Predictors of academic procrastination according to depression and general procrastination tendencies; self perception, time perception, and cognitive distortions

This thesis has three main focuses. The first of these is to test whether individuals' academic procrastination behaviors differ according to their depression and general procrastination levels. The second aim is to determine the academic procrastination behaviors of individuals when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and distance education motivations of the entire sample are controlled, regardless of intergroup differentiation; self-perception, cognitive distortions, and time perspectives variables to investigate the predicted model and examine the strength of the effects of the possible model. The third aim is to investigate the model that predicts the academic procrastination behaviors of individuals by the variables of self-perception, cognitive distortions and time perspectives, and to examine the strength of the effects of the possible model, in particular, when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and distance education of the students are controlled, in the groups with different levels of depression and general procrastination. A total of 374 participants were included in the study, of which 86.8% were female (N = 325), 12.2% were male (N = 46), 0.8% (N = 3) did not specify their sexual orientation. Multidimensional COVID-19 Scale, Adult Procrastination Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Social Comparison Scale, Cognitive Distortions Scale, Tuckman Academic Procrastination Scale, Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and demographic information form were used to understand demographic variables. Average scores from the Beck Depression Inventory and Adult Procrastination Inventory were divided into 3 similar percentiles from small to large according to their cumulative percentages, and low and high cut-off points were determined. Common effect groups (ideal group, dysphoric ideal, euthymic procrastinator, dysphoric procrastinator) were formed according to the inclusion criteria determined. Findings show that general procrastination tendency is more determinant than depression status in explaining academic procrastination behaviors. According to the regression analysis findings of the general sample, the predictors of academic procrastination are general procrastination, depression, cognitive distortions, and past negative and future orientation from the sub-dimensions of time perception. In effect groups; It was concluded that the predictor of academic procrastination was general procrastination for the ideal group. The future orientation (sub-dimension of time perception) was adequate for the dysphoric ideal group. There was no predictive variable for academic procrastination in the euthymic procrastinator group. Finally, general procrastination was a predictor of academic procrastination in the dysphoric procrastination group. The findings obtained from the research were evaluated in the light of the literature, discussed, and suggestions were made.