Boosting human and social capital in the university: The role of seeking challenges on academic performance

Drawing and adapting the Job Demands-Resources Model to the academic context, the study aimed at exploring how students manage academic study demands by seeking challenges and adopting their human (e.g. meta-competencies) and social capital (e.g. networking) to improve their academic performance. 152 undergraduate psychology students were asked to fill out an online anonymous questionnaire, whose reliability was assessed. Analyses through four latent variables (seeking challenges, meta-competencies, networking and academic performance) were carried out through PLS-SEM, a non-parametrical approach to Structural Equation Modelling, while Bootstrap validation with n = 200 strengthened model validity. Results showed a direct, positive, significant structural relationship between students’ seeking challenges, meta-competencies and networking; moreover, the additional, indirect, presence of human capital arises in the relationship between seeking challenges and academic performance.