Zena R. Mello

The Relationship of Time Perspective to Age, Gender, and Academic Achievement among Academically Talented Adolescents

Time perspective is a useful psychological construct associated with educational outcomes (Phalet, Andriessen, & Lens, 2004) and may prove fruitful for research focusing on academically talented adolescents. Thus, the relationship of time perspective to age, gender, and academic achievement was examined among 722 academically talented middle and high school students. Time perspective was measured using the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI; Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). Regression analyses yielded several significant results: An increase in age was associated with present hedonism, females had fewer negative thoughts about the future than males, and academic achievement was negatively associated with present fatalistic attitudes and positively associated with future positive attitudes. Findings support the examination of time perspective as a multidimensional construct including past, present, and future orientations in academically talented populations. Implications of these results for educational and developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Introducing English and German Versions of the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale

In this study, the authors report on the development of English and German versions of the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS). The ATAS consists of six subscales assessing Past Positive, Past Negative, Present Positive, Present Negative, Future Positive, and Future Negative time attitudes. The authors describe the development of the scales and present data on the reliability and structural validity of ATAS scores in samples of American (N = 300) and German (N = 316) adolescents. Internal consistency estimates for scores on the English and German versions of the ATAS were in the .70 to .80 range. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a six-factor structure yielded the best fit for scores and that the scores were invariant across samples.

Demographic group differences in adolescents' time attitudes.

In the present study, we examined demographic differences in time attitudes in a sample of 293 adolescents. Time attitudes were measured using the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (Mello & Worrell, 2007; Worrell, Mello, & Buhl, 2011), which assesses positive and negative attitudes toward the past, the present, and the future. Generally, African Americans and Asian Americans reported higher scores for negative time attitudes and lower scores for positive time attitudes than European Americans and Latinos, with medium sizes. Adolescents in the low socioeconomic status group reported a less favorable evaluation of their past than middle and high SES peers, but there were no meaningful differences in time attitudes by gender. Findings indicate that middle SES adolescents, high school juniors and seniors, Latinos, and European Americans had higher representation in positive time attitude clusters (i.e., Positives and Balanced) than high SES adolescents, high school freshmen and sophomores, and African Americans.

The Past, the Present, and the Future: A Conceptual Model of Time Perspective in Adolescence

In this paper, we describe a conceptual model of time perspective that is multidimensional and developmental. We argue that time perspective is a cognitive-motivational construct that has a particular salience in adolescence, with implications for schooling, work, physical condition, and risky behaviors, such as substance use and delinquency. We trace early and contemporary research on time perspective to provide a foundation for a new, multidimensional conceptualization, including meaning, orientation, relation, attitude, and frequency, all of which have implications for how adolescents think and feel about the past, the present, and the future. This discussion highlights age-related variation in time perspective dimensions with a focus on adolescents. It is argued that as individuals mature from childhood to adolescence, they develop an increased capacity for a complex time perspective, given advances in cognitive abilities and the process of identity formation. Directions for additional research and intervention considerations are also presented.

Do I belong?: it depends on when you ask.

A feeling of belonging to an academic context is a critical determinant of academic achievement and persistence, particularly for students of color. Despite the fact that students of color are generally more susceptible to fluctuations in belonging uncertainty than White students, survey design can unintentionally mask this reality. We investigated whether context effects undermine the accurate assessment of belonging uncertainty in junior high and high school students (Study 1) and college students (Study 2). Considering ones ethnic identification (Study 1) and personal experiences with discrimination (Study 2) threatens sense of belonging in students of color, but not White students. Researchers should consider question order within surveys so as not to artificially mask belonging uncertainty in students of color.

A Theoretical Approach to Resolving the Psychometric Problems Associated With the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory

The Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI; Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999) assesses five time-related constructs – Past Negative (PN), Past Positive (PP), Present Fatalistic (PF), Present Hedonistic (PF), and Future (F) – and is one of the most frequently used time measures in the extant literature. Versions of the ZTPI have been translated into a variety of languages, but the psychometric support for ZTPI scores remains contested. We examined the internal consistency, structural validity, and convergent validity of scores on a version of the ZTPI that consisted only of items that specifically referenced time constructs, the ZTPI-TP. Participants consisted of five samples of adolescents and adults from four countries: Australia (653 adults), Slovenia (425 adolescents and adults), the United Kingdom (913 adolescents; 455 adults), and the United States (815 adolescents). Structural validity analyses provided stronger support for ZTPI-TP scores than for ZTPI scores, and convergent validity evidence also provided support for ZTPI-TP scores. However, analyses revealed that the PF and PH factors were still problematic, especially with regard to factor coefficients and internal consistency estimates. We concluded that the ZTPI-TP can form the basis for a more robust version of the ZTPI.

