28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

1043.1 Kids thinking about and being motivated by the future: Exploring the cognitive and
motivational processes involved in future time perspective, J. Husman 1 , M. Boekaerts 2 , 1 College
of Education, Tempe, AZ, USA; 2 Leiden University, Leiden,
The Netherlands
When looking at any group of students in an educational setting that some students have clearer
ideas about their futures than others and a smaller subset of those students have any kind of plan
about how they might reach their future goals. This presentation will present data which examines
both the cognitive and motivational process involved when students are setting long term (rather
than short term) goals and the ways that connections are made between present activities and
future goals. We will present both survey and experimental results which examine students’ goal
setting, future time perspectives, and perceptions of instrumentality.
1043.2 How future goals enhance motivation and learning in multicultural classrooms, K.
Phalet 1 , I. Andriessen 1 , W. Lens 2 , 1 Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; 2 University of
Leuven, Belgium
Studies of minority students' achievement in multicultural classrooms have advanced future goals
as a crucial protective factor in the face of frequent school failure. At the same time, cultural
discontinuities and limited opportunities in minority students' school careers may weaken the
motivational force of the future. In our study of future goal setting and school achievement among
ethnic minority and majority students in the Netherlands, we find that future goals enhance task
motivation and adaptive learning, but only under conditions of positive perceived instrumentality
and internal regulation. Implications for the cross-cultural validity of the Future Time Perspective
framework are discussed.
1043.3 Setting, planning, and pursuing personal projects: A goal management program for
people in a life transition, S. Lapierre, M. Dubé, M. Alain, L. Bouffard, Université du Québec à
Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
Research has shown that the presence of goals is associated with well-being. Based on this finding,
a goal management program was developed to help people in a life transition express, plan, pursue,
and achieve meaningful, concrete, and realistic personal goals. It was expected that participants in
this educational program (n=105) would reach higher levels of well-being than the control group
(n=60). Results of a repeated analysis of variance (2X2) indicated that there were significant
interactions on hope, serenity, happiness, meaning-in-life, and self-actualization, showing that
people in a life transition can benefit from a program helping them reach their personal goals.
1043.4 How does the future motivate transition to adulthood: A Longitudinal study, T. Shirai,
Osaka Kyoiku University, Osaka, Japan
Transition from adolescence to adulthood deals with new life events such as leaving home,
financial independence, entrance into work places, marriage and parenthood. Individuals are
interacting actively with changing worlds to achieve their transition to adulthood (Elder, 1995;
Lerner & Busch-Rossnagel, 1981). In this process, their future prospects have an important role
and actually are dramatically changing. However, young people can not foresee their life course in
a contemporary changing society. I am going to propose how their future motivates transition to
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