College students responded to the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale for eight kinds of hypothetical instruction and learning situations established by manipulating factors such as degree of teacher strictness, class utility value, and class intrinsic value. The main results indicated that when either the utility or intrinsic value of a class was low, a higher degree of teacher strictness was associated with a stronger tendency to delay immediate gratification. In addition, the tendency to delay immediate gratification was strongest when both the utility and intrinsic values of the class were high. These results suggest that situational factors affect the academic delay of gratification among college students in instruction and learning situations.

Key words: academic delay of gratification, college students, intrinsic value, utility value, teacher strictness