Introduction: Academic enthusiasm, as a key indicator of sustained learning and academic success, holds particular importance for students in demanding fields such as medical sciences, which are accompanied by high educational and psychological pressures. The present study aimed to model the effect of future orientation on academic enthusiasm, with the mediating roles of optimism and academic resilience.
Materials & Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population included all students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2022, totaling 3010 people, of which 341 people were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires on academic enthusiasm, future orientation, resilience, and academic optimism. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24 and Smart PLS 3 software and structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM) and bootstrap.
Results: The findings showed that future orientation (3.33±0.62), academic enthusiasm (3.16±0.46), resilience (3.15±0.60), and optimism (3.21±0.60). Future orientation has a positive and significant effect on academic enthusiasm (β=0.313), academic resilience (β=0.449), and academic optimism (β=0.466) (P<0.001). Furthermore, academic resilience (β=0.338) and academic optimism (β=0.265) showed significant positive effects on academic enthusiasm. Bootstrap analysis confirmed the significance of the indirect effects of future orientation on academic enthusiasm through academic resilience (β=0.152) and academic optimism (β=0.124). The research model was able to explain 54.9% of the variance in academic enthusiasm. Also, the research model was able to explain 54.9%, 20.1%, and 21.7% of the variance in academic enthusiasm, resilience, and optimism, respectively.
Conclusion: The results demonstrate that future orientation plays an important role in enhancing the academic enthusiasm of medical students by strengthening academic optimism and resilience. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating future-oriented skill training, fostering positive attitudes, and promoting academic resilience in university educational and counseling programs.