Academic procrastination has become a widespread phenomenon that is increasingly discussed in the academic field. This worrying issue have cause negative impact such as absenteeism, stress and anxiety happen to the procrastinator. Therefore, the personal development and learning process of procrastinator will be affected which later cause disruption in overall performance. This study aims to examine the relationship between personality and academic procrastination as well as impulsivity among research university students in Malaysia. The researcher built a set of questionnaires in Google form to collect respondent data through purposive sampling. A total of 150 students from five research university in Malaysia. The Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10) was used in this study with 5 factors namely Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. In measuring impulsivity was used the SUPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale which has five aspects which is Sensation Seeking, Lack of Premeditation, Lack of Perseverance, Negative Urgency and Positive Urgency. This research also determines the level of academic procrastination of students and identifying the procrastination style into 2 types: active and passive procrastination through the Tuckman Procrastination Scale and Active Procrastination Scale. Finally, this study provided universities with valuable insights to enhance their strategic planning, ensuring more effective approaches to motivate and support students in completing their academic tasks within the designated timeframe
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2007). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
Ahmed, I., Bernhardt, G. V., & Shivappa, P. (2023). Prevalence of Academic Procrastination and Its Negative Impact on Students. Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (BBRJ) 7(3): 363-370.
Ainslie, G. (2010). Procrastination: The Basic Impulse. In Andreou, C. & White, M. D. (ed.). The Thief of Time: Philosophical Essays on Procrastination, p.0. Oxford University Press.
Azizah, N. A. N., Purwandari, R., & Nur, K. R. M. (2024). The Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Academic Procrastination in the Undergraduate Nursing Student Program at the University of Jember. Jurnal Psikologi Teori dan Terapan 15(01): 1-15.
Balkis, M., & Duru, E. (2017). Gender differences in the relationship between academic procrastination, satifaction with academic life and academic performance.
Batool, S. S., Khursheed, S., & Jahangir, H. (2017). Academic procrastination as a product of low self-esteem: A mediational role of academic self-efficacy. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research 32(1): 195.
Berber Çelik, Ç., & Odaci, H. (2022). Subjective well-being in university students: what are the impacts of procrastination and attachment styles? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling 50(5): 768-781.
Billieux, J., Rochat, L., Ceschi, G., Carré, A., Offerlin-Meyer, I., Defeldre, A.-C., Khazaal, Y., Besche-Richard, C., & Van Der Linden, M. (2012). Validation of a short French version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Comprehensive Psychiatry 53(5): 609-615.
Bond, M. J., & Feather, N. (1988). Some correlates of structure and purpose in the use of time. Journal of personality and social psychology 55(2): 321.
Boysan, M., & Kiral, E. (2017). Associations between procrastination, personality, perfectionism, self-esteem and locus of control. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling 45(3): 284-296.
Cándido, A., Orduña, E., Perales, J. C., Verdejo-García, A., & Billieux, J. (2012). Validation of a short Spanish version of the UPPS-P impulsive behaviour scale. Trastornos Adictivos 14(3): 73-78.
Choi, J. N., & Moran, S. V. (2009). Why not procrastinate? Development and validation of a new active procrastination scale. The Journal of social psychology 149(2): 195-212.
Choi, J. N., & Moran, S. V. (2009). Why not procrastinate? Development and validation of a new active procrastination scale. J Soc Psychol 149(2): 195-211.
Chowdhury, S. F. & Pychyl, T. A. 2018. A critique of the construct validity of active procrastination. Personality and Individual differences 120: 7-12.
Chu, A., & Choi, J. (2005). Rethinking Procrastination: Positive Effects of "Active" Procrastination Behavior on Attitudes and Performance. The Journal of social psychology 145: 245-264.
Costa, P. T., & Mccrae, R. R. (1999). A five-factor theory of personality. The five-factor model of personality: Theoretical perspectives 2: 51-87.
Cyders, M. A., Littlefield, A. K., Coffey, S., & Karyadi, K. A. (2014). Examination of a short English version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Addict Behav 39(9): 1372-1376.
Cyders, M. A., Smith, G. T., Spillane, N. S., Fischer, S., Annus, A. M., & Peterson, C. (2007). Integration of impulsivity and positive mood to predict risky behavior: development and validation of a measure of positive urgency. Psychol Assess 19(1): 107-118.
D'orta, I., Burnay, J., Aiello, D., Niolu, C., Siracusano, A., Timpanaro, L., Khazaal, Y., & Billieux, J. (2015). Development and validation of a short Italian UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Addictive Behaviors Reports 2: 19-22.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality 19(2): 109-134.
