The Causal Factors Affecting Happiness in the Study of Undergraduate Students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University

Abstract

The objectives of this study were: 1) to examine happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University; 2) to investigate congruency of the causal factors model affecting happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University based on the empirical data; and 3) to analyze the factors holding collective direct and indirect effect towards happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University using path analysis. The samples were 450 Chiang Rai Rajabhat University undergraduate students selected by stratified random sampling in their 2014 academic year. Thirty factors were used in the analysis and questionnaire was used in collecting the data. The findings showed that: 1. Happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, in overall, was found at the high level. Also, the students held happiness in the study at the high level in all aspects except the anxiety aspect was found at the moderate level. The students held happiness in the study at the high level on self-satisfaction, then followed by eager to learn and satisfaction with the study respectively. 2. The investigate congruency of the causal factors model affecting happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University based on the empirical data when considering that qui-square value appeared at χ2 = 21.34, df = 39 and the probability value was at 0.36 in which the qui-square value was different from zero without any statistical significance level. This mean that the result does not refuse the hypothesis that the theoretical model is correlated to the evidence-based data in which the goodness of Fit Index: GFI appeared at 1.00, the Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index: AGFI was at 0.97, the Root Mean Squared Residual: RMR was at 0.010, the Q-Plot graph was steeper than the transverse line, and the predictive coefficient or R–SQUARE of the happiness in the study variable appeared at 0.86 which illustrated that the variable in model could explain the variance in the happiness in the study variable at 86 persent. 3. The analysis results on collective direct and indirect effect of the factors affecting happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University were the following. 3.1 At the confidence level of .01, the factor holding the highest collective effect towards happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University was learner-centered instruction with the effect size of 0.64. However, the factors held no statistical significance towards happiness in the study of undergraduate students were student attributes with the effect size of -0.63, self-esteem with the effect size of 0.47, university environment with the effect size of -0.42, teacher attributes with the effect size of -0.28, and family attributes with the effect size of 0.12 respectively. 3.2 The factor holding the highest direct effect towards happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University was learner-centered instruction with effect size of 3.23, followed by teacher attributes with the effect size of -1.74, student attributes with the effect size of -0.63, self-esteem with the effect size of 0.47, university environment with the effect size of -0.42, and family attributes with the effect size of 0.11 respectively. 3.3 The factor holding the highest indirect effect towards happiness in the study of undergraduate students at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University was teacher attributes with the effect size of 0.53, followed by learner-centered instruction with the effect size of 0.41 and family attributes with the effect size of 0.01 respectively.