Abstract
Procrastination is the action of putting off doing something that must be done, and if one tends to postpone or delay doing something, the person is said to have Procrastination Tendency. Researchers have long regarded procrastination as a maladaptive behavior. On the other hand, investigators have proposed that not all procrastination behaviors are harmful or lead to negative consequences. Two types of procrastination behaviors should be differentiated: passive procrastination and active procrastination. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure active procrastination and to examine its reliability and validity. In Study 1, data obtained from 314 undergraduates were analyzed. Explorative factor analysis revealed 6 factors. Confirmative factor analysis supported the 6-factor structure. These data were analyzed to examine concurrent validity in terms of clinical scales. Results indicated that the active procrastination scale had a positive correlation with optimism, resilience, self-esteem, and time perspective. Moreover, it had a negative correlation with another procrastination scale, with cognitive reflection, and depression/anxiety. These findings provided sufficient support for reliability and validity of the active procrastination scale. In Study 2, further data were obtained from 95 undergraduates. The scale's test-retest reliability was confirmed. Results showed the scale was developed, its validity confirmed, and its internal consistency checked. In addition, active and passive procrastination were regarded as the same action of putting off doing something, however, differences in their backgrounds are plausible.
