Psychological Capital as a Predictor of Students' Motivation and Academic Performance at University Level

Abstract

Psychological Capital is a developable positive psychological resource comprising hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism. This study examined its relationship with students' motivation and academic performance at university level. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 300 students in selected public and private universities in Faisalabad. IBM SPSS Version 22 was used for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. Students reported high Psychological Capital (M = 3.94, SD = 0.64), motivation (M = 4.05, SD = 0.61), and academic performance (M = 3.97, SD = 0.64). Psychological Capital correlated strongly with motivation (r = .857, p < .01) and academic performance (r = .793, p < .01). It significantly predicted motivation (R² = .734, F = 821.596, p < .001) and academic performance (R² = .629, F = 505.500, p < .001). The findings indicate that students with stronger positive psychological resources tend to remain more motivated and report stronger academic functioning.