ABSTRACT
This study investigated anxiety levels as predictors of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among University students in Abia State. Six research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. A two-stage sampling procedure was adopted for this study. A sample of 504 second (2nd) year University students was used for the study. This sample which represented about 20% of the entire population was randomly drawn from a population of 2,520 University students. Three instruments tilted “Students’ Anxiety Identification Questionnaire (SAIQ), Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ) and School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ)” were developed validated by experts in Psychology, Counselling and Measurement and Evaluation, all from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and used for the study. The data collected from the trial testing were analyzed using Cronbach Alpha technique which yielded a coefficient of r = 0.73 alpha, r = 0.83 alpha and r = 0.80 alpha for Students’ Anxiety Identification Questionnaire (SAIQ), Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ) and School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) respectively. The data obtained through the administration of the instruments were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to answer research questions while multiple regressions were used to test null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Scheffe test was also done for a step-wise comparison of the means for hypotheses. The study revealed the following findings: Anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) predicted academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among University undergraduate students to a positively very high and significant extent. Moderate anxiety had higher percentage contribution of 79.23%; while high anxiety predicted 21.73% of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment of University undergraduate students. Gender influence on high anxiety as a predictor of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among University undergraduate students is to a negatively high and significant extent. Gender influence on high anxiety level had higher percentage contribution of 51.17%; while moderate which predicted 48.83% of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among University undergraduate students. Among the educational implications of the findings was that academic self-efficacy and school adjustment of university undergraduate students depend on their anxiety levels. It was recommended that stake holders such as University Authorities, psychologists and Counsellors should create awareness and organize seminars on the impacts of anxiety levels on academic self-efficacy belief and academic adjustment.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Declaration iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables x
Abstract xi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1
Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem 9
1.3 Purpose
of the Study 10
1.4 Significance
of the Study 11
1.5 Research
Questions 13
1.6 Hypotheses 13
1.7 Scope
of the Study 14
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 16
2.1 Conceptual Framework 16
2.1.1 Concept of university students 16
2.1.2 Concept
of self-efficacy 17
2.1.3 Concept
of academic self-efficacy 19
2.1.4 Concept
of adjustment 21
2.1.5 Concept
of school adjustment 23
2.1.6 Concept
of anxiety 25
2.1.7 Gender
issues in academic achievement 28
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 29
2.2.1 Cognitive
theory of anxiety by Ellis and Beck (1976) 30
2.2.2 Social
cognitive self-efficacy theory by Bandura (1977) 31
2.3 Review of Related Empirical Studies 32
2.4 Summary of Related Literature Reviewed 42
CHAPTER
3: METHODOLOGY 44
3.1 Design of the Study 44
3.2 Area of the Study 44
3.3 Population of the Study 46
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique 46
3.5 Instruments for Data Collection 47
3.5.1
Students’ anxiety identification questionnaire (SAIQ) 47
3.5.2
Self-efficacy questionnaire
(SEQ) 48
3.5.3 School adjustment
questionnaire (SAQ) 48
3.6 Validation of the Instruments 48
3.7 Reliability of the Instruments 49
3.8 Method of Data Collection 49
3.9 Method
of Data Analysis 50
CHAPTER
4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 51
4.1 Results 51
4.2 Major
Findings of the Study 69
4.3 Discussion
of Findings of the Study 70
CHAPTER
5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 75
5.1 Summary 75
5.2 Conclusion 77
5.3 Educational
Implications of the Study 77
5.4 Recommendations 79
5.5 Limitations
of the Study 80
5.6 Suggestions
for Further Study 81
References
Appendices
LIST OF
TABLES
4.1: Correlation matrix of anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors
of academic self-efficacy among university undergraduate
students 51
4.2: Multiple
regression analysis of anxiety levels (low, moderate and
high) as predictors of academic self-efficacy
among university undergraduate
students. 52
4.3: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of anxiety levels (low, moderate and
high) in academic self-efficacy among university undergraduate students 53
4.4: Correlation matrix of anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors school adjustment among
university undergraduate students 54
4.5: Multiple
regression analysis of anxiety levels (low, moderate and
high) as predictors school adjustment among university
undergraduate students 55
4.6: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of anxiety levels (low, moderate
and
high) as predictors school adjustment
among university undergraduate students 56
4.7: Correlation
matrix of anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors
of academic
self-efficacy and school adjustment among university undergraduate students 57
4.8: Multiple
regression analysis of anxiety levels (low, moderate
and
