Perfectionism and Academic Procrastination: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion in Postgraduate Students

Academic procrastination continues to be a major problem that students face throughout their university studies. The research examined how self-compassion functions as a mediator between perfectionism and academic procrastination which affects postgraduate students. The study used a quantitative mediation design to study 229 postgraduate students who were selected through convenience sampling. The participants used three assessment tools which included the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, the Self- Compassion Scale-Short Form, and the Academic Procrastination Scale. The data analysis showed that perfectionism directly boosts procrastination while it simultaneously reduces self-compassion at a measurable level. The results demonstrated that self-compassion functions as a partial mediator because perfectionism leads students to procrastinate through both direct paths which include their fear of failure and through indirect paths which reduce their ability to practice self-kindness and mindfulness during difficulties. Keywords: academic procrastination, perfectionism, self-compassion, postgraduate students, mediation analysis, emotional regulation