Procrastinators’ Perceptions of Interdependent Group Work Settings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63236/injeep.1.3.3Keywords:
Academic Procrastination, Interdependence Group work, ProcrastinatorsAbstract
Procrastination among students can hinder academic engagement and performance. Although group work is often used to enhance participation, its effects on students with different levels of procrastination remain unclear. This study explored how first-year engineering students with high and low levels of procrastination perceive interdependent group work using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Based on the results of the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS), eight students (M = 3.95, SD = .172) were classified as having high levels of procrastination and sixty-four students (M = 1.91, SD = .308) were identified as having low levels of procrastination. From these groups, eight students were interviewed. Analysis of their responses revealed three themes: self-awareness, social engagement, and academic engagement. The findings showed that group work supported learning by reducing workload, allowing task division, and enabling collaborative discussions. However, students with high levels of procrastination often preferred working individually owing to concerns about their pacing, fear of negative evaluation, and discomfort when working with unfamiliar peers. In contrast, students with low levels of procrastination generally benefited from group collaboration but experienced anxiety and pressure when peers delayed their tasks. Overall, the study highlights that while group work can enhance learning, its effectiveness depends on students’ procrastination tendencies and the structure of collaborative activities.
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Data Availability Statement
The research data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
