Differences in Optimism Among College Students Based on Academic Discipline

Tate Madison

Abstract

This research project aims to investigate the differences in optimism among college students by academic discipline. Optimism, hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something (Oxford Dictionary), has been linked to motivation, resilience, overall well-being, and happiness. College students tend to be an optimistic demographic, but this may drastically differ by their field of study. Certain disciplines, such as Humanities & Social Sciences foster different perspectives on future success compared to STEM, where career paths appear more structured or competitive. Fields like Business also vary given that many business majors aim to go straight into the workforce; compared to other fields, where graduate school is more common or even required for their career interests. This study will examine the possible varying levels of life optimism among students in different academic fields.

Introduction

Optimism plays a crucial role in shaping a student’s motivation, resilience, and overall well-being. In college, optimism levels can significantly influence a students’ academic experiences, career expectations and goals, and long-term success. However, optimism may not be the same across all fields and collegiate groups, and may vary vastly by academic discipline. Different fields of study equip students with different skill sets, present unique challenges and stressors, and have distinct career and further educational requirements , all which impact a students’ outlook on their current life and future. Certain disciplines, such as Humanities & Social Sciences foster different perspectives on future success compared to STEM, where career paths appear more structured or competitive. Fields like Business also vary given that many business majors aim to go straight into the workforce; compared to other fields where graduate school is more common or even required for their career interests. This study seeks to explore how optimism varies among college students based on their academic discipline.

Methodology: optimism among college students by academic discipline 

Participants: In this study, participants will be college students between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. Participants filled out a Google Forms survey on the differences in optimism among college students based on academic discipline. This survey will be completed anonymously, but will collect some demographics such as age, race, gender identity, etc., which may show differences in the data. This study received survey responses from 33 participants.

Materials: This survey was created through Google Forms. This survey consists of three parts. Part one is Demographics, consisting of 7 demographic questions. Part two is Academics, consisting of 11 questions on academic discipline, along with post-grad plans and academic confidence/stress. Part three is measuring participants' optimism, measured by the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). The survey should take less than 5 minutes for participants to complete.

Procedure: The survey was provided to participants through various means, including an online discussion board and social media sites. The survey will inform participants that it is voluntary and tell them what the study is about. In the survey, participants will first be asked for their consent to participate. 

In the first section, participants will be asked various demographic questions. In the second section, participants will be asked questions related to their academics, gathering information on their academic discipline, post-grad plans, and academic confidence/stress. In the third section, participants will complete the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), which consists of 10 statements being rated from 0-4.

Results

This survey received 33 responses from undergraduate students. Their ages ranged from 19-22 and roughly 30% being second, third, and fourth years each. The study assessed optimism using the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), which produces a total score ranging from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater optimism. The overall mean LOT-R score across all students was 14.70. Arts & Creatives had the highest mean LOT-R of 16, followed by Engineering & Technology and Health & Medical Sciences being tied with a mean score of 15. The lowest academic discipline was Natural & Physical Sciences with 13 and Economics, Politics, Law with 13.67 as their mean scores. Those with psychology as a major or minor, that being 13 of 33 participants, had a mean score of 14.47, slightly under the overall mean.

Academic Discipline	Mean LOT-R (Overall Mean = 14.70)
Humanities & Social Sciences	14.64
Arts & Creatives	16
Natural & Physical Sciences	13
Engineering & Technology	15
Business	14.5
Economics, Politics, Law	13.67
Health & Medical Sciences	15
** Psychology Major/Minor	14.57

Discussion

This study aimed to explore the differences in optimism levels among college students and how this may vary by academic discipline. There is very little prior research addressing this topic of study. These results showed some drastic varying levels of life optimism among the different academic disciplines. Arts & Creatives showed the highest levels of optimism, while Natural & Physical Sciences had the lowest. Most of the fields stayed relatively near the mean, with four of the seven fields being within 0.3 LOT-R score from the mean. The variability could partially be due to varying levels of stress, academic workload and pressure, and future career or higher education goals. Some limitations of this study include the sample size and disparities between different fields of study. Psychology majors/minors contributed to roughly 40% of the participants overall, largely due to my main source of participation being the students in this course— Psychology 2303, which may have skewed the overall mean optimism score. Arts & Creatives, Business, and Natural & Physical Sciences each only had two participants in the field and Economics, Politics, Law and Engineering & Technology both had three participants. This limited sample and the poor representation of each field may have had an impact on their optimism levels. For future studies, I’d recommend looking more into the different majors and being sure to have a proper representation of each. This could be done globally or by zoning in to specific universities and surveying their different respective colleges and comparing. Possible other methodologies for this study consists of qualitative interviews, allowing for more in depth analysis of different optimism among students, or even a longitudinal study, tracking students' optimism levels during their time in university.

References

Icekson, T., Kaplan, O., & Slobodin, O. (2019). Does optimism predict academic performance? Exploring the moderating roles of conscientiousness and gender. Studies in Higher Education, 45(3), 635–647. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1564257

Icekson, T., & Slobodin, O. (2024). When is optimistic expectation most beneficial? Optimistic expectations, conscientiousness and academic performance in a sample of freshman students. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.1007/s12144-024-07008-y

Li, J., Yang, D., & Hu, Z. (2022). Wuhan college students’ self-directed learning and academic performance: Chain-mediating roles of optimism and mental health. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.757496

Phung, N. (2021). Between Optimism and Academic Performance: Does the Subject Matter? Department of Psychology, St. Thomas University. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18608.69125

Popa-Velea, O., Pîrvan, I., & Diaconescu, L. V. (2021). The Impact of Self-Efficacy, Optimism, Resilience and Perceived Stress on Academic Performance and Its Subjective Evaluation: A Cross-Sectional Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(17), 8911. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.3390/ijerph18178911

Rand K. L. (2009). Hope and optimism: latent structures and influences on grade expectancy and academic performance. Journal of personality, 77(1), 231–260. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00544.x

Rand, K. L., et al. (2020). Hope and optimism as predictors of academic performance and subjective well-being in college students. Learning and Individual Differences, 81, 101906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101906

Rand, K. L., et al. (2020). Hope and optimism as predictors of academic performance and subjective well-being in college students. Learning and Individual Differences, 81, 101906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101906

Usán, P., Salavera, C., & Quílez-Robres, A. (2022). Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Academic Performance as Psychoeducational Variables: Mediation Approach in Students. Children (Basel, Switzerland), 9(3), 420. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.3390/children9030420

Vizoso, C., Arias-Gundín, O., & Rodríguez, C. (2019). Exploring coping and optimism as predictors of academic burnout and performance among university students. Educational Psychology, 39(6), 768–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1545996