Gadjah Mada Journal of Professional Psychology (GamaJPP), Volume 9, Number 1, 2023: (page 25-34)
E-ISSN 2407-7801
https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/gamajpp
DOI: 10.22146/gamajpp.76717
Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination - Short
Form (APS-S): Validity and Reliability
Abdullah Fathur Rasyid1*, Arjuna Putra Darma Wangsya1, Dessi Aryanti Dwi Putri2
1Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim, Indonesia
2Center for Indigenous Psychology, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim, Indonesia
Submitted 30 July 2022 Accepted 19 December 2022 Published 31 May 2023
Abstract. Academic procrastination is defined as the behavior of delaying assignments related to
the academic context. Academic procrastination commonly occurs at various levels of education,
especially with undergraduate students. Previous studies reported that undergraduate students
who indulged in procrastination show poor academic performance and trigger a decrease in
psychological functioning. The availability of good instruments can help portray this phenomenon,
especially since there have been no reports regarding instruments that measure academic
procrastination in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to examine the construct validity and
reliability of Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS-S) in Indonesian context. 452
undergraduate students were recruited as participants of this study. The sampling technique used
is a non-probability sampling technique. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and reliability
analysis were performed to examine the structural validity and internal consistency of the
instrument, respectively. Results indicated that all 5 items of APS-S were unidimensional and had
satisfactory construct validity and internal consistency. Thus, The APS-S is valid and can be used by
future researchers as a concise instrument for measuring academic procrastination in the Indonesian
context.
Keywords: academic procrastination; confirmatory factor analysis; undergraduate student
Academic procrastination is a behavior that refers to a deliberate delay in completing an
academic task even when the person is aware of the results and negative consequences
(Steel, 2007). Academic procrastination occurs in individuals from various levels of
education (McCloskey, 2011). Previous studies showed that academic procrastination has
indicated urgency to be studied, especially in college students who, compared to middle
school students, have more autonomy over their time (see Wang, 2021; Rahimi & Vallerand,
2021). Students who procrastinate but need their assignments to be completed immediately
will practice cramming and most of them eventually have poor academic performance (Seo,
2012; Goroshit & Hen, 2021). They also tend to experience negative impacts on their
psychological functioning (Sirois et al, 2003; Reinecke et al., 2018). According to researchers,
there has been no studies that examine the adaptation scale of academic procrastination
specifically in Indonesia. Previous studies have only adapted the instrument for measuring
academic procrastination in general (Prayitno et al., 2013; Purwanto & Natalya, 2019). Thus,
Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
the availability of valid and reliable measuring instruments to measure academic
procrastination is important, especially for research in the Indonesian context.
There are several measuring tools that are often used to measure academic
procrastination, that is the Procrastination Assessment Scale–Students (PASS; Solomon &
Rothblum, 1984), the Tuckman Procrastination Scale (Tuckman, 1991), and the General
Procrastination Scale (GP; Lay, 1986). In addition to PASS, Tuckman Procrastination Scale,
and GP. is The Academic Procrastination Scale (APS; McCloskey, 2011) which is also a
measuring tool that is still being developed to measure academic procrastination. The APS
was developed to measure general academic procrastination. However, APS has several
drawbacks, namely the scale being quite long and some of the items being very similar to
one another. Thus, McCloskey (2011) proposed a concise version of the APS with five items
known as the Academic Procrastination Short Form (APS-S).
Study by Yockey (2016) tested the validity of the APS-S on 282 students. The results
of the study showed that APS-S is unidimensional and valid to measure the construct of
academic procrastination. Furthermore, another finding also explains that APS-S has good
internal consistency. APS-S also shows a fairly good convergent validity as APS-S is known
to be significantly correlated with PASS and Tuckman Procrastination Scale. Based on these
findings, it can be concluded that the APS-S is a valid instrument and has good internal
consistency in measuring academic procrastination.
