The role of passion and emotions in academic procrastination during a pandemic (COVID-19)

This research examined the role of academic passion and emotions in procrastination. Two studies were conducted with undergraduate students (Study 1: n = 210, 63% male and 37% female, Mage = 26.93 years, SD = 5.94 years; Study 2: n = 303, 59% male and 41% female, Mage = 26.13 years, SD = 7.05 years), including one during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of Study 1 showed that obsessive passion was positively related to negative emotions, whereas harmonious passion was negatively related to negative and positively to positive emotions. In turn, negative emotions positively related to academic procrastination, while positive emotions prevented it. Study 2 replicated the model of Study 1 and extended it to include the role of students' passion and emotions towards their favorite non-academic activity as predictors of academic procrastination. The results of Study 2 showed that passion and emotions for other activities also predict academic procrastination over and beyond academic passion and emotions. These findings provide support for the role of passion and emotions in academic and leisure settings as predictors of academic procrastination behaviors and yield theoretical and practical implications.