Enhancing university students’ academic self-efficacy: the roles of leisure experience, nostalgia, and positive emotions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although leisure participation has been recognized as an essential life domain that contributes to university students’ lives and education, only a paucity of research has focused on the effects of past leisure experiences on education among university students. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of post-leisure experiences and their impact on education among university students. Specifically, the relationships among memorable leisure experience, nostalgia, positive emotions, and academic self-efficacy were examined. Results of a survey administered to 389 students at a university in Singapore revealed that memorable leisure experience had positive effects on nostalgia and positive emotions towards leisure activities. Furthermore, nostalgia had a positive influence on positive emotions towards favourite leisure activities, which affected university students’ academic self-efficacy. The findings showed that memorable leisure experience played significant roles in influencing university students’ academic self-efficacy. The findings provide empirical support to the existing body of research on nostalgia.