Read the following paragraph and identify the following: 

• The Topic Sentence
• Explanation
• Evidence from sources
• Interpretation /Analysis

Procrastination: Reasons and Ways to Overcome

The major reason for academic procrastination is the lack of motivation. Students often find themselves in a situation where they have several assignments to complete by a set deadline. As the academic tasks mount, some students begin to see them as tedious chores and postpone working on them. According to Morford (2008), there is a causal relationship between commitment to goals, motivation and the tendency to procrastinate. Morford’s study demonstrates that the more committed students are to their academic goals, the more motivated they are in doing their task, and hence the less likely they are to procrastinate. The reverse is also true. Students who procrastinate do so because they are not committed to the goal of succeeding and thus lack motivation. In addition, different types of motivation have varying effects on students. Senecal, Koestner, and Vallerand (1995) argue that students who are extrinsically motivated to perform well on academic tasks procrastinate more than those who are intrinsically motivated. From this, we can infer that by increasing students’ intrinsic motivation, incidences of procrastination can be significantly reduced. This is especially the case when a high level of motivation is complemented with good time management skills, an area to which we will now turn our attention.

*After you have identified the items, please take a look at the answers.