high) as predictors of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among university undergraduate students 58
4.9: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of anxiety levels (low, Moderate
and
high) as predictors of academic
self-efficacy and school adjustment among
university undergraduate students 59
4.10: Correlation
matrix of anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors of academic self-efficacy
among university undergraduate students
based on gender 60
4.11: Multiple
regression analysis of gender, anxiety levels (low, moderate
and
high) and academic self-efficacy among university undergraduate students 61
4.12: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of gender in anxiety
levels (low, moderate
and high) as predictors of academic
self-efficacy among
university undergraduate students 62
4.13: Correlation
matrix of anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors of
school adjustment among university undergraduate
students based on
gender 63
4.14: Multiple
regression analysis of gender, anxiety levels (low, moderate
and
high) as predictors of school adjustment among university
undergraduate
students based on gender 64
4.15: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of gender in anxiety
levels (low, moderate
and high) as predictors of school
adjustment among
university undergraduate students 65
4.16: Correlation matrix of anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors of
academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among
university
undergraduate students based on gender 66
4.17: Multiple
regression analysis of gender, anxiety levels (low, moderate
and
high), as predictors of academic
self-efficacy and school
adjustment
among university undergraduate students 67
4.18: Scheffe
test on relative contribution of gender in anxiety
levels (low, moderate
and high) as predictors of academic
self-efficacy and school adjustment
among university undergraduate students 68
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The term “university education” also means the totality of general and specialized knowledge and skills that enable a university graduate to solve problems that he encounters in industry or to perform scientific research or pedagogical work within the area of specialized knowledge that he has acquired. Harvey (2014) perceives University Education (Higher
or Tertiary education) to
mean that non-compulsory education provided
through a specialist institution. The word “University” in particular is derived from the Latin expression:
Universitas Magistrorum et
Scholarium, which roughly means community of teachers and scholars, or the union
of scholars. In Nigeria, the term higher education is used interchangeably with the term
tertiary education to
refer to the advanced level of education offered beyond full courses
of secondary education (Jegede, 2012). University education offers students higher level of
academic achievement.
Achievement in learning is critical
to students’ educational attainment and this implies that academic activities
in school and their outcome might often arouse intense emotions which in one
way or the other may likely affect students’ academic self-efficacy and school
adjustment. Although the University campus is a regulated school environment,
undergraduate students still feel free and engage in lots of activities that
are social, academic and religious in nature which could sway their academic
self-efficacy. Abdullah, Elias, Mahyuddin and Uli (2018) defined self-efficacy
as the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of an
action required to manage perspective situations. In other words, self-efficacy
is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular
situation. Academic self-efficacy is the belief a student has in his or her
ability to accomplish academic task successfully (Friedman, 2008). For
instance, a lot of students tend to engage in romantic relationship on campus
and this may make the issue of “heartbreak” in relationship and other
consequences such as anger, depression and anxiety which are unfriendly to
learning and capable of undermining students’ academic self-efficacy. Finney and Schraw (2017) asserted that
academic self-efficacy are people’s or students’ beliefs about their
ability to produce desired outcomes through their own actions. These beliefs
are among the most important determinants of the behaviours students choose to
engage in and how much they persevere in their efforts in the face of obstacles
and challenges. Therefore, they also are among the most important determinants
of psychological well-being and adjustment.
Although the term self-efficacy as a
construct is of recent origin, interest in beliefs about personal control and
ability has a long history in psychology (Hall, 2017). Academic self-efficacy
may be operationally defined as undergraduate students’ belief in their ability
to attain their academic goal (Friedman, 2018). Academic self-efficacy is
undergraduate students’ convictions that they can successfully achieve academic
task and attain their academic goal(s) which will consequently lead to positive
school adjustment. According to Lahey (2014), adjustment is the ability of
individuals to develop techniques to handle stress and conflict with the amount
of support provided by their environment. The author however confirmed that
there are no such things as ideally adjusted person. The author further stated
that adjustment with university life is considered one of the main indicators
of success in university life as it is an indicator for the student’s ability
to face the problems resulting from fulfilling his academic, social and
emotional needs. By adjusting with university life, the student will be able to
form a kind of good relationships with others in the university leading him to
enhance his school achievement. The term adjustment refers to the extent to
which an individual’s personality functions effectively in the world of people
(Finney & Schraw, 2017).
