Examination of high school students' critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, happiness, hope and narcissism levels and physical activity levels

The purpose of this study is to examine the critical thinking, academic self-efficacy, happiness, hope and narcissism levels and physical activity levels of high school students and to determine whether these variables show significant differences according to various demographic factors. The study was structured within the framework of the descriptive scanning model based on the quantitative research method. The study group consists of a total of 582 high school students (331 girls, 251 boys) studying in secondary schools in Van province in the 2024–2025 academic year and who voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected through the Demographic Information Form, UF/EMI Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Trait Hope Scale, Narcissistic Personality Inventory and International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The Oxford Happiness Scale data were excluded from the analysis due to its low reliability level. Since the normal distribution assumption could not be provided, non-parametric statistical techniques such as Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Spearman correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the data. According to the research findings, the critical thinking and academic self-efficacy levels of the students were found to be in the medium-high range. It was observed that the critical thinking tendency levels of female students were significantly higher than male students, while male students scored higher in academic self-efficacy, social status and technical skills, and narcissism levels. The academic self-efficacy and narcissism levels of students who do regular sports were found to be higher. The presence of individuals who do sports in the family positively affected the academic self-efficacy, hope and narcissism levels of the students. In addition, having internet material significantly increased the levels of critical thinking, happiness, narcissism and physical activity. According to the grade level, significant differences were found only in the cognitive applications sub-dimension of academic self-efficacy, the authority dimension of narcissism and physical activity levels. These findings indicate that the cognitive, affective and physical competence levels of high school students; It is revealed that it is significantly affected by variables such as gender, class level, sports habits and environmental opportunities. It has been observed that the individual characteristics and environmental conditions of the students play a determining role in their psychological and physical characteristics. It is expected that the results obtained from the research will contribute to the planning of school-based psychosocial intervention programs that will support personal and academic development during adolescence and will be a guide in terms of individualized approaches in education and the promotion of physical activity.