However, we have not found a study that examines the validity and reliability of
the APS-S instrument in the context of the Indonesian population. Measurements of the
validity and reliability tests have been carried out only to measure procrastination in
general, including Aitken Procrastination Inventory (API; Adeli, 2012), Steel
Procrastination Scale (SPS; Endy, 2012), Irrational Procrastination Scale (IPS; Prayitno,
2013), PASS (Romli, 2012), DPQ (Ling, 2012), and Temporal Motivation Test (TMt; Putra,
2011). Based on these measurement tools, no one has measured procrastination specifically
for academic contexts. Thus, when conducting research in an academic context, it is possible
for participants to make mistakes in giving answers. This is among the many advantages
of APS-S compared to other procrastination measurement tools, in terms of context
specifications. In addition, APS-S is more concise in the number of items, making it easier
for participants to interpret the instrument efficiently.
Therefore, a study about the validity and reliability of the APS-S instrument in the
Indonesian population is needed. This study aims to test the reliability and construct
validity of the APS-S items adapted into the Indonesian population. With the availability
of a valid measuring tool, it will be easier for us to handle or prevent academic
procrastination problems, especially for the student population in Indonesia.
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
Method
This study uses a quantitative method to examine the construct validity and reliability of
the academic procrastination instrument. Data were collected through an online
questionnaire starting from the third week of September 2021 to the second week of October
2021. Sampling in this study used a non-probability sampling technique. The participants
in this study were undergraduate students and the equivalent who were recruited online.
After agreeing to written informed consent, participants were asked to answer several
questionnaires.
Procedures
The measuring instrument used in this study is the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short
Form (APS-S; McCloskey, 2011, Yockey, 2016). The APS-S consists of 5 items that measure
the unidimensional construct of academic procrastination (Yockey, 2016). APS-S uses a
Likert model scale with a range of answer choices between 1 (disagree) to 5 (agree). The
range of total scores that can be obtained from this instrument ranges from 5 - 25. The total
APS-S score will describe the individual's tendency to procrastinate. The APS-S has good
reliability with 0.87 (Cronbach’s a) and has good estimates of convergent validity, with
significant correlations both the PASS (r(96) =.54, p < .001) and Tuckman Scale (r(69) = .79, p
< .001) (Yockey, 2016).
The adaptation of the APS-S meter was carried out following the guidelines prepared
by Beaton et al. (2000). Based on these guidelines, the researcher carried out the following
adaptation steps: 1) instrument translation from the original language (English) to the
destination language (Indonesia), translation was carried out by 2 independent translators,
Translator 1 was someone who was familiar with the measurable construct (T1) and 1 other
translator was not familiar with scalable constructs (T2). 2) Furthermore, the translation
results of the two translators are discussed to be synthesized into a draft translation (T-12).
3) The translation of the results of the synthesis (T-12) then goes through a back-translation
process to ensure perceptions and understanding between the results of the translation and
the original language of the used measuring instrument. 4) Afterwards, a readability test
was carried out on several participants (n = 30) to ensure the understanding of the target
group of participants regarding the points in the Indonesian language adaptation of the
APS-S version.
After the readability test was carried out, the researchers then recruited
undergraduate student participants online through various social media. Participants were
then asked to fill out a series of questionnaires in a Google Form consisting of an informed
consent, demographic data, and research instruments. Data collection was carried out for 3
weeks, starting from the third week of September 2021 to the second week of October 2021.
This study was a part of a larger study about online behavior in COVID-19 pandemic.
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
After the data was obtained, the data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis
(CFA) using JASP 0.16. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out to test the
validity of the constructs and Cronbach's Alpha reliability test was also carried out to test
the internal consistency of the APS-S instrument. CFA was used to test the construct
validity of the APS-S instrument. Hu and Bentler's (1999) fit model criteria were used to
evaluate the measurement model in this study, that is Root Mean Square Error of
Approximation (RMSEA) < .06, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) > .95, and Standard Root Mean
Residual (SRMR) < .08. In addition, the Cronbach's Alpha reliability test was also carried
out to estimate the internal consistency of each APS-S instrument item.