Dike, I., & Stephen Oluwaseun, E. (2019). Study on Conscientiousness, Academic Self-efficacy and Self-esteem predictive power on Academic Procrastination among Counselling Students. Psychocentrum Review 1: 69-78.
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of personality and social psychology 92(6): 1087-1101.
Ellis, A., & Knaus, W. J. (1977). Overcoming Procrastination: Or How To Think and Act Rationally in Spite of Life's Inevitable Hassles.
Ferrari, J. & Tice, D. 2000. Procrastination as a Self-Handicap for Men and Women: A Task-Avoidance Strategy in a Laboratory Setting. Journal of Research in Personality 34: 73-83.
Ferrari, J. R., & Tice, D. M. (2000). Procrastination as a self-handicap for men and women: A task-avoidance strategy in a laboratory setting. Journal of Research in Personality 34(1): 73-83.
Grunschel, C., Patrzek, J., & Fries, S. (2013). Exploring reasons and consequences of academic procrastination: An interview study. European Journal of Psychology of Education 28: 841-861.
Gustavson, D. E., Miyake, A., Hewitt, J. K., & Friedman, N. P. (2015). Understanding the cognitive and genetic underpinnings of procrastination: Evidence for shared genetic influences with goal management and executive function abilities. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 144(6): 1063.
Habelrih, E. A., & Hicks, R. E. (2015). Psychological well-being and its relationships with active and passive procrastination. International Journal of Psychological Studies 7(3): 25-34.
Harriott, J., & Ferrari, J. (1996). Prevalence of Procrastination among Samples of Adults. Psychological Reports 78: 611-616.
Hensley, L. C. (2014). Reconsidering active procrastination: Relations to motivation and achievement in college anatomy. Learning and Individual Differences 36: 157-164.
Hernández, Y. C. U., Cueto, O. F. A., Shardin-Flores, N., & Luy-Montejo, C. A. (2020). Academic procrastination, self-esteem and self-efficacy in university students: Comparative study in two peruvian cities. International Journal 9: 2475.
Karatas, H. (2015). Correlation among academic procrastination, personality traits, and academic achievement. Anthropologist 20(1): 2.
Khan, M. J., Arif, H., Noor, S. S., & Muneer, S. (2014). Academic procrastination among male and female university and college students. FWU Journal of Social Sciences 8(2): 65-70.
Kim, K. R., & Seo, E. H. (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual differences 82: 26-33.
Kim, L. S., Nainee, S., & Aun, T. S. (2018). The association between self-regulation and procrastination among private university students in Malaysia. Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia 32(1):
Kim, S., Fernandez, S., & Terrier, L. (2017). Procrastination, personality traits, and academic performance: When active and passive procrastination tell a different story. Personality and Individual differences 108: 154-157.
Klassen, R. M., Krawchuk, L. L., & Rajani, S. (2008). Academic procrastination of undergraduates: Low self-efficacy to self-regulate predicts higher levels of procrastination. Contemporary Educational Psychology 33(4): 915-931.
Knaus, W. J. (2000). Procrastination, blame, and change. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality 15(5):
Komarraju, M., Karau, S. J., & Schmeck, R. R. (2009). Role of the big five personality traits in predicting college students' academic motivation and achievement. Learning and Individual Differences 19(1): 47-52.
Kooren, N. S., Van Nooijen, C., & Paas, F. (2024). The Influence of Active and Passive Procrastination on Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Education Sciences 14(3): 323.
Kosnin, A. M., & Khan, M. U. (2016). Procrastination rates and similarities among university students of Malaysia and Pakistan. 96: 1577-1584.
Kuftyak, E. (2022). Procrastination, stress and academic performance in students. Arpha Proceedings 5: 965-974.
Lim, S. Y., & Kim, S. J. (2018). Validation of a short Korean version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Asia Pac Psychiatry 10(3): e12318.
Liu, P., & Feng, T. (2017). The overlapping brain region accounting for the relationship between procrastination and impulsivity: A voxel-based morphometry study. Neuroscience 360: 9-17.
Ljubin-Golub, T., Petri?evi?, E., & Rovan, D. (2019). The role of personality in motivational regulation and academic procrastination. Educational Psychology 39(4): 550-568.
Lynam, D. (2013). Development of a short form of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. Unpublished technical report:
Mackillop, J., Weafer, J., C. Gray, J., Oshri, A., Palmer, A., & De Wit, H. (2016). The latent structure of impulsivity: impulsive choice, impulsive action, and impulsive personality traits. Psychopharmacology 233(18): 3361-3370.
Mammadov, S. (2022). Big Five personality traits and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality 90(2): 222-255.
Micha?owski, J. M., Koziejowski, W., Dro?dziel, D., Harciarek, M., & Wypych, M. (2017). Error processing deficits in academic procrastinators anticipating monetary punishment in a go/no-go study. Personality and Individual differences 117: 198-204.
