Self-efficacy, procrastination and academic performance in university students in Ecuador

The study of non-cognitive factors that influence academic success has become a topic of growing interest in educational research. In this framework, the present study aims to examine the relationship between university academic performance and two specific non-cognitive factors: self-efficacy and academic procrastination. Similarly, the mediating role that academic procrastination plays in the relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance is explored. The quantitative study was conducted in the Ecuadorian context and was based on a sample of 788 students enrolled in public and private universities in the Metropolitan District of Quito. The analytical strategy consisted on the formulation of path models, based on the methodology of structural equations. The main results of empirical analysis are: a) both self-efficacy and academic procrastination directly affect the academic performance of university students; b) self-efficacy is indirectly related to academic performance through academic procrastination; c) these non-cognitive factors are more determinant for student performance in the early career stage, especially in the case of private universities. Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed, considering the potential development of strategies to promote academic success through interventions that favor the students' sense of self-efficacy and self-regulation.