Does consideration of future consequences moderate the relationship between aggression and alcohol use in adolescents? Results from the United Kingdom

Abstract Background: An increasing body of literature suggests that those who give greater consideration to the future consequences (CFC) of their present behaviours are at a reduced risk of negative health outcomes. However, it remains unclear to what degree consideration of immediate or long-term consequences are important. The present study examined whether higher CFC (immediate and future) scores moderated the relationship between trait aggression and self-reported alcohol use in a large sample of adolescents in the United Kingdom. Methods: Participants were 1058 adolescents from Northern Ireland. Participants completed questionnaires assessing Anger, Hostility, Verbal Aggression, Physical Aggression, Consideration of Future Consequences, and alcohol use. Results: Results revealed that higher CFC immediate and CFC future both significantly moderated the relationship between higher trait aggression and higher self-reported alcohol use, but only for females. Conclusions: This finding adds to the increasing body of literature examining the relationship between temporal orientation and health-related outcomes. However, more work is needed to help untangle the gender-specific effects.

Psychometric properties of Turkish Adolescent Time Inventory-Time Attitude (ATI-TA) scores.

The Adolescent Time Inventory (ATI; Mello & Worrell, 2007) is a relatively new measure developed to assess several aspects of time perspective (e.g., time orientation, time attitudes). Time attitudes, one aspect of time perspective, refer to positive and negative feelings about the past, present, and future. In the current 2-sample paper, we examined the internal consistency, structural validity, and convergent validity of scores on the time attitude subscales (TA) of the Turkish ATI (Mello, Worrell, Şahin-Baltaci, & Tagay, 2015). Results from Sample 1 (N = 244) indicated that scores on 5 of the 6 Turkish ATI-TA subscales—Past Positive, Past Negative, Present Positive, Present Negative, and Future Positive—were internally consistent, and confirmatory factor analyses provided strong support for the structural validity of a 5-factor model as well as the hypothesized 6-factor model, even though internal consistency estimates for Future Negative scores (the sixth factor) were unacceptably low. Results from Sample 2 (N = 350) provided additional internal consistency and structural validity evidence for scores on the 5-factor model and also provided evidence of convergent validity with self-esteem, well-being, and optimism. Analyses also indicated that scores on the 2 past and 2 present subscales demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across samples, whereas the Future Positive scores only demonstrated metric invariance. We concluded that these 5 subscales can be used with Turkish adolescents and that the Future Negative subscale needs to be revised and validated in this national context.

Gender Variation in Extracurricular Activity Participation and Perceived Life Chances in Trinidad and Tobago Adolescents

Participation in extracurricular activities has surfaced as an important context for adolescent development and may be a fruitful avenue for fostering future attitudes, a concept shown to predict adolescent behaviors. In this study of youth from Trinidad and Tobago, we examined gender differences in activity participation and perceived life chances in 1,385 adolescents (59% male). Trinidadian adolescents were highly active, on average, participating in three activities. More males were involved in athletic and organized groups, whereas more females participated in artistic and religious activities. Artistic and athletic activity participation predicted positive perceived life chances, even after controlling for academic

The Magic of Hope: Hope Mediates the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement.

ABSTRACT Two studies examined whether hope partially mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Guided by recent theoretical formulations about social class and the social cognitive process, in Study 1 a mediational pathway from SES to academic achievement via hope was documented in a diverse sample of adolescents. The mediational pathway was replicated in Study 2 in a minority sample of high school students. In both studies, hope was found to partially mediate the relationship between SES and grade point average. In addition, the unique contribution of hope to academic achievement replicated across the 2 studies, indicating that the additional stressors and challenges associated with being a minority did not affect the mediation. These results have implications for achievement gap interventions.