Result
The participants in this study were 452 undergraduate students, with the majority of
participants being 351 women and 101 male participants (Mage = 20.33, SD = 1.57). The
APS-S instrument in this study consisted of 5 items that were unidimensional, meaning that
they only measured one factor which is the academic procrastination construct. After going
through several stages of adaptation such as T1, T2, T1 & T2, and Back Translation, the final
instrument is obtained as below.
Table 1.
Blueprint APS-S Indonesian Adaptation
No English Indonesian
1 I put off projects until the last minute. Saya menunda tugas hingga detik-detik
terakhir
2 I know I should work on schoolwork, but I just Saya tahu bahwa saya harus mengerjakan
don’t do it tugas kuliah, namun saya tidak
melakukannya
3 I get distracted by other, more fun, things Saya tergoda untuk melakukan kegiatan
when I am supposed to work on schoolwork lain yang lebih menyenangkan ketika
seharusnya mengerjakan tugas kuliah
4 When given an assignment, I usually put it Ketika diberi tugas, saya biasanya
away and forget about it until it is almost due membiarkan dan tidak mengerjakannya
hingga mendekati waktu pengumpulan
tugas.
5 I frequently find myself putting important Saya sering menunda deadline pengerjaan
deadlines off tugas yang penting
Note: This table is a blueprint of the adaptation of the APS-S scale in Indonesian. “How
much do you, your self agree to the following statements?” Seberapa setuju Anda dengan
pernyataan-pernyataan di bawah ini?).
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
In this study, several words were still translated according to the original language
such as "deadline" which means "tenggat waktu". These words were not translated into
Indonesian (see Table 1.), because the word "deadline" was used more often so it was
predicted that it would be easier for students to understand than "tenggat waktu". This was
also supported by the results of the readability test conducted by researchers to several
respondents.
Based on the results of CFA on the APS-S unidimensional model, it is known that the
model does not match the Chi-Square value = 23,28, df = 5 (p < .001); RMSEA = .09 (90% CI
.06, .13), CFI = .98, and SRMR = .03. For this reason, researchers modified the model by
comparing measurement errors on several items. After the modified model was carried out,
the fit model was obtained with a Chi-Square value = 9.31, df = 4 (p > .05); RMSEA = .05 (90%
CI .00, .10), CFI = .99, and SRMR = .01. These results indicate that the unidimensional model
fits the data according to the criteria of Hu and Bentler (1999). This ultimately shows that
the APS-S unidimensional model is acceptable, and that all items in the instrument only
measure one factor, the academic procrastination.
In addition, all of the standard loading factors were significant which ranged from .66
- .80. According to Hair et al (2019), the standardized factor loading for items is .50 and
ideally above .70. Thus, based on the standardized value of factor loading, it can be seen
that all items can describe the construct of academic procrastination well. In this
measurement model, there is only one measurement error correlation, item number 2 and
item number 3. Because all items are significant, have good standardized loading factors,
and the number of measurement error correlations is minimal, there is no item that needs
to be eliminated.
The APS-S adaptation also has a Cronbach's Alpha value of .86 and a Corrected Item-
Total Correlation (CITC) value that ranges from .64 - .72. This shows that this instrument
has good internal consistency. The standardized factor loading values, Cronbach's Alpha,
and CITC can be seen in Table 2, and the path diagram can be seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Path Diagram of APS-S
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
Table 2.
Psychometric Properties Indonesian Adaptation of APS-S
Construct Item p-value Standardized CITC Cronbach’s
Factor Alpha
Loading
APS-S 1 < .001 .74 .66
APS-S 2 < .001 .67 .65
Academic APS-S 3 < .001 .66 .65 .86
Procrastination
APS-S 4 < .001 .80 .71
APS-S 5 < .001 .79 .72
Discussion
Academic procrastination is a common problem that occurs in the general student
population. Several previous studies have examined good measuring tools for measuring
academic procrastination such as the PASS, the Tuckman Procrastination Scale, GP, and
APS. However, with the use of a lot of items, this has the potential to affect the validity of
the contents of the measuring instrument due to the fact that the participants who fill the
questionnaires may not be serious. This will eventually cause existing measuring
instruments to not measure the constructs they want to measure. Morgado et al. (2016)
explained that to improve the quality of practical research, one of the most important things
is related to the use of measurement items (all items must be simple, clear, specific, etc.).
