Psychology: Procrastinators Most Likely to Make Poor Grades

The research topic “procrastinators are most likely to produce poor grades” is relevant since most college students put tasks aside until the last minute. Procrastination can be a habit or could be a psychological aspect of human nature. Besides producing poor grades, procrastination can lead to an unhealthy meal plan, reaching to the level of anxieties and panic attacks, and distracting. Most important is putting aside what is needed to be done such as homework assignments and other priorities. It is easier to get distracted by playing a computer or surf the Internet for leisure. Being unhealthy and overwhelmed is not good for accomplishing goals. Those who put aside “today’s work for tomorrow” are likely to make a lower grade than expected because there will be a lower confidence level in what the student is suppose to be doing to complete any given task. If the college student realizes that the task is not urgent or highly important, then he or she will end up procrastinating and do something else doing that time period. It is much easier to do the task later rather than now. If the student lacks the energy or effort to complete the task, then that is another excuse to procrastinate on a given task that is needed to be completed (2). It is important for college student to realize how much they procrastinate and what level they are on the spectrum of being a procrastinator. Overcoming it and finding ways around this issue will be very helpful and beneficial.

The best way to find data or information on in finding out if college students procrastinates and make poor grades is to use the descriptive research. This type of research method deals with obtaining different information, or input from, surveys given to the public to help gather public opinions to help make better choices on a certain issue or to get general information. Also standardized tests can be another method of the descriptive research. You are getting results from similar people of the same group with different scores in order to find the differences from the people who may have taken a test. The results from the tests can be interpreted from different people among several cultures. Here, you will get different outcomes and opinion from the results (5). Observing under controlled variables and analyzing the outcomes is possible to describe an experiment. Along with observations and surveys is the case study about an individual who may be diagnosed with a certain condition which could lead to further research. With these case studies, a psychology can compare two or more people to gather empirical information about a particular event or unique aspects (3). Observation research deals with observing people in a controlled or natural environment to discover answers to human behaviors or some scientific research. A scientist will be able to find data that may not be provided, in this case, by surveys or focus groups, but my first hand account. The data uncovers human behavior and the evidence can be easily verified by documentation or reviewing the video that may have been used to record the observation (4).

The subtype of descriptive research is survey since it is quick, but it allows a set of questions for everyone that will be unbiased. The questions allow every person to be able to fill the paper out without having any guilt and can be any topic the experimenter wants to make the survey. A researcher can also leave space for additional comments related to the topic of the survey. The surveys can be present over the telephone, Internet, or in person as people walk past you. This is randomly getting people to give input on any research topic (5). With the use of the survey, the data of finding multiple answers is possible and will be unbiased and mixed among all those who have filled one out. The results can be supported with the use of looking back over the survey in order to validate a well rounded research in order to get what researchers are looking for (6).

I choose this method of descriptive research since it could be easier to collect the data if what answering my research question dealing with procrastination producing poor grades and how it affect students. Though most will answer verbally and they may be the typical excuses, it would better to get the results from the survey as students are walking around campus. However, it could also work if surveys where done in different classes so that the data will be different according to the age, gender, and classification. Then, my research question would be answered since we have so many students to a certain amount that have filled out the surveys. When the surveys are sorted, then the data can be present into a graph, chart, or some organized form. Some of the questions I would ask on the survey would be (given the choices of “almost,” “never,” “sometimes,” and “most of the time): I have motivation to complete plans on time, once I wake up, I fall back to sleep easily, there are times when I struggle to complete a task, I work under pressure to beat the clock, when I get ready for school I drag and get half prepared for class (7). Also, they could be given a list of what would be consider procrastinating what is not and let them choose from the different activities or things they would typical do to avoid homework or anything that is needed to be done before the day is over with (8). The survey could be done in different ways besides the ones I would approach.

Sources:

  1. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-01-12-procrastination-study_x.htm
  2. http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/20070201/why-procrastinate
  3. http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/academic/aged5980a/5980/newpage110.htm
  4. http://www.funderstanding.com/types.cfm
  5. King, Laura A.
  6. http://caret.iste.org/RatingStudy.html
  7. http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/431.asp
  8. http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200805/procrastination-is-0
  9. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/Courses/ED690DR/Class01/ResearchTypes.html
  10. http://clcpages.clcillinois.edu/home/soc455/psycweb/research/descriptive.htm

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