Students' satisfaction with their academic majors and study commitment: The mediating role of academic psychological capital

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the effect of students' satisfaction with their academic majors (major satisfaction henceforth with) on their study commitment. Also, it examines the mediating role of academic psychological capital dimensions in the major satisfaction and study commitment nexus. Data were collected from 726 fourth‐year business undergraduate students, and a path analysis was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings showed that students' major satisfaction had a positive significant association with the four components of academic psychological capital namely; self‐efficacy, optimism, resilience and hope, and study commitment. Also, each component of the academic psychological capital positively mediated the effect of students' major satisfaction on study commitment. The findings present important contributions to students' major satisfaction in the higher education context and promote the need to manage students' academic psychological capital to enhance their study commitment.