Does your approach to time matter for your learning? The role of time perspectives on engagement and achievement

Abstract

Time perspectives have been found to be related to a wide range of psychological phenomena. However, in the educational context, there remains to be a lack of research on how they relate to important academic outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine how time perspectives are related to educational outcomes such as engagement, its opposite disaffection and achievement. A model positing time perspectives as antecedents, engagement and disaffection as mediators, and academic achievement as an outcome was proffered. Filipino university students were recruited to answer relevant questionnaires. Results showed that future and past-positive time perspectives were positively associated with engagement and negatively associated with disaffection. Past negative and present fatalistic time perspectives were associated with disaffection. Interestingly, present fatalistic time perspective was related to both positive (engagement) and negative (disaffection) outcomes. A cultural explanation was proposed. Moreover, engagement positively predicted academic achievement, while disaffection negatively predicted it. Implications for integrating research on individual differences in time perspectives and academic outcomes are discussed.