YAŞAM MEMNUNİYETİ VE AKADEMİK BAŞARIDA İYİMSERLİK ETKİSİ

Psikolojinin güncel akımını oluşturan pozitif psikoloji alanında olan bu çalışmada, üniversite öğrencilerinin iyimserlik yönelimlerinin yaşam memnuniyeti düzeyleri ve akademik başarılarını belirleme etkisi araştırılmaktadır. Örneklemi oluşturan 443 (210 erkek, 230 kız) dördüncü sınıf üniversite öğrencisine; iyimserlik yönelimi, yaşam memnuniyeti, akademik başarı (Genel Not Ortalaması), aylık hanehalkı geliri, aylık kişisel harcama miktarı, bölümden duyulan memnuniyet, geleceğe yönelik işsizlik beklentisi, ikamet durumu, kız/erkek arkadaşın olması, dini inanç ve diğer genel demografik bilgilerin elde edilebileceği bir anket uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlarda, iyimserlik yönelimi ile yaşam memnuniyeti arasında yüksek korelasyon gözlenmiş ancak iyimserlik yönelimi akademik başarı ile ilişkili görülmemiştir. Yapılan En Küçük Kareler Yöntemi (EKKY) Regresyon analizi sonuçlarına göre, kız öğrenciler, yaşamlarından daha çok memnun olanlar, kız/erkek arkadaşı olmayanlar, anne ve babası birlikte yaşayanlar, dini inanç düzeyi yüksek olanlar, bölümlerinin üniversite giriş sınavındaki tercih sırası daha yukarıda olanlar ve aylık harcama miktarı düşük olanların akademik başarıları diğerlerine göre daha yüksek gözlenmiştir. Bağımlı değişkenin yaşam memnuniyeti olduğu regresyon sonuçlarına göre ise; kız öğrencilerin, iyimser olanların, dini inancı yüksek olanların, yaşamının büyük kısmını kentte geçirmiş olanların, gelecekte işsiz kalma endişesi olmayan ve iyi bir kariyer beklentisi olanların, aylık harcama miktarı daha fazla olanların diğerlerine göre yaşam memnuniyetleri daha yüksek şekilde gerçekleşmiştir.

EFFECT OF OPTIMISM ON LIFE SATISFACTION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

The present study, in the field of psychology’s current trend positive psychology, explores the effect of optimism in university students on their life satisfaction and academic achievement. To a sample of 443 Turkish university students, a questionnaire was delivered including the scales of optimism, life satisfaction, academic achievement, monthly household income, montly personal expenditure level, satisfaction with the department, unemployment concern, career expectation for the future, place of living, religious belief and some other demographical information. As a result, optimism and life satisfaction were found to be significantly positively correlated, however there was no correlation between optimism and academic achievement. According to OLS Regression analysis; females, those who are more satisfied with their lives, who have not girl/boy friend, whose parents live together, whose religious belief is higher, whose departments are higher in the preference rank and whose monthly expenditure level is lower have higher GPAs than their counterparts. In the other OLS regression analysis where the dependent variable is life satisfactio; females, optimists, whose religious belief is higher, who have lived mostly in urban, who have not unemployment concern, who have good career expectations and whose monthly expenditure is higher are more satisfied with their lives than their counterparts.

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