Procrastination, personality traits, and academic performance: When active and passive procrastination tell a different story

- Passive and active procrastination relate differently to the big five traits.
- Extraversion and neuroticism correlate positively with active procrastination.
- Active procrastination predicts GPA above and beyond passive procrastination.

Our study examines the nomological network of active procrastination in comparison with passive procrastination. In particular, we examine the effects of the five factor model with the aim to understand which personality traits predict academic procrastination. We also test the effect of passive and active procrastination on academic performance to study the unique contribution of each type of procrastination. In a sample of 178 university students in Switzerland, we find that extraversion and neuroticism are related to active procrastination. Furthermore, active procrastination predicts GPA to a much greater extent than the five factor model and passive procrastination.