Academic Possible Selves, Motivational Beliefs, and Self-Regulation Among Adolescents Attending General and Vocational Schools: Does the Type of School Matter?

Academic possible selves (PSs) are defined as future self-representations about education and academic outcomes, recognized for their motivational power, especially in challenging situations. This study aimed to (i) explore the salience of academic PSs among senior high school students, considering sociodemographic factors; (ii) investigate the relationships among perceived contextual factors, PS constructs, difficulty mindsets, and academic outcomes; and (iii) examine differences between general and vocational school students across these variables and their relationships. A sample of 598 10th graders (i) reported their two most important hoped-for and feared PSs as well as their strategies to achieve/avoid them and (ii) completed scales measuring demographics, perceptions about parents' and teachers' beliefs, perceived efficacy for attaining PSs, perception of school as a path, difficulty mindsets about academic tasks, academic self-regulation, and achievement. The results indicated that academic PSs were salient among adolescents' hoped-for PSs, with general school students reporting academic PSs more frequently and showing more positive motivational beliefs. Path analysis indicated the role of the study variables in academic self-regulation and achievement, with school type moderating these effects. The findings emphasize the importance of supporting students' academic PSs and tailoring context-based interventions to foster academic outcomes in diverse school settings.

A systematic review of the impact of future-oriented thinking on academic outcomes

Future-oriented thought is a broad construct that characterize the ability to generate mental representations of the future and project oneself into a variety of hypothetical states. It is well established that the degree to which one is focused more on the past, present, or future has a variety of implications on psychological functioning. This study focuses on the relationship between future-oriented thought and academic performance of students. To bridge this gap, we conducted the first systematic review investigating the benefit of future-oriented thought on promoting positive outcomes in academic settings. Our systematic review comprised 21 studies (k = 21). Results identified a clear relationship between future-oriented thought and positive outcomes in academic settings. Furthermore, our systematic review reveals important relationships between future-oriented thought and academic engagement, as well as future-oriented thought and academic performance. Our findings suggest that those who are more future-oriented demonstrate higher levels of academic engagement compared to those who were less future-oriented. Our findings suggest that probing and guiding students toward a future goal may increase their academic engagement and performance.