The moderating role of sports in the relation between academic resilience and academic achievement

The present study aimed to explore the relationships between the personality traits, socio-economic status, academic resilience, and academic achievement in undergraduate students. With this aim, correlational survey design was used. In line with this, the mediating role of academic resilience was examined in the relationship between personality traits and socio-economic status and academic achievement. Additionally, a multiple group analysis was performed to understand whether the hypothesized model works significantly different in gender and doing regular sports groups. The study group consisted of 225 students enrolled in the undergraduate programs in Hitit University in Türkiye. Personal Information Form, Dark Tetrad Scale, Socio-Economic Status Score and Academic Resilience Scale were used as data collection tools. The research data were analysed via SPSS 25 and AMOS 21 package programs. In descriptive statistics, percentage, frequency, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation; in comparative analyses, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA (ANOVA) with Scheffe as post-hoc test were employed. Furthermore, the significance of indirect effects was examined with the bootstrapping in the structural regression model in the AMOS package program to test the mediating effect of academic resilience, and finally the moderating role of gender and doing regular sports were tested by conducting a multiple group analysis with the Δ χ2/df test on the mediation model. Findings illustrated that male students have statistically significantly higher levels of dark personality traits (Machiavellian Mask, Machiavellian Strategy, Narcissism, Psychopathy, Behavioural Sadism and Sadistic Attitude) and academic resilience than female students. On the other hand, the average scores of participants' SES (t(223) = -0.656, p = .512), GANO (t(223)= 1.378, p = .170) and perceived academic achievement (t(223)= -0.488, p = .626) did not differ statistically significantly between gender groups. In addition, it was concluded that only the Narcissism has a significant predictive impact on Academic Resilience (b = .619, p < .001). It was also found that the Academic Resilience is also a significant predictor of Academic Achievement (b = .106, p< .001). Although Narcissism does not have a direct significant impact on academic achievement (b = .033, p = .310), it has a significant indirect effect transferred through academic resilience (b = .07, p< .001, [.025/.123]). These eight variables, which are considered under personal and social factors, explain R2 =.55 of the total variance of the academic achievement. In other words, the academic success of the students is shaped by 55% of the predictive variables included in the research model. It was found that narcissism significantly predicts academic resilience in both regular sports (b = .97, p< .01) and non-sports groups (b = .48, p< .001). In addition, it is seen that academic resilience significantly predicts academic achievement in non-sports groups (b = .16, p< .001). Finally, the results of the multigroup analysis illustrated that there was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of sports participation status. The present study is very important for educators and researcherstobetter understand therelationships between students' personality traits, academic resilience, and academic achievementin order to provide individualized learning strategies and supportive resources to identify students' strengths and improve their weaknesses.