Academic performance and feelings of belonging: indirect effects of time perspective through motivational processes

We worked within a conceptual framework wherein past, present and especially future time perspectives impact academic behaviors through motivational mechanisms. We assessed dimensions of time perspectives, motivation (self-efficacy, test anxiety, intrinsic value), academic performance and feelings of belonging among 409 undergraduate students. We found that motivations were related to performance and feelings of belonging. Only future time perspective significantly impacted academic performance, whereas past, present and future perspectives were related to feelings of belonging. Using mediation models, we found that specific motivational dimensions were the mechanisms underlying associations between time perspectives and academic outcomes. Time perspectives, especially dimensions of the future, would have relevancy in the academic context mostly in terms of students’ feelings of belonging. Acting on the level of time perspectives could impact student motivation which would in turn modify how well they perform in school and the extent to which they feel like they belong in academic settings.