It refers to the harmonious relationship between the person and the
environment. In other words, it is the relationship that comes among organisms,
the environment and the personality. A ‘well-adjusted’ personality is well
prepared to play the roles which are expected of the status assigned to him/her
within a given environment (Sabin, 2016).
School adjustment refers to the
degree of a student’s success in coping with various educational demands such
as motivation, application, performance and satisfaction with the academic
environment (Baker & Siryk, 2015). It is a process involving psychological
and behavioural change as individuals try hard to regulate themselves to
achieve balance in their new academic environment and to meet the new learning
requirements of a university (Quan, 2014). School adjustment refers to
individuals’ and specific students’ organization of their behaviour in order to
strike a balance with the school environment (Baker & Siryk, 2015). It is
the harmonious interaction between undergraduate students with the university
environment (Enochs & Renk, 2016).
University
undergraduates in Nigeria have been reported to be poorly prepared for work in
recent years (Ibrahim
Adams & Glazebrook, 2013). University students tend to be poorly trained and unproductive on the
job, and shortcomings are particularly severe in oral and written communication
and in applied technical skills (Rahat & İlhan, 2016). The
National Bureau of Statistics data (2019) posited that in Nigeria, 26.1 percent
of University graduates are unemployed and 16 percent of this population are
unemployable. In this
same report and that of Ramsay, Jones and Barker (2017), employers were
reported to complain that University undergraduates are poorly prepared for
work. They believe that a University degree is no longer a guarantee of
effective communication skills or technical competence. As a result, University
undergraduates are commonly viewed as “half baked”.
Efforts
have been made to address the problem of academic self-efficacy and school
adjustment. Sevinc and Gizir, 2014) noted that universities seem to understand
the diversity of their students and the peculiar problems that impede their
academic self-efficacy and school adjustment both academically and socially.
Hence, any nation that
refuses to engender academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among its students has failed
and could stand the risk of decay because education plays a vital
role in the overall technological and economic development of nations. Abesha
(2012) revealed four factors
such as: fear of class, lack of connection to daily life, pace of instruction
and instructor’s attitude which tends to contribute to maladjustment among
students achievement. Adeyoju (2009) recommended that orientation, skill acquisitions, workshops, seminars,
conferences and transition programmes could be used by universities in
supporting the needs and adjustment of students. Yet, the problem of poor
academic self-efficacy and school adjustment continue to persist. Parents,
teachers, curriculum experts and evaluators are worried, especially when it is
believed that if the problem of poor academic self-efficacy and school adjustment
continue to persist, it will affect the economic and technological development
of the Nigerian nation. University undergraduates appear to be facing academic
self-efficacy and school adjustment problems probably caused by academic
overload, peer group attention, financial constraints and academic achievement
drive. The factors contributing to academic self-efficacy and school adjustment
may be broad. This demands that the problem of poor academic self-efficacy and
school adjustment among university undergraduates needs to be addressed.
One of the emotional problems
undergraduate students tend to display in the university includes anxiety in
confronting test or examination. People may react differently to anxiety.
Common anxiety symptoms include irritability, muscular tension, inability to
concentrate, trembling, depression, irrational behaviour, loss of appetite, and
a variety of physical reactions such as headaches and accelerated heart rates
(Heath, 2018). All these symptoms may affect academic self-efficacy belief and
academic adjustment among undergraduate students. Again, when a student is
asked to stand and speak in front of a class, or is waiting for an examination
or test to begin the student might feel anxious. At one time or another, most
undergraduate students feel anxious in some social situations to the extent
that they may find it difficult to look into someone’s eye or talk to someone
(Maughan, Collishaw & Pickles, 2017).
In contrast to fear, anxiety involves
a more general or diffused emotional reaction - beyond simple fear - that is
out of proportion to threats from the environment (Barlow, 2011). Anxiety is defined by Putman, (2010) and American
Psychiatric Association, (2010)as
complex psychological and behavioural state. Huberty(2010)opined that anxiety which is an emotional state of a human
being during life is both life – saving and also causes many problems in the
mental life of human beings. Humans have to always express inner struggles with
different words, moods, feelings and emotions. Therefore, in terms of the
internal struggles, man uses expressions such as anxiety or worry. Anxiety is
the most important factor of mental disorders based on the theory of psychological
analysis (Ojha, 2015). Freud called anxiety emotional pain. This means the same
as if the body suffered from injury, inflammation and disease. Anxiety
according to Kaplan and Saddok (2010) is the price paid for civilization.
