FUTURE TIME PERSPECTIVE, PROCRASTINATION AND ACADEMIC MOTIVATION IN ARGENTINIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

Numerous studies have addressed psychological aspects of students’ life during the pandemic; however, data related to the role of future time perspective and sociodemographic differences -age and gender- in the relationship with procrastination and motivation is scarce. It was hypothesized that the relationship between future time perspective and procrastination would be negative, but positive with motivation, and that age and gender would have a differential moderating effect on those. This study was online and questionnaire-based. 257 undergraduate Psychology students aged 18–44 from the Catholic Argentinean University took part in the study. The results of moderation analysis allowed accepting partially the hypothesis formulated for procrastination, but for motivation the hypothesis was partially confirmed, since the relationship between future time perspective and motivation was not significant for men or for older students. These findings provide some insight into the role of future time perspective in behavior outcomes, especially in critical contexts like one of the pandemic, and how internal differences might enhance or diminish it. Moreover, the inclusion of certain psychological measures could be taken in order to compensate negative effects that higher procrastination and lower motivation can have in students.