مطالب

The present study examined the content and construct validity, and internal consistency of the Academic Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (AERQ) in the Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The original scale was translated and back-translated between English and Persian. The content validity ratio (CVR), and content validity index (CVI) were then measured by a panel of 14 expert judges. The internal consistency coefficients of the scale were estimated by piloting it with 60 Iranian EFL learners. The results of the Cronbach’s alpha showed a satisfactory level of reliability. The AERQ was then administered to 346 English language learners (Mage = 19.34, SDage = 4.951). To explore the factorial structure of the 37 items of the questionnaire, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted. In addition, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was run to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the AERQ’s measurement model. The results obtained from the modified measurement model showed an adequate fit of the data. In the modified version, two items (i.e., one item from suppression, and one from redirection of attention) were omitted due to low standardized loadings (< .50). The model fit indices also provided a reasonable model fit for the structural model. The internal consistency coefficients for the constructs were higher than the minimum value (α = .70). Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Background: Procrastination or voluntary delay in doing an important and necessary activity, despite the expected negative consequences that outnumber the positive consequences of delay, is a common phenomenon in the modern society. On the basis of various data, procrastination affects 20 to 95 percent of adults in western countries and studying this phenomenon is very important. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties and the factor structure of temporal focus scale and to study the mediating role of temporal focus in the relationship between procrastination and impulsivity- delay discounting. Methods: Four hundred people (279 females and 121 males) were selected through convenience sampling from universities of Kermanshah (west of Iran). They were evaluated by questionnaires of impulsivity, monetary-choice, pure procrastination, and temporal focus. Data were analyzed based on Cronbach's alpha test, intra-class and Pearson correlation tests, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling using SPSS and Mplus software. Results: The results showed that the reliability of the temporal focus scale was appropriate using all three measures of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), split-half reliability (Guttman split-half coefficient = 0.90), and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.78). Exploratory factor analysis led to the expected three-factor structure. The proposed model fitted well with the data. Temporal focus, urgency, and delay discounting had direct effects, and urgency and lack of perseverance had indirect effects (due to temporal focus) on procrastination. Conclusion: The Persian version of the temporal focus scale has acceptable validity and reliability, and given the little time it takes to be filled out, it can be a proper tool to be used in various situations. Temporal focus, especially focusing on the past, plays a unique role in negligence, and a closer examination of this variable may help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of procrastination.