The effect of sports on university students' perceptions ofpsychological capital

Universities are crucial institutions that build the future of society through the individuals they educate. University students, expected to constitute the qualified workforce of a society, are among the significant power resources of their country. An individual's awareness of their potential, understanding of who they are, and recognition of their strengths are components of their psychological capital. Individuals with high psychological capital approach life's challenges with more optimism, hope, confidence, and psychological resilience. Therefore, the psychological capital of university students is important for the future of society. Sports have the potential to enhance characteristics such as psychological resilience, perseverance, patience, and determination, which are considered components of psychological capital. Hence, university students need sports experiences to develop their psychological strengths and address their weaknesses. For this reason, investigating the impact of sports on university students' perceptions of psychological capital is crucial. A correlational survey model, a quantitative research method, was used to conduct the study. Considering adequate population and sample size calculation formulas, a quota sample of 242 students engaged in sports and 242 students not engaged in sports from Fırat University was selected, totaling 484 participants. In addition to the Personal Information Form, the "Psychological Capital Perception Scale," assumed to reveal the relationship between sports and psychological capital, was used in the research. T-tests, ANOVA tests, and Tukey tests were employed to analyze the data. It was determined that the students' average total score on "Psychological Capital" was x̄= 60.31 within a scale of 57.9-71.4, indicating a high level. Within the main hypothesis of the study, a highly significant and positive relationship was found between sports and psychological capital. When examining the total scores obtained from the Psychological Capital Perception Scale, the differences between groups based on gender, faculty, and years of sports participation were statistically significant at a high level. In conclusion, a highly significant and positive relationship was found between students' Psychological Capital Perception and the sports variable, and it was determined that as the variable of years of sports participation increased, the levels of Psychological Capital Perception also increased.