consistent with alphas estimates ranging from .85 to .90. During phase 2, 576 participants completed the 56 item MPACS and a diverse range of affective and characterlogical measures. The dimensions of MPACS were internally consistent with alphas ranging from .92 to .94. Correlational analyses provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity as each dimension was related to relevant constructs in the expected directions. Fisher’s r to z analyses suggested that the MPACS is better understood as a measure of procrastination for college students, rather than a measure of academic procrastination. As the first measure of procrastination styles, the MPACS functions as a new tool for assessing students who may be at risk for academic difficulties in the college setting. Furthermore, the MPACS may serve as a method of refining and directing the treatment of students who struggle with procrastination. Limitations in the current study with suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Elder, Preston M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)","degree_level":"Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)","degree_discipline":"Department of Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Mike Nielsen","Bryant Smalley","Jacob Warren"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z","subjects":["ETD","Academic Procrastination","College Students","Scale Development","Counseling Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1097","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Mike Nielsen","Bryant Smalley","Jacob Warren"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Elder, Preston M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-04-13T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Academic Procrastination","College Students","Scale Development","Counseling Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1097"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["To date, research has suggested that multiple dimensions of procrastination exist; however, there are no known empirical examinations that confirm this assertion. The purpose of the study was to design and psychometrically examine a multidimensional measure of procrastination. The current study was divided into two phases. During the first phase, a 70-item version of the measure was evaluated with a sample of 338 undergraduate students. Items were removed from the Multidimensional Procrastination Assessment for College Students (MPACS) based on reliability estimates. The four dimensions of the scale (self-regulation procrastination, performance pressure procrastination, emotional instability procrastination, rebellious procrastination) were internally consistent with alphas estimates ranging from .85 to .90. During phase 2, 576 participants completed the 56 item MPACS and a diverse range of affective and characterlogical measures. The dimensions of MPACS were internally consistent with alphas ranging from .92 to .94. Correlational analyses provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity as each dimension was related to relevant constructs in the expected directions. Fisher’s r to z analyses suggested that the MPACS is better understood as a measure of procrastination for college students, rather than a measure of academic procrastination. As the first measure of procrastination styles, the MPACS functions as a new tool for assessing students who may be at risk for academic difficulties in the college setting. Furthermore, the MPACS may serve as a method of refining and directing the treatment of students who struggle with procrastination. Limitations in the current study with suggestions for future research are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Academic Procrastination"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Mike Nielsen","Bryant Smalley","Jacob Warren"],"dc:creator":["Elder, Preston M."],"dc:date.available":["2014-04-13T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["To date, research has suggested that multiple dimensions of procrastination exist; however, there are no known empirical examinations that confirm this assertion. The purpose of the study was to design and psychometrically examine a multidimensional measure of procrastination. The current study was divided into two phases. During the first phase, a 70-item version of the measure was evaluated with a sample of 338 undergraduate students. Items were removed from the Multidimensional Procrastination Assessment for College Students (MPACS) based on reliability estimates. The four dimensions of the scale (self-regulation procrastination, performance pressure procrastination, emotional instability procrastination, rebellious procrastination) were internally consistent with alphas estimates ranging from .85 to .90. During phase 2, 576 participants completed the 56 item MPACS and a diverse range of affective and characterlogical measures. The dimensions of MPACS were internally consistent with alphas ranging from .92 to .94. Correlational analyses provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity as each dimension was related to relevant constructs in the expected directions. Fisher’s r to z analyses suggested that the MPACS is better understood as a measure of procrastination for college students, rather than a measure of academic procrastination. As the first measure of procrastination styles, the MPACS functions as a new tool for assessing students who may be at risk for academic difficulties in the college setting. Furthermore, the MPACS may serve as a method of refining and directing the treatment of students who struggle with procrastination. Limitations in the current study with suggestions for future research are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1097"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Academic Procrastination","College Students","Scale Development","Counseling Psychology"],"dc:title":["The Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Academic Procrastination"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z"}