Defense styles, approaches to learning and the mediating role of academic procrastination
Abstract
The present study belongs to the research that concerns the investigation of the relationship among academic procrastination, defense styles and approaches to learning. Specifically, it aims to explore the mediating role of academic procrastination in the relationship between defense styles and approaches to learning. The sample comprises 628 Greek university undergraduates (78% women and 22% men) who attend a four-year degree program. The questionnaires Defense Style Questionnaire-88, Procrastination Assessment Scale Questionnaire, Flourishing Scale, and How ULearn are used in the study. Results reveal the mediating role of academic procrastination in the relationship between maladaptive and adaptive defense style and approaches to learning. Academic procrastination seems to have a self-handicapping/defensive role between defense styles and learning. Findings are discussed in the context of recent literature.
References
Bond, M., Gardner, S.T., Christian, J., Sigal, J.J., 1983. An empirically validated hierarchy of defense mechanisms.
Arch. Gen Psychiatr., 40, 333-338.
Chatzidimou, S.B., 1994. Procrastiation in school and university tasks in secondary and undergraduate students.
Unplublished Master’s Thesis. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Athens.
Conlon, A., 2002. The transition into higher education developmental issues encountered by students [Paper Presentation]. Fedora Psyche Conference. Copenhagen.
Cramer, P., 2015. Defense Mechanisms: 40 Years of Empirical Research. J. Person. Assess., 97(2), 114-122.
Davidson, K., MacGregor, M.W., 1998. A critical appraisal of self-report defense mechanism measures. J. Pers., 66, 965-992.
Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., Biswas-Diener, R., 2009. New measures of well- being: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Soc. Indicat. Res., 39, 247-266.
Eurostat, 2018. Distribution of tertiary education graduates by broad field of education. 2018 (%) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=File:Distribution_of_t
Freud, S., 1953. The neuro-psychoses of defence. In Standard Edition, (James Strachey, Trans.) London: Hogarth Press and the institute of Psychoanalysis (Original work published in 1894). 3, 45-61.
Freud, S., 1957. Instincts and their vicissitudes. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.) The standardedition of the collected works of Sigmund Freud. London: HogarthPress (Original work published in 1915). 14, 111-141.
Hailikari, T.K., Parpala, A., 2014. What impedes or enhances my studying? The interrelation between approaches to learning, factors influencing study progress and earned credits. Teach. High. Educ., 19(7), 812-824. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2014.934348
Hayes, A.F., 2013. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Hayes, A.F., 2022. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Hong, J.C., Lee, Y.F., Ye, J.H., 2021. Procrastination predicts online self-regulated learning and online learning ineffectiveness during the coronavirus lockdown. Pers. Indiv. Differ., 174, 110673.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110673 https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X8100500502
Hyphantis, T., 2010. The three versions of the defense style questionnaire: Psychometric properties in three different samples. Compr. Psychiatr., 51, 618-629.
Ihilevich, D., Gleser, G.C., 1993. Defenses in psychotherapy: The clinical ap- plication of the defense mechanism inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
James, L.R., Mulaik, S.A., Brett, J.M., 2006. A tale of two methods. Organ. Res. Meth., 9(2), 233- 244. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428105285144
Jones, E., Berglas, S., 1978. Control of attributions about theself through self-handicapping strategies: The appeal of alcoholand the role of underachievement. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull., 4, 200-206. The effects of self- handicapping on attributions and perceived judo competence. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7401586_The_effects_of_self- handicapping_on_attributions_and_perceived_judo_competence
Judd, C.M., Kenny, D.A., 1981. Process analysis: Estimating mediation in treatment evaluations. Eval. Rev., 5(5), 602-619.
Karagiannopoulou, E., 2003. Abort tolerance and defense against learning process. Connections with cognitive psychology. Child. Adolesc., 5(2), 66-83.
Karagiannopoulou, E., Athanasopoulos, V., Hyphantis, T., 2015. Exploring associations between students' defence styles and approaches to learning. EARLI 2015.
