Examining the relationships among community of inquiry, academic procrastination, and achievement for nontraditional online students

This study examined the relationships among teaching presence (TP), social presence (SP), and cognitive presence (CP) within the community of inquiry framework, academic procrastination (AP), and achievement among nontraditional students. An online survey was administered to 801 participants to measure the three presences and AP through a learning management system at the end of the semester. Achievement was measured using GPA. Multiple regression analysis and the Johnson–Neyman technique indicated that the mediation and moderating effects were statistically significant. The results of the mediation effect revealed that CP fully mediated the influence of TP and SP on GPA. SP partially mediated the influence of TP on CP. The relationship between CP and GPA was moderated by the AP level. When AP was low, GPA decreased as CP increased, whereas when AP was high, GPA increased as CP increased. Furthermore, a one-way MANOVA revealed that learners with low AP demonstrated significantly higher CP across all sub-constructs (trigger event, exploration, integration, and resolution) than those with high AP. The practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.