HRPYC81 Project 2
Assignment 4 (FINAL
RESEARCH REPORT
ANSWERS) 2025
For assistance contact
Email:
,The sentence can be completed as:
"...to examine how the different time perspective dimensions are related to outcomes such
as academic performance, psychological well-being, and career decision-making among
university students in South Africa."
Here is a structured research project proposal based on the description provided.
Research Project Proposal: Time Perspectives and Student Outcomes
1. Project Title
Time Perspectives as an Underlying Factor of Student Behaviours: A Study of Academic
Performance, Well-being, and Career Decisiveness.
2. Research Problem and Rationale
As established, time perspective (TP) is a fundamental cognitive process that shapes how
individuals interpret experiences and make decisions. While extensively studied globally, its
specific manifestations and impacts within the diverse South African higher education context
require further exploration. University students are at a critical life stage where their temporal
focus—whether dwelling on past successes or failures, seeking present pleasures, or striving for
future goals—can significantly influence their academic trajectory, mental health, and future
planning. Understanding these relationships can inform the development of targeted
interventions to enhance student success and well-being.
3. Research Aims and Objectives
Primary Aim: To investigate the relationship between Zimbardo's five time perspective
profiles (Past-Negative, Past-Positive, Present-Hedonistic, Present-Fatalistic, Future) and
key student outcomes.
Specific Objectives:
1. To measure the dominant time perspectives among a sample of South African
university students using the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI).
2. To examine the correlation between each TP dimension and academic
performance (as measured by self-reported GPA).
3. To analyse the relationship between TP profiles and psychological well-being
(e.g., using scales for life satisfaction, resilience, and stress).
4. To investigate how TP influences career decision-making self-efficacy and
decisiveness.
5. To explore potential variations in TP profiles based on demographic factors such
as culture, year of study, and field of study.
, 4. Literature Review (Summary of Key Themes)
The project is grounded in the foundational work of Zimbardo and Boyd (1999, 2014), which
posits TP as a stable individual difference. The literature shows:
Future TP is consistently linked to positive outcomes like higher academic achievement,
better health behaviours, and lower risk-taking (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999; Boyd &
Zimbardo, 2006).
Past-Positive TP is associated with optimism and high self-esteem, while Past-Negative
TP is linked to depression, anxiety, and lower well-being (Shmotkin, 1991; Stolarski et
al., 2013).
Present-Hedonistic TP correlates with risk-taking and impulsivity, whereas Present-
Fatalistic TP is associated with hopelessness, depression, and academic apathy (Keough,
1999; Zimbardo et al., 1997).
Cross-cultural studies (Sircova et al., 2015) confirm that TP profiles vary across societies,
highlighting the need for localized research, such as the preliminary work in South Africa
by Keyser (2017).
5. Hypotheses
Based on the literature, we hypothesize that:
1. A balanced time perspective (BTP) profile will be positively correlated with higher
psychological well-being and academic performance.
2. Future and Past-Positive TPs will be significant positive predictors of academic
performance (GPA).
3. Past-Negative and Present-Fatalistic TPs will be significant negative predictors of
psychological well-being and career decisiveness.
4. Present-Hedonistic TP will show a mixed relationship, positively correlating with social
well-being but negatively with consistent academic effort.
6. Methodology
Research Design: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design.
Participants: Up to 400 undergraduate students from a South African university,
recruited through convenience sampling across various faculties.
Instruments:
o Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI): A 56-item scale measuring the
five TP factors (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999).
o Academic Performance: Self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA).
Assignment 4 (FINAL
RESEARCH REPORT
ANSWERS) 2025
For assistance contact
Email:
,The sentence can be completed as:
"...to examine how the different time perspective dimensions are related to outcomes such
as academic performance, psychological well-being, and career decision-making among
university students in South Africa."
Here is a structured research project proposal based on the description provided.
Research Project Proposal: Time Perspectives and Student Outcomes
1. Project Title
Time Perspectives as an Underlying Factor of Student Behaviours: A Study of Academic
Performance, Well-being, and Career Decisiveness.
2. Research Problem and Rationale
As established, time perspective (TP) is a fundamental cognitive process that shapes how
individuals interpret experiences and make decisions. While extensively studied globally, its
specific manifestations and impacts within the diverse South African higher education context
require further exploration. University students are at a critical life stage where their temporal
focus—whether dwelling on past successes or failures, seeking present pleasures, or striving for
future goals—can significantly influence their academic trajectory, mental health, and future
planning. Understanding these relationships can inform the development of targeted
interventions to enhance student success and well-being.
3. Research Aims and Objectives
Primary Aim: To investigate the relationship between Zimbardo's five time perspective
profiles (Past-Negative, Past-Positive, Present-Hedonistic, Present-Fatalistic, Future) and
key student outcomes.
Specific Objectives:
1. To measure the dominant time perspectives among a sample of South African
university students using the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI).
2. To examine the correlation between each TP dimension and academic
performance (as measured by self-reported GPA).
3. To analyse the relationship between TP profiles and psychological well-being
(e.g., using scales for life satisfaction, resilience, and stress).
4. To investigate how TP influences career decision-making self-efficacy and
decisiveness.
5. To explore potential variations in TP profiles based on demographic factors such
as culture, year of study, and field of study.
, 4. Literature Review (Summary of Key Themes)
The project is grounded in the foundational work of Zimbardo and Boyd (1999, 2014), which
posits TP as a stable individual difference. The literature shows:
Future TP is consistently linked to positive outcomes like higher academic achievement,
better health behaviours, and lower risk-taking (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999; Boyd &
Zimbardo, 2006).
Past-Positive TP is associated with optimism and high self-esteem, while Past-Negative
TP is linked to depression, anxiety, and lower well-being (Shmotkin, 1991; Stolarski et
al., 2013).
Present-Hedonistic TP correlates with risk-taking and impulsivity, whereas Present-
Fatalistic TP is associated with hopelessness, depression, and academic apathy (Keough,
1999; Zimbardo et al., 1997).
Cross-cultural studies (Sircova et al., 2015) confirm that TP profiles vary across societies,
highlighting the need for localized research, such as the preliminary work in South Africa
by Keyser (2017).
5. Hypotheses
Based on the literature, we hypothesize that:
1. A balanced time perspective (BTP) profile will be positively correlated with higher
psychological well-being and academic performance.
2. Future and Past-Positive TPs will be significant positive predictors of academic
performance (GPA).
3. Past-Negative and Present-Fatalistic TPs will be significant negative predictors of
psychological well-being and career decisiveness.
4. Present-Hedonistic TP will show a mixed relationship, positively correlating with social
well-being but negatively with consistent academic effort.
6. Methodology
Research Design: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design.
Participants: Up to 400 undergraduate students from a South African university,
recruited through convenience sampling across various faculties.
Instruments:
o Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI): A 56-item scale measuring the
five TP factors (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999).
o Academic Performance: Self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA).