Karagiannopoulou, E., Milienos, F., Athanasopoulos, V., 2018. Associations between defense styles, approaches to learning, and achievement among university students. Front. Educ., doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00053
Laczkovics, C., Fonzo, G., Bendixsen, B., Shpigel, E., Lee, I., Skala, K., Huemer, J., 2018. Defense mechanism is predicted by attachment and mediates the maladaptive influence of insecure attachment on adolescent mental health. Curr. Psychol., 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9839-1
Milienos, F., Rentzios, C., Catrysse, L., Gijbels, D., Mastrokoukou, S., Longobardi, C., Karagiannopoulou, E., 2021. The contribution of learning and mental health variables in first-year students' profiles. Front. Psychol., https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.627118
Minow, J., 2007. The relationship between ego defense mechanisms and procrastination. Unpublished PhD’s Thesis, Alliant International University, San Francisco.
Ng, B., 2018. Exploring procrastination and self-regulated learning through motivational beliefs. J. Res. Initiat., 3(3). Parpala, A., Lindblom-Ylänne, 2012. Using a research instrument for developing quality at the university. Qual.
High. Educ., 18(3), 313-328. doi: 10.1080/13538322.2012.733493
Pascoe, M.C., Hetrick, S.E., Parker, A.G., 2020. The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education. Int. J. Adolesc. Youth, 25(1), 104-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823
Peterson, C., Seligman, M.E., 1984. Causal explanations as a risk factor for depression: Theory and evidence.
Psychol. Rev., 91(3), 347-374. doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.91.3.347
Plutchik, R., 1995. A theory of ego defenses. In Conte, H.R., Plutchik, R. (eds.), Ego Defenses: Theory and Measurement, 179-201p. N.Y.: Wiley.
Rahimi, S., Hall, N.C., 2021. Why are you waiting? Procrastination on academic tasks among undergraduate and graduate students. Innovat. High. Educ., 46(6), 759-776.
Sæle, R.G., Dahl, T.I., Sørlie, T., Friborg, O., 2017. Relationships between learning approach, procrastination and academic achievement amongst first-year university students. High. Educ. 74, 757-774. doi: 10.1007/s10734- 016-0075-z
Schouwenburg, H., 2005. On counselling the procrastinator in academic settings [Paper Presentation]. FEDORA PSYCHE Conference. Groningen.
Solomon, L.J., Rothblum, E.D., 1984. Academic procrastination: frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. J. Counsell. Psychol., 31(4), 503-509.
Steel, P., 2007. The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychol. Bull., 133(1), 65-94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
Svartdal, F., Dahl, T.I., Gamst-Klaussen, T., Koppenborg, M., Klingsieck, K.B., 2020. How study environments foster academic procrastination: Overview and recommendations. Front. Psychol., 11, 3005.
Thygesen, K.L., Drapeau, M., Trijsburg, R.W., Lecours, S., De Roten, Y., 2008. Assessing defense styles: Factor structure and psychometric properties of the new defense style questionnaire 60 (DSQ-60). Int. J. Psychol. Psychol. Ther., 8, 171-181.
UNESCO. 2012. International standard classification of education (ISCED) 2011. Montreal, Quebec: Author.
Vlachopanou, P., Karagiannopoulou, E., Ntritsos, G., 2022. The relationship between defenses and learning. The mediating role of procrastination and well-being among undergraduate students. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
Vlachopanou, P., Karagiannopoulou, E., 2022. Defense styles, academic procrastination, psychological wellbeing, and approaches to learning: A person-oriented approach. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis., 210(3), 186-193. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001423
Zarrin, S.A., Gracia, E., Paixão, M.P., 2020. Prediction of academic procrastination by fear of failure and self- regulation. Educ. Sci. Theor. Pract., 20, 34-43. https://doi.org/10.12738/jestp.2020.3.003
Zhang, L.F., 2015. Defense mechanisms and thinking styles. J. Cogn. Educ. Psychol., 14, 163-179. doi:10.1891/1945- 8959.14.2.163
Zhang, S., Liu, P., Feng, T., 2019. To do it now or later: The cognitive mechanisms and neural substrates underlying procrastination. Wiley Interdiscipl. Rev. Cognit. Sci., 10(4), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1492
Zhao, X., Lynch, J.G., Chen, Q., 2010. Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: myths and truths about mediation analysis. J. Consum. Res., 37, 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Patra Vlachopanou, Evangelia Karagiannopoulou
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