Muliani, R., Imam, H., & Dendiawan, E. (2020). Relationship between stress level and academic procrastination among new nursing students. The Malaysian Journal of Nursing (MJN) 11(3): 63-67.
Muhammad Amin Bujang, Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin, Jamiah Hj. Manap., & Mohd. Nasir Selamat (2025). Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 21 issue 1 (18-32)
Ocansey, G., Addo, C., Onyeaka, H. K., Andoh-Arthur, J., & Oppong Asante, K. (2022). The Influence of Personality Types on Academic Procrastination Among Undergraduate Students. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology 10(3): 360-367.
Pinxten, M., De Laet, T., Van Soom, C., Peeters, C., & Langie, G. (2019). Purposeful delay and academic achievement. A critical review of the Active Procrastination Scale. Learning and Individual Differences 73: 42-51.
Poropat, A. E. (2009). A meta-analysis of the five-factor model of personality and academic performance. Psychological Bulletin 135(2): 322-338.
Rammstedt, B., & John, O. P. (2007). Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German. Journal of Research in Personality 41(1): 203-212.
Rebetez, M. M. L., Rochat, L., Barsics, C., & Van Der Linden, M. (2016). Procrastination as a self-regulation failure: The role of inhibition, negative affect, and gender. Personality and Individual differences 101: 435-439.
Rebetez, M. M. L., Rochat, L., Barsics, C., & Van Der Linden, M. (2018). Procrastination as a self-regulation failure: The role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts. Psychological Reports 121(1): 26-41.
Saplavska, J., & Jerkunkova, A. (2018). Academic procrastination and anxiety among students. 17th International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development, pp.23-25.
Shin, J., & Grant, A. M. (2021). When putting work off pays off: The curvilinear relationship between procrastination and creativity. Academy of Management Journal 64(3): 772-798.
Stajkovic, A. D., Bandura, A., Locke, E. A., Lee, D., & Sergent, K. (2018). Test of three conceptual models of influence of the big five personality traits and self-efficacy on academic performance: A meta-analytic path-analysis. Personality and Individual differences 120: 238-245.
Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychol Bull 133(1): 65-94.
Steel, P., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2016). Academic procrastination: Psychological antecedents revisited. Australian Psychologist 51(1): 36-46.
Strickhouser, J. E., Zell, E., & Krizan, Z. (2017). Does personality predict health and well-being? A metasynthesis. Health psychology 36(8): 797.
Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological science 8(6): 454-458.
Tuckman, B. W. (1991). The Development and Concurrent Validity of the Procrastination Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement 51(2): 473-480.
Vijay, M., & Kadhiravan, S. (2016). Influence of personality and self-esteem on the academic procrastination among university students. The International Journal of Indian Psychology 4(1-80): 18-23.
Wan, H., Suraya, Suraya, W., & Yunus, J. (2019). Tinjauan Efikasi Kendiri Pelajar Berdasarkan Kategori Sekolah Dan Hubungannya Dengan Pencapaian Akademik Pelajar Sekolah Menengah Harian Di Perak.
Wang, J., Sperling, R. A., & Haspel, P. (2015). Patterns of procrastination, motivation, and strategy use across class contexts and students’ abilities. Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science 3(2): 61-73.
Whiteside, S. P., & Lynam, D. R. (2001). The Five Factor Model and impulsivity: Using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity. Personality and Individual differences 30(4): 669-689.
Wypych, M., Matuszewski, J., & Dragan, W. ?. (2018). Roles of Impulsivity, Motivation, and Emotion Regulation in Procrastination – Path Analysis and Comparison Between Students and Non-students. Frontiers in psychology 9:
Wypych, M., Micha?owski, J., Dro?dziel, D., Bania, M., Szczepanik, M., & Marchewka, A. (2017). Procrastination, impulsivity, punishment and executive control-monetary Go/No-Go fMRI study. Poster at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Conference 2017,
Youshan, B., & Hassan, Z. (2015). The Effect of Employees Personality on Organizational Performance: Study on Insurance Company. International Journal of Accounting and Business Management 4: 187-196.
Zhao, J., Meng, G., Sun, Y., Xu, Y., Geng, J., & Han, L. (2021). The relationship between self-control and procrastination based on the self-regulation theory perspective: the moderated mediation model. Current Psychology 40(10): 5076-5086.
Zhu, F. (2023). The Positive and Negative Aspects of Procrastination in College Students. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences 10: 203-208.
Yan, Y. H., & Selamat, M. N. (2025). The Relationship between Personality Traits, Academic Procrastination, and Impulsivity among University Students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(5), 1064–1079.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
