Abstract

This study examined the relationship among self-efficacy, social support, and life-satisfaction among 1,474 students(999 students living in a urban area and 475 students living in rural areas). Using the covariance structure modeling(LISREL 8), the relationship among three constructs were investigated. There was a significant direct effect of social support on life-satisfaction and indirect effect through self-efficacy. Also, social support had a significant direct effect on self-efficacy and self-efficacy had a direct significant effect on life-satisfaction. In other words, those students who received more social support from parents, teachers, and friends were likely to score higher on self-efficacy, and those students who scored higher on self-efficacy were likely to score higher on life-satisfaction. Social support and self-efficacy are important predictors of life-satisfaction and self-efficacy was an important mediating factor of social support and life-satisfaction. Although students living in urban areas were likely to score higher on social support, self-efficacy and life-satisfaction, the overall covariance structure model was the same for students living in the urban area as well as students living in rural areas.