@article{article_510244, title={Contact Disturbances, Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction of University Students: A Structural Equation Modelling Study}, journal={Eurasian Journal of Educational Research}, volume={15}, pages={113–132}, year={2015}, author={Tagay, Özlem}, keywords={Gestalt,contact disturbances,self-esteem,life satisfaction}, abstract={<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:14.05pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:1.0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;tab-stops:1.0cm"> <i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Problem Statement </span> </i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">: A literature analysis revealed that contact disturbances, self-esteem and life satisfaction have been examined in different studies separately. In particular, the researchers observed that the studies conducted on Gestalt contact disturbances are limited in number. In this study, the variables of contact disturbances, self-esteem and life satisfaction have been examined all together, and their correlations with one another will be examined though path analysis in the structural equality model. <o:p> </o:p> </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:14.05pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:1.0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;tab-stops:1.0cm"> <i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Purpose of Study </span> </i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">: The aim of the study is to test the model developed in order to determine whether there is a causal relationship among contact disturbances, self-esteem and life satisfaction of university students. <o:p> </o:p> </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:14.05pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:1.0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;tab-stops:1.0cm"> <i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Method: </span> </i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> This study utilised a qualitative and relational model to examine the correlations among variables. Data for the study was collected through the Gestalt Contact Disturbances Scale, the Short Form of Coopersmith’s Self-Esteem Inventory and the Life Satisfaction Scale. The data were analysed using SPSS and LISREL programs. Students in the research group were composed of a total of 414 students (290 females and 124 males) studying in various departments of the faculty of education of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. <o:p> </o:p> </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:14.05pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:1.0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;tab-stops:1.0cm"> <i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Findings: </span> </i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> The standardised path values were found to be 0.18 and 0.75 between the contact disturbances potential variables and self-esteem, and 0.61 between the self-esteem potential variable and the life satisfaction potential variable. When the model was tested it was observed that statistically significant correlations were present between contact level and self-esteem (t = -3.42, p<.05), full contact level and self-esteem (t = -8.96, p<.05), dependent contact level and self-esteem (t = 3.14, p<.05), post-contact level and self-esteem (t = 2.35, p<.05), and self-esteem and life satisfaction (t = 8.81, p<.05). <o:p> </o:p> </span> </p> <p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:14.05pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:1.0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height: normal;tab-stops:1.0cm"> <i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Conclusion and Suggestions </span> </i> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">: The structural model developed based on the causal correlations between contact disturbances, self-esteem and life satisfaction was verified. The researcher also observed that the fit indices of the structural model developed generally met the acceptance value conditions; t values of correlations among all values were sig}, number={59}, publisher={Özer DAŞCAN}