Why Do High School Students Procrastinate? Some Reasons And Solutions
High school students may put off things for a number of reasons. Immaturity tops that list. They are not responsible adults and think that they can get away by living in the present and not planning for the future. They usually live with their families and know there is someone to support them or run to Kinko’s with them at 2am if they need to print something or if they have delayed a report for too long. They know they have that safety net and that is one of the major reasons why students procrastinate.
Another reason why high school students may procrastinate is that they know they have college to go to before they enter the real world. Even if they do not get into the best of colleges, they feel there is still time to take it easy and have a laid back attitude.
The question should not be so much as to why students procrastinate but what can be done to remedy the situation. They do not understand why procrastination is bad and that is something teachers, coaches and parents need to work on - together.
If they see that consequences are meted out according to how they prepared for an exam or report and that being prepared ahead of time does matter will make all the difference. If they feel hey can get an A if they submit the report while putting in an all-nighter the day before the deadline or whether they do it two weeks in advance, they will feel it is not worth doing things in advance when the results are the same. This could be a reason for why students procrastinate.
Solutions for Why Students Procrastinate
One solution may be for teachers to require progress reports. So if, for instance, a major case study report is due after three months, the teacher should give 20 percent of the grade to the progress reports that the student turns in each month. This way he or she will have to start working from the first day as a fifth of his grade depends on the progress reports.
Another example could be for a teacher to take a surprise quiz two days before the date announced. The kids who have been studying regularly will have an advantage as compared to those kids who planned to study only on the last day. This will indirectly ask the students why the students procrastinated.
Of course, things can go smoothly and people can ace exams even by putting in minimal efforts, but such exercises may set an example for most people that it is better to do things in advance.
