The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in the Relationship between Social Capital and Academic Hope in Elite Athlete Students

The current research was carried out to evaluate the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between social capital and academic hope of elite athlete students. For this purpose, structural equation analysis method was used. The population of research included all elite athlete students, who could win the medal in National Students Sports Olympiads held in Iran during the years 2012 to 2016. Among them, 349 elite athletes were selected using proportional stratified sampling method. To measure the variables, Mobaraki Social Capital Questionnaire (2005), Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire (1965), and Sohrabi and Samani Academic Hope Scale (2011) were used. Findings revealed that among the social capital components, the components of social participation, social support, and social cohesion directly increased the academic hope. Investigating the indirect effects revealed that two components of social support and mutual relations enhanced the academic hope through increasing the self-esteem. Calculating the fit indices revealed that the research model had good fit with data. Finally, results of research were discussed in light of the research literature and theoretical and applied implications of the results were provided.