Mazumdar, Gogoi, Buragohain and Haloi (2013),
maintained that students' stress is an unavoidable phenomenon which is
often seen in the undergraduates identified as physical, mental, family, job
and social relationship as contributing to stress in these students which they
noted can affect their academic performances negatively. Anxiety surrounding
examination and other specific situations affects approximately 25% to 40% of
individuals with more females than males being affected (Ergene, 2013, McDonald, 2010& Putman, 2010). Anxiety interferes with school
functioning only when an abnormal level is reached, where as within normal
range, being anxious does not automatically imply worst school functioning and
indeed may to a certain extent be motivating and enhancing to academic
performance (Mazzone, Ducci, Scoto, Passaniti, D’Arrigo & Vitiello, 2007).Erica (2010) rate anxiety into four levels: mild, moderate, severe and
panic anxiety.
Mild level of anxiety is healthy
because at this level, perceptual field is heightened, pupils dilate to
accommodate much light, hearing and smelling intensified, and sense of touch is
highly sensitive. The individual is highly alert and attentive and learning and
cognition is in its best state. This stage may academic adjustment. Moderate
level of anxiety on the other hand is healthy because the perceptional field of
a person at this level is narrowed; individuals experiencing this level of
anxiety may have selective inattention. They tend to be decreased in focus and
automatism may be observed as repetitive, purposeless movements such as shaking
of the hands and feet, twirling of hair and, tapping of fingers. Academic
performance at this level may depend on the individual's ability to control the
anxiety and carry out the assigned task. Severe level of anxiety is
characterized by reduced perceptual field and a difficulty in communication.
Gross motor movements, such as pacing are characteristic of people at this
stage. Academic performance at this stage may depend on the educator's ability
to recognize such individuals and provide a safe environment for them.
Communication should be kept short and simple since communication may be
altered. Performance at this stage may be reduced since most educators may not
be able to provide such environment for the student and panic level of anxiety
is the worst and most severe form of anxiety. Total disruption of perceptual
field is present. It is also characterized by loss of ability to communicate,
loss of rational thought and total loss of conscious thinking. Academic
performance at this level could be very poor since the student will be unable
to remember exactly what he/she is supposed to do.
This study is anchored on moderate
and severe anxiety among University students. Severe anxiety denotes the
highest level of anxiety that poses high difficulty to students’ ability to
think rationally (Galassi, Frierson, & Sharer,
2017).
Individual with severe anxiety tend to experience severe panic symptoms which
may include feeling of afraid, confusion, agitated, withdraw and may find it
difficult to think clearly (DePhil,
Brilot & Nettle, 2011). Other symptoms may include breathing high
and experience of muscle tension and intense feeling of restlessness. Moderate anxiety is similar to mild anxiety as
both do not present any difficulty impediment on academic adjustment among
University students, but could become severe and overwhelming making students
more nervous and agitated (Wang, 2013).
Anxiety has become part of everyday
experiences for undergraduate students (Abdel-khalek & Alansari, 2014). There are Phobic disorder in
which the person feels irrationally afraid of a specific object or situation
and obsessive – compulsive disorder in which the person is troubled by
repetitive thoughts and actions (Kremer, 2011). Anxiety is a problem that
involves both the mind and body (Baloğlu, 2014).
It seems that undergraduate students are facing this problem today; hence, it
demands urgent attention from well-meaning educators and scholars. Huberty,
(2012) defined anxiety as a unique emotional state characterized by feelings of
distress and tension about real or anticipated threats that may manifest in
cognitive, behavioural, physiological patterns. Bell (2018) posits that it is a complex emotional
state and may influence multiple domains of a student’s functioning.
Specifically, a student may experience cognitive, behavioural, and
physiological effects. Bandura
as cited in Bong (2017) postulated that the common cognitive symptoms of
anxiety include excessive worries, concentration difficulties, memory and attention
problems. Anxiety may also be manifested through such behavioural symptoms as
motor restlessness, difficulty sitting still, and attempts to escape or avoid
anxiety-provoking stimuli or situation. Anxiety also includes physiological
symptoms, such as muscle tension, increased perspiration, rapid heartbeat,
headaches, and stomach-aches (Lopez, 2017).According to Kring and Gordon,
(2008), anxiety as a unique emotion can be viewed in both positive and negative
light. A slight amount of anxiety can be helpful as may motivate and facilitate
a student’s performance, whereas too much anxiety can be debilitating and may
hinder performance (Cheung,
2016). For example, a student can become slightly anxious before a major
examination. The slight anxiety felt can motivate the student to study for the
examination thereby boosting his/her self-efficacy to do better because of the
time spend preparing for the examination. In contrast, high level of anxiety
may interfere with the student’s ability to concentrate, process information,
or retrieve information from long-term memory. Under these circumstances, the
student is less likely to perform his or her best in the examination. Given all
of these challenges, it is common for undergraduate students to feel uncertain
about their own abilities and express frustration and anxiety over grades that
accompanied academic activities which makes burning candle at both ends
inevitable. Operationally, anxiety is the feeling of fear or panic about
existing or presumptuous threat capable of positively or negatively affecting
academic self-efficacy and school adjustment.
