Group work and student procrastination

Current research has paid little attention to contextual or social factors that may contribute to procrastination. One social factor, which may influence procrastination, is group work among students. Compared to individual work, group work can enhance individual effort and performance when the individual's contribution is indispensable for group success. In a field experiment, students with high levels of trait procrastination completed a typical academic assignment (i.e., compiling a bibliography), either in group work with an indispensable contribution or in individual work. Lower procrastination and higher performance were found in group work with an indispensable contribution as compared to individual work. Exploration of positive and negative task-related affect revealed no differences between conditions. Results add to the current theoretical understanding of procrastination and might inspire a new approach, which aims at preventing procrastination by changes in the learning environment.