TIME PERSPECTIVE AND SELF-CONTROL IN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the relation between time perspectives and self-control in final-year high school students. Time perspective refers to the importance an individual gives to their past, present or future. Self-control represents a conscious intention of an individual to control his/her emotions, thoughts and behaviour. The basic research problem which we have set refers to determining the prognostic capabilities of time perspectives in explaining self-control in our sample. The research included 110 fourth-grade students from grammar school, high school of economics and high school of technology. The gender structure consists of 38 (34.5%) males and 72 (65.5%) females. The dimensions of time perspectives are operationalized by a short version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI-short) with 18 items, by Kostal et al. (2015). The scale has six factors – Positive Past and Negative Past, Hedonistic Present and Fatalistic Present and Positive Future and Negative Future. Each factor is determined by three items. The reliability of the entire test on our sample is α=0.73. The construct of self-control is operationalized by a Self-Control Scale, created by Tangney, Baumeister & Boone (2004). The scale has one factor and includes 13 items. The reliability of the test on our sample is α=0.67. The results have confirmed that there is a significant predictor relation (p < 0.05) between time perspectives and self-control in high school graduates. The assumed model explains 21.4% of variance of self-control in final-year high school students. Out of the dimensions of time perspectives, two are statistically significant for explaining the variance of self-control – the Hedonistic Present β = -.404 and a Positive Orientation toward the Future β = .220. The obtained results are logical and they indicate that students who tend to enjoy the present have lower self-control, while those who believe in the positive future have higher self-control.