The notion that women are more
anxious than men is entrenched in one’s cultural beliefs and consistently
supported by research on sex linked stereotypes. Men and women typically report
differences in their general anxiety level, such as overall anxiety intensity
or expressivity as well as in the experience and expression of specific
emotions (Abdel-khalek, et al., 2014). Despite the
popular belief that women are more anxious, sex reviewers and researchers
disagree as to whether there is empirical support for sex differences in
anxiety expression level and experience. Evidence suggests that women are more
verbally and non-verbally expressive of anxiety than men; women report
expressing their fearful feelings with more intensity, more frequent facial
expressions of fear and more crying and freezing when afraid (Kring &
Gordon, 2008).
Presumably, one of the contentious
matters that have assumed significant debates today is the extent anxiety level
predicts academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among university students
in Abia State. This has led to the desire to bridge the yawning educational gap
between the State and the other States in the South-east zone. An empirical
study of this nature could therefore help minimize the undue influence of
anxiety on university undergraduate students’ academic activities in the area
and consequently improve academic self-efficacy and school adjustment.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Life in the university campus
presents lots of challenges to students. These students are leaving the nest,
and may not be quite ready to make their own way. Finding themselves in a
totally new environment, students can often feel overwhelmed. The first few
weeks on campus can be a lonely experience, as the reality of separation from
home and family sinks in. This phenomenon is called homesickness, and is a
normal transitory reaction when someone is in a new place, and without familiar
surroundings, family and friends. It can be a terrible feeling of sadness,
grief, longing, and sometimes self-doubt. Not every student who leaves “home”
experiences it, but most have this emotional experience at some point in their
school lives.
The
University campus is a regulated and challenging academic environment where the
desire to achieve academic goals is paramount to every student. Since ways to
achieving these goals do not always come easy, some students also have difficulty
adjusting to the academic demands of university. It is also possible that some
students may display frustration due to; inability to attain their stated
goals, dissatisfaction in studying a course perceived to be foisted on them,
gloomy looks due to lack of wherewithal to cater for their basic needs on campus.
These and many other associated problems can stir up anxiety in undergraduate students.
It is argued that anxiety can be productive or counterproductive in learning depending
on its intensity or level. The extent, however anxiety influences cognitive
variable such as academic self-efficacy belief and how undergraduate students
adjust to the school environment which can be a herculean task constitute
significant educational issue needing attention of researchers.
However,
some amount of arousal may have the potential to energize an individual; it may
also interfere with one’s ability to perform a given task successfully.
Therefore, the problem of this study is: To what extent do anxiety levels (moderate
and severe) predict academic self-efficacy and school adjustment of
undergraduate students in Abia State?
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE
STUDY
The main purpose of this study was to find
out the extent anxiety levels predict academic self-efficacy and school adjustment
of undergraduate students in Abia State.
Specifically,
the study sought to determine:
1. extent
anxiety levels (low, moderate and high)
moderate and severe) predict academic self-efficacy among University
undergraduate students.
2. extent
anxiety levels (low, moderate and high)
predict school adjustment among University undergraduate students.
3.
extent anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) predict academic self-efficacy and school
adjustment among University undergraduate students.
4.
extent gender influences anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors of academic self-efficacy
among University undergraduate students.
5. extent
gender influences anxiety levels (low,
moderate and high) as predictors of school adjustment among University
undergraduate students.
