INFLUENCE OF SPORTS TRAINING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica 2020, Vol. XXIX, N°1, 1258-1264

DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.181 1258

I

NFLUENCE OF

S

PORTS

T

RAINING ON

P

SYCHOLOGICAL

C

APITAL

C

ONSTRUCTION OF

C

OLLEGE

S

TUDENTS

Di Zhang

Abstract

The psychological capital (PsyCap) refers to the positive and developmental state of an individual. The PsyCap of college students should be promoted in an all-round way. Therefore, this paper attempts to clarify how the PsyCap construction of college students is influenced by sports training. The research data were collected through a questionnaire survey on three colleges of Nanning, China. Through statistical analysis, the author examined the overall situation of sports training and PsyCap of college students, and explored the difference in the two factors among college students from different grades. The correlations between the two factors were obtained through stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results show that, for college students, the number of exercise times per week, the duration of each exercise, the exercise intensity, and the exercise phase are all significantly positively correlated with the total scale and each dimension of PsyCap, indicating that appropriate and moderate sports training is helpful the PsyCap construction of college students. The research results provide a new reference for PsyCap construction through sports training.

Key words: Sports Training, Psychological Capital (PSYCAP), Correlation Analysis, College Students.

Received: 18-04-19 | Accepted: 20-08-19

INTRODUCTION

Excellent youths indicate a powerful country, and the physical fitness of college students is a major issue that affects the future of the country and the nation. However, studies have shown that (Demerouti, Van Eeuwijk, & Snelder et al., 2011), currently, the physical fitness condition of college students in China is declining year by year. Strengthening physical education and enhancing the physical fitness of college students is a concern of the contemporary education community. The positive psychological ability that can influence individual behavior is called the psychological capital (Dell & Stoykova, 2015). In the face of the increasingly fierce social competition, rich psychological capital has become one of the

Department of Physical Education, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.

E-Mail: [email protected]

necessary conditions for comprehensive talents in today's society.

According to different research objects, different psychologists divide the composition of psychological capital into different dimensions, which evolves from the theory of two-dimensions, three-two-dimensions, and now to the theory of multi-dimensions. This paper adopts the classical theory of four-dimensions, which are: self-efficacy, optimism, resiliency and hope (Morgan, Dalleosso, & Bassey 1991). The questionnaire method is a principle method of psychological capital measurement. The PQC-24 scale compiled by Luthans consists of 24 items in 4 dimensions and is a widely-used psychological capital measurement tool in the world (Wankel & Berger, 1990). The psychological capital scale compiled by Ke et al. is a representative psychological capital scale in China (Avey, 2014). Synder believes that the educational level is directly proportional to the two dimensions of hope and optimism in psychological capital (Kim,

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Perrewé, & Kim et al., 2017). Argyle pointed out that the two dimensions of resiliency and hope in psychological capital are directly related to family factors (Selvaraj & Bhat, 2018). Through research, Tang Qiang found that self-reinforcement and work challenges have a promoting effect on the construction of psychological capital (Siu, Bakker, & Jiang, 2013). The physical exercise questionnaire compiled by Shanping Chen and the sports activity rating scale revised by Liang Deqing and others are currently widely-used in China and have a high degree of recognition as a physical activity measurement method (Bryan, Jakicic, & Hunter et al., 2017). By reading through relevant references at home and abroad, it is found that there are few studies on the relationship between sports training and college students' psychological capital construction. However, there are many researches on physical exercise, mental health and emotions of college students. An Yaran thinks that moderate exercise can improve the mental health of college students to a certain extent (Peter, Koivula, & Untela, 2000). Stepoe pointed out that appropriate physical activities can improve the negative emotions of college students (Luthans, Luthans, & Luthans, 2004). Through research, Yao Anquan found out that the longer the exercise duration, the higher the intensity, the more the exercise times, then the larger the optimistic factor (Bizman and Yinon, 2002). Zhang, believes that physical exercise helps to cultivate individual quality and resilience (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, & Griffin et al., 2005).

From the perspective of educational psychology, based on the above analysis and previous researches, this paper compiles a measurement scale for college students’ sports training and psychological capital, and selects college students from three colleges in Nanning, China as subjects to investigate the current status of college students’ sports training and psychological capital, then it analyzes the differences of sports training and psychological capital in terms of gender and grade, at last, the paper uses correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis to study the correlation of colleges students’ sports training and their psychological capital construction.

INVESTIGATION ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' SPORTS TRAINING

This study adopted the group sampling method and selected 1000 college students from three colleges in Nanning City to be the subjects. Gender and grade were taken as demographic variables, and four dimensions of number of exercise times per week, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and exercise phase were taken as indicators to conduct statistical analysis on the current status and differences of college

students’ sports training. A total of 1000 copies

of questionnaires were sent out and 884 valid questionnaires were returned, the effective rate was 88.4%. Table 1 shows the basic conditions of the subjects.

