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Perceived Social Support and Students’ Life Satisfaction among Selected Undergraduates of a Non-Residential Nigerian University
Abstract
Students’ satisfaction with life in higher institutions globally is essential to
their academic performance and total wellbeing. However, Tumkaya (2008)
noted that students usually feel unsatisfied with their expectations about the university life or new environment where they find themselves. To understand the influence of perceived social support on students’satisfaction with life, the study adopted the ex-post facto design using three hundred and thirtyseven undergraduates (337) selected through accidental sampling method from six faculties of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun state, Nigeria, a nonresidential university. The sample comprised of 177 (52.5%) males, and 160 (47.5%) female students, whose ages ranged from 18years to 31years with a
mean age of 23.3 years, and standard deviation of (S.D = 2.99).Four hypotheses were tested using various statistical techniques, including, correlation, multiple regression, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and T-test for independent measures. The result showed that that there was a significant positive relationship between significant other (r =55, p<0.01), family (r=59, P<0.01), friends (r = 54,P<0.01) and Life satisfaction. The result also revealed that perceived social support also showed a significant main effect on life satisfaction (F (1,325) =22.7, P>0.05). Therefore, it is important to make social support available to university students so as to help them to build a formidable social network that can enhance their life satisfaction and academic performance in the university.
their academic performance and total wellbeing. However, Tumkaya (2008)
noted that students usually feel unsatisfied with their expectations about the university life or new environment where they find themselves. To understand the influence of perceived social support on students’satisfaction with life, the study adopted the ex-post facto design using three hundred and thirtyseven undergraduates (337) selected through accidental sampling method from six faculties of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun state, Nigeria, a nonresidential university. The sample comprised of 177 (52.5%) males, and 160 (47.5%) female students, whose ages ranged from 18years to 31years with a
mean age of 23.3 years, and standard deviation of (S.D = 2.99).Four hypotheses were tested using various statistical techniques, including, correlation, multiple regression, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and T-test for independent measures. The result showed that that there was a significant positive relationship between significant other (r =55, p<0.01), family (r=59, P<0.01), friends (r = 54,P<0.01) and Life satisfaction. The result also revealed that perceived social support also showed a significant main effect on life satisfaction (F (1,325) =22.7, P>0.05). Therefore, it is important to make social support available to university students so as to help them to build a formidable social network that can enhance their life satisfaction and academic performance in the university.
