The Relationship Between Optimism and Adversity Quotient (AQ) in High School Students Participating in Extracurricular Activities

Abstract

One of the common issues encountered in schools is students' difficulty in coping with and avoiding pressure, known as adversity quotient (AQ). Pressure can arise from assignments, organizational activities, extracurricular lessons, and so forth. Students often struggle due to a lack of optimism, characterized by feelings of despair and fear of stepping out of their comfort zones. This research aims to identify the relationship between optimism and adversity quotient among high school students participating in extracurricular activities. The sampling technique employed was Simple Random Sampling, with 325 extracurricular students as research respondents. A quantitative method was utilized, employing the Optimism Scale (OS) with a reliability of 0.911 and the Adversity Quotient Scale (AQS) with a reliability of 0.840 as measurement tools. Hypothesis testing was conducted using the parametric analysis technique of Spearman's rho correlation through SPSS 25.0 for Windows software, yielding a correlation (r) of 0.708 and a significance value (p) of 0.000. The research results indicate a significant relationship between optimism and adversity quotient (AQ) among students engaged in extracurricular activities. It is hoped that this study can provide students with an understanding of the pivotal role of optimism in enhancing AQ.