Table 1.

Basic conditions of subjects

Category Name Number of

people Percentage

Grade

Freshman 321 31.22 % Sophomore 230 24.32 % Junior 245 22.17 % Senior 283 22.29 %

Gender Male 431 48.76%

Female 453 51.24%

Overall situation of college students' sports training

Figure 1 shows the number of exercise times per week for college students. It can be seen from the figure that 39.82% of college students participate in sports training for 1-2 times a week, accounting for the largest proportion, followed by 28.96% of college students participate in sports training for 3-4 times a week, only 5.09% of college students participate in sports training for less than once a week. Currently, college students have not achieved the goal of doing sports everyday suggested by

the Outline of the Nationwide Body-Building

Plan.

Figure 1

.

Number of exercise times per week

26.13% 28.96%

39.82% 5.09%

Less than once 1-2 times 3-4 times

INFLUENCE OF SPORTS TRAINING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ₁₂₆₀

Figure 2 shows the duration of each exercise for college students. It can be seen from the figure that duration of each exercise of college students is relatively short, the number of colleges student whose exercise duration is less than 1 hour accounts for 79.05% of the total number of students, it hasn’t achieved the requirement of 1 hour exercise per day suggested by the Outline of the Nationwide Body-Building Plan.

Figure 2

.

Duration of each exercise

3.83% 16.22% 38.96%

40.99%

Less than 30 minutes 31-59 minutes 1-2 hours

More than 2 hours

Figure 3

.

Exercise intensity

Figure 3 shows the exercise intensity for college students. It can be seen from the figure that college students are more inclined to participate in moderate-and-low intensity sports training, 34.8% of college students choose to participate in moderate-intensity and

long-lasting sports training, and 31.98 % of college students choose to participate in low-intensity recreational sports training, and the number of college students who choose to participate in high-intensity sports training only accounts for 22.96% of the total.

Figure 4 shows the exercise phase for college students. It can be seen from the figure that only 13.4% of college students do not participate in sports training, of which 7.21% plan to participate in sports training within 6 months. For 50% of the college students, although they do participate in sports training, it has not become a regular thing, and the number of college students who participate in regular sports training only accounts for 36.15% of the total number.

Figure 4

.

Exercise phase

6.19% 7.21% 50.45%

15.65%

20.5% Regular exercise training for more than 6 months Regular exercise training is less than 6 months Sports training but irregular

I plan to participate in sports training within 6 months. No exercise training program within 6 months

Differences in college students' sports training

Differences in sports training of college students of different genders

Table 2 shows the t-test results of the differences in sports training of college students of different genders. In the table, 1 represents male students and 2 represents female students. It can be seen from the table that the average values of each indicator of male students’ sports training are higher than those of female students. There are significant differences between male and female students in the number of exercise times per week, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and exercise phase.

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Table 2.

T-test results of the sports training behaviors of college students of different

genders

Scale name The number of exercise times per week Exercise duration Exercise intensity Exercise phase

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

M 2.97 2.66 1.96 1.56 3.21 2.43 3.5 3.28

s 0.882 0.859 0.775 0.783 1.075 0.992 1.049 1.060

t 5.229*** 7.265*** 10.928*** -3.027***

Differences in sports training of college students of different grades

Figure 5

.

Average scores of the sports

training of college students in different

grades

It can be seen from Figure 5 that, for the freshmen and sophomores, there are great differences in terms of the four aspects of the number of exercise times per week, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and exercise phase; while for juniors and seniors, they tend to be stable, and the results of t-test show that there are significant differences in the four dimensions of sports training in terms of grade.

EFFECT OF SPORTS TRAINING ON COLLEGE

STUDENTS' PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

CONSTRUCTION

Current status of college students' psychological capital

With gender and grade as demographic variables, this paper analyzes the current status and differences of college students' psychological capital from the four dimensions of self-efficacy, resiliency, optimism and hope.

General characteristics of the current status of college students' psychological capital

It can be seen from Table 3 that the score of the total scale of college students' psychological capital is 3.493 points, in the four dimensions of psychological capital, the score of the hope dimension is the highest, which is 3.666 points, followed by the resiliency dimension of 3.598 points, the score of the optimism dimension is the lowest, which is 3.143 points. The scores of the total scale and each dimension are larger than the middle score of the questionnaire, which is 3 points, indicating that the overall psychological capital of college students is in a good state.

The t-test of the psychological capital of college students of different genders

Table 4 shows the t-test results of the psychological capital of college students of different genders, where 1 represents male students and 2 represents female students. It can be seen from the table that, the scores of male students in the four dimensions of psychological capital and the total scale are all higher than those of female students; for male and female students, there are significant differences in the self-efficacy dimension and the total scale.

Table 3.

