The influence of social capital on college students’ academic adaptation: the mediating role of positive emotional experience

These findings support social capital theory and broaden-and-build theory, revealing a synergistic mechanism whereby external social support resources enhance students' positive emotional experiences, which in turn promote academic adaptation. Practically, universities should foster strong teacher-student and peer support networks while implementing interventions to cultivate positive emotions, thereby leveraging both pathways to improve students' adaptation to academic life.