El optimismo y la procrastinación académica en los estudiantes universitarios

Abstract

College life involves challenges and changes that require adaptive skills and positive resources. Optimistic students tend to experience lower levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and depression. However, academic procrastination, characterized by postponing important tasks, can affect students' academic performance and well-being. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the relationship between optimism and academic procrastination in college students. To approach this investigation, a descriptive, correlational and comparative quantitative approach was used, employing a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 357 university students from a Higher Education Institution in the city of Ambato, between 18 and 30 years of age. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method was used to select the participants. The instruments used in this study included the Life Orientation Test Revised (Lot- R) (Scheier et al., 1994), the Academic Procrastination Scale (Busko, 1998) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The results obtained revealed a slight inverse correlation between academic procrastination and optimism (Rho=-0.301, p<0.01). In addition, a direct relationship was found between academic self-regulation and optimism (Rho=0.345, p<0.01). No significant differences were found regarding the level of optimism as a function of the participants' gender (t (257) =1.33, p>0.05). It is concluded that university students who present higher levels of academic procrastination tend to have lower levels of optimism.