Having the APS-S as a practical and reliable measurement tool can improve the research
practice of future researchers who wish to measure academic procrastination.
This study aims to test the psychometric properties of the APS-S items adapted in
Indonesian. The instrument was tested on a number of students to find out whether the
APS-S is valid and reliable in measuring academic procrastination. The results showed that
the Indonesian APS-S adaptation items were unidimensional, and had good psychometric
properties (validity and reliability). This shows that the Indonesian adaptation of the APS-
S can be considered as an efficient compact instrument for measuring academic
procrastination in general to the Indonesian student population.
Regarding the reliability of the measuring instrument, it is evident that the
Indonesian adaptation of APS-S has very good reliability (α= .86). Item analysis carried out
by looking at the corrected item-total correlation (CITC) value showed that there was good
consistency in each item score and total score (CITC range = .64 - .72). These results are in
line with the results obtained in studies in the United States (Yockey, 2016) and Spain
(Brando-Garrido et al., 2020). This indicated that the APS-S is consistent in measuring
academic procrastination in general in various research populations with different
linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
The Indonesian adaptation of APS-S also has good construct validity. The goodness
of fit index showed satisfactory results, with RMSEA values < .06, CFI > .95, and SRMR <
.08 (Hu & Bentler, 1999). In addition, the APS-S items generally have a significant
standardized factor loading, are positively charged, and have minimal measurement error
correlation (standardized factor loading range = .66 - .80). Thus, the items in the APS-S can
describe the construct of academic procrastination well and can be used to measure
academic procrastination in the Indonesian context.
Nevertheless, this study also has limitations. The sample in this study is still limited
to undergraduate students or equivalent. Future researchers are expected to carry out
further research on samples with other educational levels, for example at the secondary or
postgraduate level in order to find out how the psychometric properties of APS-S are in
samples other than undergraduate students. In addition, this study only tested construct
validity and internal consistency. It is recommended that further research can also test the
convergent validity or test-retest reliability on the APS-S instrument.
Conclusion
Despite these findings, our research is not without limitations. Our sample for this study is
still limited to undergraduate students or equivalent. However, the Indonesian adaptation
of APS-S is unidimensional and has good psychometric properties (validity and reliability).
This instrument is expected to be used by researchers and students to measure academic
procrastination in general in the target population.
Recommendation
Further research on the APS-S instrument is needed, given that the APS-S can be a good
choice for future researchers who are going to research academic procrastination and want
to use a compact academic procrastination measurement tool. Future research is expected
to be able to test convergent validity, test-retest reliability on the APS-S instrument.
Declaration
Acknowledgement
Researchers would like to say thank you to the Translator I, Translator II, and Back Translator for
their dedication in the research process. As well as to all participants who have participated in this
research.
Funding
This research is independent with self-funding, and does not receive grants from any institution.
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Rasyid et.al || Indonesian Adaptation of Academic Procrastination
Author’s Contribution
AFR generated ideas, conceptualized the background, designed the study, analyzed data, outlined
the discussion, and double-checked the manuscript prior to submission. APDW helped providing
concepts in research and contributed to research design, as well as adding to research methods and
bibliography. DADP carried out the idea completion, assisted the research design, and presented the
results of study. All researchers also contribute in terms of funding during the research process.
Conflict of Interest
There is no conflict of interest in this study from authors during the publication process.
Orcid ID
Abdullah Fathur Rasyid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8493-3291
Arjuna Putra Darma Wangsya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6068-8802
Dessi Aryanti Dwi Putri https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4615-4422
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