Does Procrastination Have a Cultural or a Neurological Source? Evidence of its Mediating Role in the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Academic Adjustment

Abstract

Objective: I examined the relationships between psychological capital (PsyCap), academic adjustment, and tendency toward procrastination in 3 groups of students in higher education–an ethnocultural minority group (Israeli Arabs), a neurotypical ethnocultural majority group (Israeli Jews), and an ethnocultural majority group diagnosed with learning disabilities (Israeli Jews with learning disabilities). The goal was to deepen and expand understanding of the factors that affect academic adjustment. Methods: Overall, 449 post-secondary students enrolled in various academic institutions in Israel participated in the study. The data were collected using an online Qualtrics questionnaire. Results: First, I hypothesized a positive relationship between PsyCap and academic adjustment and a negative relationship between those 2 variables and academic procrastination. This hypothesis was fully corroborated. Second, I hypothesized that students from an ethnic minority group and majority students with a diagnosed neurological disability would present lower levels of PsyCap and academic adjustment and higher levels of academic procrastination than a majority neurotypical group. The hypothesis was only partially confirmed. Third, I hypothesized that the higher the PsyCap, the lower the degree of academic procrastination and, in turn, the higher the academic adjustment. The hypothesis was confirmed. Conclusion: The findings can help support the design of academic assistance programs to improve the integration into higher learning of students who belong to special groups.