Higher education amid COVID-19 pandemic: contributions from resilience, positive orientation and grit

PurposeThe major purpose of the present study is to investigate the contribution of academic resilience in accounting for two motivational and attitudinal constructs ? Grit and positive orientation and also probe the predictive power of all these constructs in academic achievement of university students in the midst of the pandemic COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach521 university students participated in an online survey. To measure academic resilience, a scale designed and validated by Kim and Kim (2016) comprising 26 items was employed. The scale contains five sub-factors: perceived happiness, empathy, sociability, persistence and self-regulation. Grit was assessed via an 8-item scale comprising two facets: perseverance of effort (PE) and consistency of interest (CI). It was designed by Duckworth and Gross (2014). Positive orientation was determined through positivity scale developed by Caprara et al. (2010), consisting of eight items.FindingsThe results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that resilience positively and significantly predicted both grit (β = 0.56, t = 6.41) and positive orientation (β = 0.54, t = 6.35). Resilience also predicted academic achievement directly (β = 0.71, t = 9.12) and indirectly via its impact on grit and positive orientation. It was also found that positive orientation and grit are positively and highly associated (β = 0.77, t = 9.28).Originality/valueThe pandemic COVID-19 brought about substantial changes in university students' education and their overall life style. Many university students around the globe experienced virtual education. Balancing personal and academic roles in these unprecedented conditions seems to be a tough challenge for every university student.

Explaining Prosocial Behavior from the Inter-and Within-Individual Perspectives: A Role of Positive Orientation and Positive Affect

Prosocial behavior is undertaken voluntarily to benefit others and includes a range of actions, such as helping, sharing, caring, and comforting. Our study concerned psychological mechanisms stimulating prosocial behavior explaining it from both the within-individual (daily fluctuations) and inter-individual (individual differences) perspectives. We tested a model in which positive orientation and positive affect directly predict within-individual variability in prosocial behavior and in which positive affect mediates the relationship between positive orientation and daily prosocial behavior. These two-level mediation mechanisms were investigated using an intensive longitudinal study design with seven daily measurements on a sample of 181 undergraduates and 1119 daily observations. The results confirm that, with personality traits, sex, and prosocial behavior during the previous day adjusted for, inter- and within-individual variability in positive orientation predict daily prosocial behavior. Inter-individual variability in positive affect is a significant predictor of prosocial behavior and a mediator between positive orientation and daily prosocial behavior. No such mediation mechanism was detected for within-individual variability in positive affect. These results suggest several recommendations on how to stimulate prosocial behavior. By stimulating the general tendency to cultivate positive affective experiences and to view life in a positive light, it may be possible to prepare people to notice and respond to the needs of others.

God’s Perceived Engagement/Disengagement in Response to Prayer and Interpersonal Forgiveness: The Mediating Role of Positive Orientation

It is well documented that religion and its different aspects positively affect people’s ability to forgive. However, studies have rarely moved beyond direct associations to explore potential mediators of this relationship. In this context, our main aim was to examine the direct relationship between God’s engagement/disengagement in response to prayer and forgiveness with the possible influence of a positive orientation. Data were gathered from 464 participants aged 18 to 75 (M = 31.10; SD = 11.32). This study included 255 women (55%) and 209 men. We used the Brief Measure of Perceived Divine Engagement and Disengagement in Response to Prayer, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, and the Positivity Scale. In line with our hypotheses, interpersonal forgiveness correlated positively with God’s perceived engagement (H1); it was negatively associated with God’s disengagement (H2); and it was positively linked to positive orientation (H3). Moreover, positive orientation mediated the relationship between religiosity and interpersonal forgiveness. This may suggest that positivity is not indifferent in the process of forgiving, especially when people are aware of God’s involvement in their lives.

Factors Shaping Public Perceptions of Market-based Activities Undertaken by Canadian Nonprofits

Charitable nonprofits are engaging at increasing rates in market-based activities. This study examined Canadian public perception of nonprofits’ market-based activities. Latent variables for trust, financial accountability, transparency, direct and general familiarity, understanding of nonprofit roles in service delivery and advocacy, and orientation towards market-based activities were created using a secondary dataset of nationally representative Canadians (n = 3853). Results show that positive perceptions of market-based activities of nonprofits are influenced by familiarity of nonprofits, accepting their advocacy role, and perceiving them as being accountable. Those with stronger views of nonprofits as providers of direct service had unfavorable perceptions of the nonprofit’s market-based activities. The findings have implications for nonprofit managers who engage in market-based activities and want to promote a positive orientation to these endeavors to engage consumers and investors.

