Student’s Resilience as a Mediating Variable on the Effect of Personality Trait and Service Quality to Student’s Subjective Well Being: An Empirical Study in Indonesia and Malaysia

Abstract

The salience of Students' Subjective Well Being (SWB) persists as a critical consideration amidst the pedagogical transformations induced by the pandemic. This study sought to examine the potential influence of student resilience on the interplay between personality traits and the quality of educational services in relation to subjective well-being. The investigation was conducted at two esteemed institutions: Universiti Malaysia Kelantan in Malaysia and Mercu Buana University Yogyakarta in Indonesia. A cohort of 517 students, comprising 212 Malaysians and 305 Indonesians aged between 20-30 years, actively engaged in remote learning during the pandemic, constituted the research subjects. Data collection employed an online survey methodology, utilizing the Big Five scale to measure resilience, SWB, service quality, and personality traits. The amassed data underwent rigorous analysis employing path analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) facilitated by the SMARTPLS program. The findings delineate that (1) three facets of personality traits, namely Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience, exhibit positive, direct, and statistically significant effects on SWB. In contrast, the remaining two traits, Extraversion and Neuroticism, did not manifest a statistically significant relationship with SWB. (2) The four dimensions of personality traits, comprising Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience, were found to influence student resilience as hypothesized. However, the directional impact varied, with Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience positively affecting student resilience, whereas Neuroticism exhibited a negative influence on student resilience. (3) Despite a weak correlation, resilience was observed to have a discernible impact on SWB. (4) It was hypothesized that situational factors, specifically the quality of academic services, exert a positive and direct influence on student resilience. (5) A positive and statistically significant direct relationship was identified between resilience and SWB. The implications of this study underscore the pivotal role of resilience in elucidating the nexus between personality traits and student SWB, emphasizing its role in amplifying the impact of higher education service quality on student SWB.