The effect of leisure time on academic self-confidence in high school students playing E-sports

The rapid acceleration of technological advancements across various domains has significantly influenced leisure time orientations. Particularly, the increasing popularity of e-sports has not only reshaped individuals' leisure behaviors but also triggered psychological, physiological, physical, and social changes. Such tendencies are particularly observable in high school students, who are in critical developmental stages. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the impact of leisure time activities in e-sports on academic self-confidence among high school students. Designed as a descriptive survey model, the study involved face-to-face administration of a 31-item questionnaire to 400 students enrolled in project-based high schools in the central district of Bingöl province during the 2022-2023 academic year. The questionnaire included sections for demographic information, along with scales measuring leisure time activities in e-sports and academic self-confidence. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS programs, and significance was set at p<0.05. It has been determined that the evaluation of high school students' leisure time in e-sports has a statistically significant and positive effect on academic self-confidence (p<0.05). Accordingly, the evaluation of leisure time in e-sports affects academic self-confidence by 26.3% (β: 0.513), academic social competence by 14.4% (β: 0.338), academic reputation by 12.6% (β: 0.354), academic motivation by 11.7% (β: 0.342), and academic social satisfaction by 5.4% (β: 0.233). As a result, it can be stated that leisure time engagement in e-sports has a positive impact on the academic self-confidence of high school students.