Attribution as a Predictor of Procrastination in Online Graduate Students
Glenda C. Rakes
The University of Tennessee in Martin
Karee E. Dunn
The University of Arkansas
Thomas A. Rakes
The University of Tennessee in Martin
Abstract
Online courses are growing at a tremendous rate, and although we have discovered a great deal about teaching and learning in the online environment, there is much left to learn. One variable that needs to be explored further is procrastination in online coursework. In this mixed methods study, quantitative methods were utilized to evaluate the influence of online graduate students’ attributions for academic outcomes to ability, effort, context, and luck on their tendency to procrastinate. Additionally, qualitative methods were utilized to explore students’ attributional beliefs about their tendency to procrastinate in their online coursework. Collectively, results indicated that ability, effort, context, and luck influenced procrastination in this sample of graduate students. A discussion of these findings, implications for instructors, and recommendations for future research ensues.
About the Author(s)...
Glenda C. Rakes is Professor of Education at The University of Tennessee in
Karee E. Dunn is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with research interests in motivation and behavioral change. She teaches graduate coursework in educational psychology and works with faculty research efforts in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thomas A. Rakes is Chancellor and Professor of Education at The University of Tennessee in Martin, Tennessee, with research interests in online learning, assessment, and data based decision making, Dr. Rakes is the author of seven books and more than 150 referred articles and presentations. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
