Performance-approach goals, science task preference, and academic procrastination: Exploring the moderating role of competence perceptions

Classic achievement goal theory states that normative (performance-approach) achievement goals exert maladaptive effects on behavior when perceptions of competence are low, thus leading individuals to choose easy or difficult tasks to avoid demonstrating lack of ability. The present research tested this prediction by examining the conditional indirect relationship between performance-approach goals and problematic procrastination among college science majors. As hypothesized, performance-approach goals were significant positive predictors of procrastination through their relationship with science anxiety only for students with (a) low science self-efficacy and (b) a preference for either low or highly difficult science tasks. These effects were not observed for high efficacy students preferring tasks of low and high difficulty. Implications for achievement goal theory and research are discussed.