Relationship between psychological capital and study strategies of upper secondary school in Bangkok

Abstract

© 2018, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved. Objective: 1) To study the relationship between psychological capital and study strategies and 2) to find the components of psychological capital that can predict study strategies of upper secondary school students in Bangkok. Materials and Methods: The samples consisted of 453 upper secondary school students who were studying in coeducational high schools from Santiratwittayalai School, Chinorotwittayalai School, Sarawittaya School, and Yannawate Wittayakom School, using a simple random sampling method. The data collection instrument consisted of a 3-part questionnaire: the student’s general questionnaire, the Thai Psychological Capital Inventory [TPCI], and the study strategies test. Frequency, percentage, means, standard deviation [SD], independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: The samples included 453 upper secondary school students where they were 170 male students (37.5%) and 283 female students (62.4%). The results revealed that their levels of psychological capital and study strategies were moderately high. The result of the comparison of study strategies between genders showed that female students have better study strategies than male students with a statistical significance at 0.01 level. In consideration of grade levels, twelfth grade students had better study strategies than eleventh grade students and tenth grade students with a statistical significance at the 0.01 level. In addition, psychological capital and its components hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism were positively correlated to study strategies with a statistical significance at the 0.01 level. Hope and optimism can predict study strategies approximately 16.5%. Conclusion: Psychological capital was positively related to study strategies. The components of psychological capital that could predict study strategies of the sample group were hope and optimism.