Two days prior to the deadline of this article, not a single word had been written. Procrastination has been a problem for generations of students, which few remedies have successfully solved. This obstacle will not fade any time soon and may have been exacerbated recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Procrastination is the intentional delaying of a task despite knowing that negative consequences follow. A 2020 study by the University of Tromsø found nine factors that could increase these tendencies. Of these nine factors, some — such as having large degrees of freedom in studying, distractions, low focus on study skills, peer influence, and limited information for self-monitoring — likely were affected by the abrupt change to online learning models.
The COVID-19 pandemic left its marks in the form of a worldwide crisis that, beyond health, proved detrimental to various other social sectors, including the economy and education. Federal mandates to social distance led to a quick change from classroom learning to online learning. Circumstances on both the teacher and student side in this adjustment aggravated procrastination risk factors. Teachers ill-equipped to alter their materials for online learning may have left students academically distressed and more likely to dissociate their attention from the lessons. For students, having free access to the internet gave their attention span ample opportunity to wander from their assignments.
A 2022 meta-analysis by the Universidad de Las Américas found that the increased feelings of anxiety, fear, and stress during the pandemic were positively linked with procrastination tendencies. Psychological stressors — including those from health fears, financial instability, and social isolation — left students more overloaded and in need of coping mechanisms that resulted in their falling back to procrastination. This is in accordance with a separate survey by Durham University in 2023 that observed various pandemic stressors that may have contributed to procrastination.
Overlapping results from both the Durham University and the University of Tromsø surveys lead to a better understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic altered academic behaviors. Social isolation left many students with limited checks in place to monitor and guide their own learning in addition to providing an increased degree of freedom in studying. All these aspects provide a means for students to get distracted and decrease their motivation to complete academic tasks. The reduction in peer interaction resulted in fewer influences and guidance on how to perform successfully in academic settings. It was not only factors from online learning and isolation that affected procrastination, however. The lack of classroom education played a role as well.
“Social isolation left many students with limited checks in place to monitor and guide their own learning in addition to providing an increased degree of freedom in studying.”
The abrupt switch to online learning meant that there was a subset of students that did not learn how to study properly. Teachers, in adapting to technology and a new format of instruction, may have had less time to focus on providing students with the tools needed to absorb and comprehend information during independent studying. Students in the University of Tromsø’s study reported having a lack of study skills, which would make assignments more frustrating and inhibitory toward academic success.
Strategies to reduce procrastination have been studied for many years. Nonetheless, for each person, their experience with procrastination and its remedies vary. The effects of COVID-19 on education continue, with more classes being offered online, thus requiring students to adapt their learning styles. Procrastination will persist, but as classes continue to adopt technology-dependent education models, strategies to minimize procrastination factors must also evolve with them.
