Future time perspective, hope, and ethnic identity among African American adolescents

This study examines the relationship of academic achievement to future time perspective (FTP), hope, and ethnic identity among low-income, rural and urban African American adolescents (N=661). Findings indicate that adolescents who are oriented toward the future, determined to reach their goals (hope), and interested in and have a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic group tend to academically outperform adolescents reporting lower scores in the areas of FTP, hope, and ethnic identity. Regression analyses indicate that FTP, hope, and ethnic identity explain a significant, independent portion of the variability in academic achievement. However, ethnic identity is a stronger predictor of academic achievement for urban than rural African American adolescents.