A Quantitative Study on the Psychological Capital Among Academics at Private Higher Educational Institutions (PHEIs) in East Malaysia
Abstract
Psychological capital is an individual's positive state of mental development, defined by four core resources, including hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. It acts as an internal reserve of psychological wealth that can be assessed, managed, and actively developed to improve performance and wellbeing. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the psychological capital among academics at private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) in East Malaysia. The sample consisted of 67 academics from four PHEIs (two in Sabah, one in Sarawak), who completed the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire on Google Forms. Data were transferred onto a spreadsheet and subsequently analyzed using SPSS 29.0. First, percentages of agreement (agree/strongly agree) on perceived psychological capital were collapsed to gain an overall view of the construct. Second, Kruskal-Wallis H test was conducted to determine if there were any significant differences in relation to age and job experience, while Mann-Whitney U test was run to determine if there were any significant differences in terms of gender. Third, Wilcoxon signed rank test was conducted to determine if any of the items significantly differed from the hypothesized value of 3.5. Findings revealed that (1) a low proportion (58.2 to 68.7 percent) of academics tend to strongly agree/agree on seven of the statements, (2) an average proportion (71.7 to 79.1 percent) of academics tend to strongly agree/agree on 14 of the statements, and an above average proportion (83.6 to 85.1 percent) of academics tend to strongly agree/agree on only three of the items. Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed no significant differences in perceived psychological capital by way of age and job experience, while Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant differences in terms of gender. Wilcoxon signed rank test based on a hypothesized value of 3.5 revealed that 18 of the items were significant at p < .001, showing that their medians significantly differed from the hypothesized value and were likely to indicate strong disagreement. The other six items were significant at p < .05, showing that their medians significantly differed from the hypothesized value and were likely to indicate strong disagreement. Current findings imply that a majority of academics tend to demonstrate average to above average levels of psychological capital. In light of the findings, recommendations are made on ways to enhance the psychological capital among academics in East Malaysia.
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