6.
extent gender influences
anxiety levels (low, moderate and high)
as predictors of academic
self-efficacy and school adjustment among University undergraduate students.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
importance of this study is based on the theoretical and practical significance
of anxiety levels as predictors of self-efficacy and school adjustment among
University undergraduate students. The findings of the study may support or
disprove the Cognitive theory
of Anxiety by Ellis and Beck (1976) which emphasized that problems
occur when distorted thinking patterns influence our interpretation of
environmental events. In other words, our behavior is not really determined by
what is actually happening in the environment. Instead, our behaviour is
determined by our thoughts about what is happening. Therefore, behaviour is
significantly influenced by our perceptions and interpretations of the
environment.
The
findings of this study would be of immense benefit if
published to the university authorities, policy makers, university counselors/
lecturers, students and their parents and researchers. The host University
would be provided with knowledge about the anxiety level of their students.
This knowledge would be worthwhile as the university can use it to make
policies or design programmes that would take into consideration the feelings
of the students. It would further provide the universities and their neighbours
with insight on academic self-efficacy level of its students. This can avail
the universities opportunity to understand if the students area academically
self-efficacious or not. Through this knowledge, modalities can be evolved to help
boost students’ academic self-efficacy belief.
This
study would help policy makers and developers to see the imperative need of
including or incorporating anxiety management or regulation in the curriculum.
Teaching students how to manage and regulate their anxiety would undoubtedly
help to reduce the rate of violent behavior in schools.
The
research is relevant to counsellors as it would give them the opportunity to
organize group counseling or an interactive session with students aimed at helping
them cope with their anxieties and as well inspire them not to give up even in
the face of academic failure.
The study would be of
great benefit to University lecturers who seek ways and factors that impede
students’ academic adjustment. Thus, it could be useful to lecturers to check
the ugly trend of poor performance in test and examination. Hence, students’
academic self-efficacy could be raised by various methods suitable to the
lecture, as high self-efficacy could correlate anxiety reduction.
The
findings of this work would provide parents and guardians with the understanding
that the university community is a different world of its own. Transiting from
life at home to life on university campus is not an easy task for adolescents
and young adult. Therefore, parents must prepare and equip their wards
emotionally so as to enable them face challenges in the university. This could
make students more committed, competent, dedicated, effective and set to
accomplish academic task easily for improved achievement.
This
research work would contribute to knowledge and the intellectual development of
lecturers and students in the university and would remain a reference material
and a basis for prospective researchers in the related area of the study. This
is because the researcher intends to publish this work in some local and international
journals of Educational psychology.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following research questions were posed to guide the study:
1. To
what extent do anxiety levels (low,
moderate and high) predict academic self-efficacy among University
undergraduate students?
2. To
what extent do anxiety levels (low,
moderate and high) predict school adjustment among University
undergraduate students?
3.
To what extent do anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) predict
academic self-efficacy and
school adjustment among University undergraduate students?
4.
To what extent does gender
influence anxiety levels (low, moderate
and high) as predictors of academic self-efficacy among University
undergraduate students?
5. To
what extent does gender influence anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) as predictors of school adjustment among
University undergraduate students?
6.
To what extent does
gender influence anxiety levels (low,
moderate and high) as predictors of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among University
undergraduate students?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
The
following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of
significance:
HO1:
Anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) do not significantly predict academic self-efficacy among University undergraduate students.
HO2:
Anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) do not significantly predict school adjustment among University undergraduate students.
HO3:
Anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) do not significantly predict academic self-efficacy and
school adjustment among University undergraduate students.
HO4:
Gender is not a significant factor in anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) as
predictors of academic self- efficacy among University undergraduate students.
HO5:
Gender does not significantly influence on anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) as predictors of school
adjustment among University undergraduate students.
HO6:
Gender does not significantly influence on anxiety
levels (low, moderate and high) as predictors of academic self-efficacy and school
adjustment among University
undergraduate students.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
study was de-limited to the extent anxiety levels (low, moderate and high) predict academic self-efficacy and school
adjustment of federal and state universities in Abia States. The choice of
federal and state Universities for the study was based on the assumption that
the influence of anxiety on academic activities may be felt more in these
universities than in private universities and polytechnics.
The
study focused on three selected faculties namely: Management, Engineering and sciences.
The choice of these faculties was based on the assumption that they have more population
and form a better representation of the sample of the study. The content of
this study covered moderate and severe levels of anxiety among University
undergraduate students as predictors of academic self - efficacy and school
adjustment. The choice of these levels was based on the concern expressed by
the university staff, students’ and other relevant stake holders on the
perceived influence of anxiety on academic self-efficacy and school adjustment
in Abia State. Gender was the moderator variable
Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete Projects
FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!
+(234) 0814 780 1594
Login To Comment