Master’s Thesis at the College of Basic Education on “Mental Toughness and Its Relationship to Self-Image (Ideal/Real) among University Students as One of the Applications of Sustainable Development”

The College of Basic Education at the University of Mosul discussed a master’s thesis entitled “Mental Toughness and Its Relationship to Self-Image (Ideal/Real) among University Students as One of the Applications of Sustainable Development.” The discussion was held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Al-Hadbaa Hall at the College of Basic Education.

The thesis, submitted by Sarah Arkan Hawas Faisal from the Department of Kindergarten, specializing in Educational Psychology, aimed to identify the level of mental toughness among University of Mosul students and examine the significance of differences according to gender (male–female), specialization (scientific–humanities), and academic year (second–fourth).

The study also aimed to identify the nature of students’ self-image (ideal/real), examine differences according to gender, specialization, and academic year, and determine the nature of the relationship between mental toughness and self-image (ideal/real) among university students.

The study reached several findings, most notably that University of Mosul students demonstrated a high level of mental toughness. There were statistically significant differences in mental toughness according to gender, in favor of female students, while no statistically significant differences were found according to specialization or academic year.

The results also showed that university students possessed a realistic self-image, with statistically significant differences in self-image (ideal/real) according to gender, specialization, and academic year. Furthermore, the findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between mental toughness and self-image (ideal/real) among university students.

The discussion committee consisted of:

• Prof. Dr. Khashman Hassan Ali – Chair
• Assistant Prof. Dr. Anwar Qasim Yahya Al-Azzawi – Member
• Assistant Prof. Dr. Falah Hassan Ramadan – Member
• Assistant Prof. Dr. Yasser Ahmed Mikael – Member and Supervisor

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