Delaying Academic Tasks? Predictors of Academic Procrastination among Asian International Students in American Universities.

Defined as the voluntary delay of completing academic work within the expected timeframe or the "irrational tendency to delay of an academic task" (Senecal, Julian, & Guay, 2003, p. 135), academic procrastination can adversely impact academic performance through incomplete assignments and lower grades; it poses a significant threat to students' academic success and psychological well-being (e.g., Klassen, Krawchuk, & Rajani, 2008). Although the degree to which students procrastinate may depend on the types of task (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984), research shows that the majority of students engage in academic procrastination at some point in their college lives. Many prior studies have focused primarily on American college students, explaining how psychological factors such as selfregulation, perfectionism, and self-esteem are associated with students' tendency to delay academic work (e.g., Cao, 2012; Ozer, 2011; Ferrari & Pychyl, 2012). To date, little attention has been paid to the likelihood of academic procrastination among international college students who are unfamiliar with American education settings. Thus, this study examines academic procrastination tendencies among Asian international students, a population that represents nearly 70% of all international students enrolled in American higher education (Institute of International Education, 2013). LITERATURE REVIEWResearch indicates that both cognitive (e.g., English language proficiency, self-regulation, and academic efficacy) and non-cognitive factors (e.g., acculturative stress, cross-cultural coping skills) contribute to academic procrastination (Klassen et al., 2008; Poyrazli et al, 2001). Previous research has found that limited English proficiency may create additional stress and frustration for international students, especially when it restricts their ability to participate in social events and class discussions or to meet the demands of a specific academic program (Poyrazli et al., 2001). Moreover, research has shown a clear relationship between academic efficacy and the ability to self-regulate academic tasks with deadlines. Academic efficacy-an individual's understanding of his or her competence in completing a specific task-is one of the strongest predictors of performance in an educational setting (Klassen et al., 2008) and may account for academic procrastination after controlling for previous academic achievement, personality traits, gender, socioeconomic status, self-esteem, and intelligence (Zuffiano et al., 2013). Existing research also indicate that non-cognitive factors may impact international students' academic adjustment (Mori, 2000; Yeh & Inose, 2003; Yeh et al., 2003). For example, acculturative stress, resulting from efforts to adapt to the social customs and norms of a new culture (Lee, Koeske, & Sales, 2004), poses many psychological challenges for international students (Yeh & Inose, 2003). Additionally, cross-cultural comparisons of academic procrastination tendencies reveal significant differences between western/individualistic and eastern/collectivistic culture (Kuo, Roysircar, & Newby-Clark, 2006). While the cultural transition process occurs for all international students, Asian international students are likely to experience higher levels of stress than are their European counterparts because of cultural differences, (e.g., Yang, 2011). Asian international students who have cultural beliefs and/or coping strategies conflicting with American cultural norms may experience additional difficulties in adapting to the new educational environment and, as a result, may have an increased likelihood of academic procrastination (Klassen et al., 2008). The following research questions guided our study:(1) Does the tendency of academic procrastination differ by demographic backgrounds among Asian international students? (2) What factors contribute to the likelihood of academic procrastination among Asian international students? …