Dimensions of time use attitudes among middle-high SES students

Time use attitudes of students is an important, but often neglected, variable that can assist teachers in their understanding of student classroom behavior. In this study we empirically examined time use attitudes in a group of 353 elementary and secondary school students. Using factor analytic techniques, 4 major constructs or dimensions to student attitudes towards time were extracted. These constructs included views of time that might be considered as instinctive, traditional, and integrated. The finding that students present themselves in classrooms with heterogeneous perceptions of time, while the school organization operates within a homogeneous (traditional) view of time, presents special problems for students. We strongly suggest that teachers and administrators become more aware of the differences in time use attitudes of students when designing instructional strategies and developing curriculum. Important school policies dealing with issues such as school dropouts, vandalism, truancy, and year round schools could also be based upon a consideration of how students view time.