Volume 62, Issue 8 pp. 2805-2815
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The Relationship Between Classroom Goal Structures and Mathematics Procrastination: The Role of Math-Specific Grit

Meng Guo

Corresponding Author

Meng Guo

College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China

Correspondence: Meng Guo ([email protected])

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Qimeng Liu

Qimeng Liu

Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

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Yueyang Shao

Yueyang Shao

Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

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First published: 05 April 2025
Citations: 1

ABSTRACT

Although extensive research has explored the antecedents of academic procrastination, the role of self-regulatory traits, such as grit, has received comparatively less attention. Additionally, the classroom environment and self-regulatory traits may have joint effects on academic procrastination, but this question has not been adequately researched. Addressing these gaps, the present study examines how classroom goal structures and students' grit predict procrastination in mathematics learning, utilizing a sample of 915 primary school students in China. The findings reveal that grit mediates the relationship between classroom goal structures and procrastination. Specifically, classroom mastery goal structure was positively related to grit and further negatively predicted procrastination tendencies. The results also highlight the maladaptive role of performance goal structure, as it was negatively linked with students' consistency of interest and predicted a higher risk of mathematics procrastination. The results extend our understanding of the underlying relationships between classroom climate, self-regulatory traits, and procrastination. The potential reasons for and implications of the findings are discussed.

Summary

  • Classroom mastery structures positively predicted the two dimensions of grit.

  • Classroom performance structures were negatively related to the consistency of interest.

  • Grit played a mediational role between mastery goal structures and academic procrastination.

  • Classroom performance structures negatively predicted procrastination via the consistency of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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