The mediating role of satisfaction with life in the relationship between hope and academic satisfaction among Ecuadorian university students

The aim is to identify the effect that hope has on academic satisfaction at a direct and indirect level through satisfaction with life in a sample of university students from Ecuador. The method used is based on a descriptive, explanatory mediation and cross-sectional study with SEM techniques. The sample is formed by 879 participants, 79.6% are women and 20.4% are men. With ages between 18 and 67 years (M = 29.71, SD = 7.92). The students are from ten public universities in Ecuador, divided into 22 undergraduate courses. The results are that the levels of hope, life satisfaction and academic satisfaction are moderate and high. Hope and satisfaction with life explain 24.6% of the changes in the variance of academic satisfaction. Satisfaction with life plays a mediating role and explains 58.6% of the total effect of the relationship between hope and academic satisfaction. It is concluded that hope exerts both a direct and indirect effect through life satisfaction on the academic satisfaction of university students in Ecuador.