Academic failure of first-year accounting students is a national and international
problem. Existing research is inconclusive regarding the causes for the failure and
does not make provision for the possible influence of dominant time perspectives
on performance in accounting. This article investigates whether time perspective has
an effect on the performance of first-year accounting students. A quantitative nonexperimental
predictive multivariate design is used and confounding variables are taken
into consideration. The results of the study indicate significant relationships between
performance in first-year accounting and gender, age and a past-negative time perspective.
The most significant result of this study is that a past-negative time perspective, together
with an unfavourable psychosocial background, might have led to failure in first-year
accounting. It is suggested that students with a negative time perspective be identified
and encouraged to participate in support programmes at the university.