Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 51(5), 2014 C  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pits DOI: 10.1002/pits.21760 PROCRASTINATION AND THE 2 × 2 ACHIEVEMENT GOAL FRAMEWORK IN MALAYSIAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS RAJALAKSHMI GANESAN AND NORUL HIDAYAH BTMAMAT UCSI University DAVID MELLOR, LAURA RIZZUTO, AND CHRISTINA KOLAR Deakin University The present study investigated academic procrastination in the context of the 2 × 2 goal achievement theoretical framework within a population of 450 Malaysian undergraduate students, aged 18 to 25 years. Participants completed the Achievement Goal Questionnaire and the Tuckman Procras- tination Test. Approach dimensions of both the mastery and performance goal orientations were found to be positively correlated with procrastination, but the avoidance dimensions of the mastery and performance goal orientations were not associated with procrastination. In regression anal- yses, mastery approach was the strongest predictor of procrastination, suppressing the effect of performance approach. The results suggest that the Western values underlying the achievement goals portrayed by the goal achievement model may not accurately reflect the motivations that are intrinsic to non-Western individuals. Further research is required to either validate such a tool in non-Western cultures or, alternatively, investigate alternative factors that may potentially influence procrastination within this demographic. C  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Academic procrastination is a maladaptive behavior that negatively affects the learning and achievement of students from primary-school to university level (Steel, 2007). Defined as the in- tentional postponement of tasks, procrastination has also been reported to be associated with stress, guilt, and severe loss of personal productivity, as well as social disapproval for not meeting respon- sibilities or commitments (Ferrari, O’Callaghan, & Newbegin, 2005; Sirois, 2004). Approximately 30% to 60% of undergraduate students report regularly delaying educational tasks, such as studying for examinations and completing assignments to a point at which optimal academic performance is significantly affected (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Given the widespread nature of procrastination, particularly among undergraduate university students, research has sought to determine the factors potentially underlying the initiation and maintenance of this counterproductive behavior. Two contrasting perspectives have been prominent. One suggests that procrastination is the result of underlying personality factors that can lead an individual to procrastinate across a multitude of situations, whereas the other suggests that it is a less stable, situationally determined behavior. In support of the personality factor view, research indicates that a positive relationship exists between an individual’s tendency to procrastinate and specific traits such as identity style, perfectionism, and self-consciousness (Berzonsky & Ferrari, 1996; Ferrari, 1992; Ferrari, Wolfe, Wesley, Schoff, & Beck, 1995; Saddler & Buley, 1999; Saddler & Sacks, 1993). In support of the situationally determined view, findings have suggested that procrastination is fostered by context-specific factors that promote negative emotions such as fear of failure, evaluation and test anxiety, and feelings of incompetence or task aversiveness (Ferrari, Parker, & Ware, 1992; Ferrari & Tice, 2000; Lay, 1992; Rhodewalt, 1994; Senecal Lavoie, &Koestner, 1997). Despite this research, most recently procrastination has been viewed as a failure of self- regulation (Vohs & Baumeister, 2004). Students who procrastinate are argued to have a tendency toward engaging in temporal discounting, whereby the value of distant, large rewards is downplayed Correspondence to: David Mellor, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood 3125, Australia. E-mail: mellor@deakin.edu.au 506