This study investigated the influence of social constraints on educational aspirations via time
perspective using the sample of students in the 3rd grade in middle school in Seoul. We considered
social constraints such as low parents\' educational level, single family structure, and poor students
concentrated school. We measured time perspective using subset of open scale that Zimbardo and
Boyd(1999) made. Results revealed that constraints of family background are significantly related
to attitudes of current-oriented time perspective and school background are related to ones at the
significance level of 7%. Meanwhile, current-oriented time perspective is negatively related to
educational aspirations. Results are robust because the mediated effect of time perspective was
tested after controlling for school achievement. This study has significance in that cognitive
aspects as well as attitudinal aspects play important role in forming educational aspirations. What
is more important is that time perspective is plastic before entering into adulthood. Thus, changing
time perspective will lead to enhanced educational aspirations of students in social constraints,
which are conductive to enhancing social mobility.