PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION BEHAVIOR AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS, AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH DEMOGRAPHICS AND INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES

The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of academic procrastination behavior among pre-service teachers, and its relationship with demographics and individual preferences. The participants were 580 students who were studying in different major fields at the Faculty of Education in Pamukkale University. The age range varied from 19 to 28. In this study, Aitken’s Procrastination Inventory and Personal Information Sheet were used to gather data. The analysis showed that 23 % of pre-service teachers exhibited procrastination behavior at a high level. Other findings indicated that procrastination behavior significantly differed by gender, time preferences for studying courses and exams, and was negatively related to academic achievement. Implications of the findings are discussed and some suggestions are made for the educator and counselors.