The Effect of Self-Esteem, Positive Future Expectation and Attitude Toward Future on Happiness: An Analysis of Vocational School Students

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of self-esteem, positive future expectation, and future attitudes on the happiness of vocational school students. The Self-Esteem Scale developed by Tafarodi and Swann (1995), The Attitude toward Future and Positive Future Expectations Scales developed by İmamoğlu (2001), The Oxford Happiness Scale-Short Form developed by Hills and Argyle (2002), and a personal information form were used to collect the data. The data were obtained from 715 university students studying at Manavgat Vocational School, with one of the highest number of students at Akdeniz University. Reliability analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. These analyses revealed positive and significant relationships among happiness, "self-liking" and "self-competence", which are the sub-dimensions of Self-Esteem Scale. Positive significant relationships were found between "positive orientation" and "planned orientation" sub-dimensions of attitude toward future scale, and happiness. However, a negative significant relationship was found between "anxious orientation" and happiness. A positive significant relationship was found between positive future expectation and happiness. In addition, from among all the independent variables, the "self-liking" sub-dimension was found to have the highest effect on happiness. This was followed by the planned orientation, positive future expectation, anxious orientation, positive orientation, and self-competence sub-dimensions. Self-esteem, attitude toward future, and positive future expectation had a share of 54% in describing the total change in happiness. The findings were discussed in light of the literature and some suggestions were made for school administrations.

Young Adults’ Experience of Loneliness in London’s Most Deprived Areas

Young adults (16–24 years old) are currently the loneliest group in Western countries. In particular, young adults of lower socio-economic status (SES) living in the most deprived areas are loneliest in the United Kingdom. This mixed-methods study explored the experience of loneliness among this under-explored demographic in London. Using a novel free association technique, the experience of loneliness was found to be characterized by: a sense of isolation, negative emotions and thoughts, coping and a positive orientation to aloneness. An exploration of these themes revealed that: one can feel isolated or excluded even when surrounded by people; the experience of loneliness is accompanied by a set of interrelated feelings and thoughts like rumination; and technological and/or non-technological outlets can be used to cope. Social media play both a positive and negative role in loneliness, and loneliness is not always experienced negatively. The quantitative data indicated that this sample was lonely. By providing insight into young adults’ loneliness, the findings indicate what types of interventions are likely to diminish it.

The quality of life, meaning in life, positive orientation to life and gratitude of Catholic seminarians in Poland: A comparative analysis

The aim of the article is to examine differences in the quality of life (the psychophysical, psychosocial, personal, and metaphysical spheres) as well as gratitude, meaning in life and positive orientation to life between diocesan and religious seminarians and secular students. The influence of religiosity on quality of life and subjective well-being is the subject of numerous studies, but seminarians (i.e. people preparing to be priests) have rarely been included in them. The present research was carried out for the first time with a group of diocesan and religious seminarians in Poland and secular students. The study involved 296 participants—98 diocesan seminarians, 96 religious seminarians and 102 secular students in the control group. Results showed significant differences in the quality of life. Religious and diocesan seminarians scored higher than the control group members in the psychophysical, personal, psychosocial and metaphysical spheres. In addition, in terms of gratitude, and the presence of meaning in life, religious and diocesan seminarians achieved higher scores than the control group but lower scores in searching for the meaning in life. There were no significant differences between diocesan and religious seminarians except that only diocesan seminarians obtained significantly higher scores on positive orientation to life than the control group. Overall, results support the idea that seminarians have higher quality of life and subjective well-being than secular students. Research implications are discussed.

The Mediating Role of Positive Orientation and Hope of Success in the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Facebook Intrusion

The social aspect of human functioning seems to play a considerable role in the explanation of the Facebook intrusion phenomenon. The present article examines the relation between social support and Facebook intrusion, with hope of success and positive orientation controlled for. We administered the Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Positive Orientation Scale, and the Hope of Success Questionnaire. The participants in the online study were 611 Polish Facebook users, whose mean age was 20.79 years ( SD = 2.38). The results show that there is no direct relationship between social support and Facebook intrusion, but there is an indirect one, with hope of success and positive orientation as mediators. We have found that social support weakens Facebook intrusion via positive orientation in both genders and via hope of success in men. Moreover, a low level of personal resources contributes to problematic Facebook use. The study has also revealed that individuals who use social media in a problematic way focus on the present rather than on the future.