The effects of growth and fixed mindsets on academic procrastination among sports science students: the mediating role of locus of control

Purpose Academic procrastination (AP) is a pervasive self-regulatory problem that undermines students’ academic functioning and psychological well-being. This study examined the direct and indirect relationships between growth and fixed mindsets, internal and external locus of control, and AP in sports science students. Method Internal and external locus of control were tested as parallel mediators in separate growth and fixed mindset models. A cross-sectional predictive design was employed with 544 undergraduate sports science students in Eastern Anatolia, Türkiye. Participants completed measures of mindset, locus of control, and AP. Parallel mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap samples, controlling for age and gender. Results The direct effects indicated that a growth mindset was negatively associated with AP, whereas a fixed mindset was positively associated with AP. A growth mindset was positively associated with an internal locus of control and negatively associated with an external locus of control, whereas a fixed mindset was negatively associated with an internal locus of control and positively associated with an external locus of control. An external locus of control was positively associated with AP and significantly mediated the relationships between both mindset dimensions and AP. In contrast, the internal locus of control did not significantly mediate either relationship. Male students reported higher AP levels than female students, and age was negatively associated with AP. Conclusion These findings suggest that an external locus of control is a key behavioral mechanism linking mindset beliefs to AP. Interventions targeting maladaptive external control beliefs may help reduce AP among sports science students.