General characteristics of college students' psychological capital status

Scale name Self-efficacy Resiliency Optimism Hope Total scale

Min 1 1 1 1 1

Max 5 5 5 5 5

M 3.495 3.598 3.143 3.666 3.493

INFLUENCE OF SPORTS TRAINING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ₁₂₆₂

Table 4.

T-test of psychological capital of college students of different genders

Scale name Self-efficacy Resiliency Optimism Hope Total scale

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

M 3.659 3.345 3.598 3.580 3.184 3.104 3.693 3.642 3.550 3.432 s 0.673 0.729 0.786 0.736 0.844 0.790 0.734 0.760 0.582 0.577

t 6,530*** 0.320 1.432 0.983 3,263***

Table 5

.

Correlation coefficients between sports training and psychological capital

Sports training behaviors The number of exercise

times per week Exercise duration Exercise intensity Exercise phase

Self-efficacy 0.291** 0.309** 0.385** 0.334**

Resiliency 0.191** 0.247** 0.201** 0.265**

Optimism 0.159** 0.138** 0.103** 0.176**

Hope 0.104** 0.100** 0.071* 0.132**

Total scale 0.259** 0.283** 0.277** 0.318**

Differences in psychological capital of college students of different grades

Figure 6

.

Average scores of psychological

capital of college students in different

grades

Figure 6 shows the average scores of the psychological capital of college students of different grades. It can be seen from the figure that, for colleges students of different grades, the scores of the optimism dimension in the psychological capital are the lowest; for freshmen, sophomores and juniors, the scores of the hope dimension are higher than those of other dimensions. The average scores of the four dimensions decrease with the increase of grade, and for colleges students of different grades, there are significant differences in the total scale of psychological capital and the score of the resiliency dimension.

Influence of sports training on college students' psychological capital construction

Correlation coefficients between sports training and psychological capital

Table 5 shows the correlation coefficients between sports training and psychological capital. The correlation analysis results show that the number of exercise times per week, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and exercise phase all have significant positive correlations with the total scale of psychological capital and each dimension of psychological capital, wherein, the correlation degree between the number of exercise times per week and the self-efficacy dimension is higher than those of other dimensions, and the correlation degree between exercise intensity and the hope dimension is smaller than those of other dimensions.

Stepwise multiple regression analysis of sports training and psychological capital

With the psychological capital of college students as the dependent variable, the number of exercise times per week, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and exercise phase as independent variables, the relationship between sports training and psychological capital was subject to stepwise multiple regression, and the results are shown in Table 6. Model 1 represents the exercise phase; Model 2 represents the exercise phase and the duration of each exercise; Model 3 represents the exercise phase, the duration of each exercise, and the exercise intensity; Model 4 represents the exercise phase, the duration of each exercise, the exercise intensity, and the number of exercise

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times per week.

Table 6.

Stepwise multiple regression

analysis of sports training and psychological

capital

Mode

l 1 2 3 4

𝛥𝑅2 _{0.101 0.136 0.101 0.148}

F 94.172** * 66.817** * 47.715** * 37.200** *

𝛽 0.316 0.254 0.211 0.230 0.149 0.114 0.191*** 0.152*** 0.093*** 0.087**

T 9.702*** 7.488*** 5.966*** 6.594 3.883 2.899 4.945*** 3.949*** 2.897** 2.345**

It can be seen from the table that the multiple linear regression overall test has an f-value of 37.200, and the values of regression coefficient β are 0.191, 0.152, 0.093, and 0.087, respectively, indicating that the regression equation is highly significant and has a positive influence on the dependent variable. In addition, the four variables can be combined to predict 14.8% of the total scale of psychological capital.

CONCLUSIONS

Sports is one of the important factors affecting the psychological capital of college students. From the perspective of educational psychology, this paper studied the effect of sports training on the construction of psychological capital of college students. The specific conclusions are as follows:

(1) For college students, the number of exercise times per week and the duration of each exercise have not met the requirements specified in the Outline of the Nationwide

Body-Building Plan, they have not formed regular

sports training, and most college students are inclined to participate in moderate-and-low intensity sports training, for college students of different grades or different genders, there are significant differences in terms of sports training.

(2) The overall psychological capital of college students is in a good state. There are significant differences in the psychological capital of college students in terms of gender and grade. There are significant differences between male and female students in the scores

of self-efficacies and the total scale. With the growth of grade, all dimensions of college

students’ psychological capital decrease

gradually; for college students in different grades, there are significant differences in the scores of the total scale of psychological capital and the scores of the resiliency dimension.

(3) For college students, the number of exercise times per week, the duration of each exercise, the exercise intensity, and the exercise phase are all significantly positively correlated with the total scale of psychological capital and all dimensions of the psychological capital, indicating that appropriate and moderate sports training is helpful to improving the construction of college students’ psychological capital.

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INFLUENCE OF SPORTS TRAINING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ₁₂₆₄

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