Zachary Trimm
Writing and Rhetoric I
21 September 2012
Project #1:
Questioning a Writing Construct (INTRO)
The concept of
procrastination is well known in the learning community. Let’s be honest, this
concept is often one that many students consider instantly as an instructor
assigns work to be done. Some view procrastination as lazy, undetermined
students ignoring homework and projects to go do such useless tasks as play
video games or go to parties. Others see procrastination as a tactic to thrill
an individual by having less time to meet deadlines. One proven cause of
procrastination is that students thought the assignment was difficult, not
enjoyable, and required a large amount of effort, which turned them away
(Wilson). There is much debate on why procrastination is wrong, why we as
humans procrastinate, and methods to help prevent procrastination. In reality,
the construct should not apply to all students. Procrastination can actually be
significantly helpful to some, depending on how it is done.
Project #1: Questioning a Writing Construct (SYNTHESIS)
Sources show that
student will to work is not the only cause of academic procrastination. Eun Hee
Seo does research on the difference between active procrastinators and passive
procrastinators, as well as the effect of cramming. Active procrastinators are
those who make “intentional decisions to procrastinate,” while passive
procrastinators “postpone their tasks until the last minute because of an
inability to make the decision to act in a timely manner.” Her experiments
showed that active procrastinators had higher levels of academic achievement
than passive procrastinators. The results also state that crammers can be
successful just as much as those who actively study ahead of time.
Another view of
procrastination comes from Wilson, who says that the assignment is the main
cause for the act. When a student gets it into his or her head that the task
might take some serious effort, that student is likely to put it off out of
fear.
Zach,
ReplyDeleteLooks good so far. As a former procrastinator I find it interesting when others analyze what I thought to be a curse. One possible direction to explore is what happens, or needs to happen, for a procrastinator to be successful? And what about the notion of "incubation" Berkenkotter and Murray mention?