eBook details
- Title: Future Time Perspective in Sociocultural Contexts: A Discussion Paper/ Concepto de Futuro en Contextos Socioculturales: Una Proposicion Para El Debate
- Author : Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology
- Release Date : January 01, 2009
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 97 KB
Description
Introduction Future time perspective (FTP) theorises the notion that one's sense of purpose for the future serves as a motivational force for individuals to engage in activities that are perceived as being instrumental for future outcomes (McInerney, 2004). For the past few decades, research pertaining to FTP has been instrumental in explaining, in part, students' motivation and academic success. For example, empirical evidence has shown that people's cognitive ability to anticipate both the immediate and long-term outcomes of a task in a distant future is related positively with various motivational, cognitive and performance measures (Andriessen, Phalet, & Lens, 2006; Horstmanshof & Zimitat, 2007; Simons, Dewitte, & Lens, 2004). Anticipating the future, in this analysis, is pivotal as it assists individuals to accomplish personal goals and objectives that may be relevant to their professional development. In his article, "A discussion of Future Time Perspective", McInerney (2004) poses some fundamental questions that warrant further research and analysis; for example: when do individuals begin to articulate a future?; how far into the future does this articulation extend?; what are the important and essential components of this future?; and do individuals vary in their attention to the future depending on their culture, gender, and socioeconomic status? The latter question is of particular relevance to the Pacific context as it illustrates the importance of FTP, and how this theory may serve as an impetus for individuals to act and behave in this region.