ABSTRACT
This research work was designed to
measure the extent to which anxiety level predicts academic self-efficacy
belief and academic adjustment among undergraduate students. To accomplish this
purpose, 5 research questions with corresponding hypotheses were formulated to
guide in the proper conduct of this research. Ex-post factor research design
was adopted and both primary and secondary data were made use of in the study.
The instrument used for collecting data was the questionnaire. The population
of the study consisted of 14,178 of 100 and 400 level students of faculties of
Education, Engineering and sciences from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu
State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Awka and Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University, Uli. A multi stage random
sampling technique was used to draw up a sample consisting of 880 undergraduate
students of both gender; 544 males and 336 females. Mean scores, Standard
Deviation and Peason Product Moment Correlation Analysis was used to answer
research questions while Regression Analysis was used to test the hypotheses at
0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study showed that that
there exist a direct but moderate positive relationship between anxiety level, self-
efficacy belief and academic adjustment of undergraduate students. The result
of the study also revealed that anxiety level significantly predicts academic
self- efficacy belief and academic adjustment among male and female
undergraduate students. The researcher recommends that; stake holders
(University Authorities, psychologist and Counsellors should create awareness
and organise seminars on the implication and impacts of anxiety level on
academic self-efficacy belief and academic adjustment. University teachers
waking up to their responsibilities to students will be a good help in arousing
students interest and thus, increasing self-efficacy belief and consequently
students’ academic adjustment in the University.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
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 belief and academic adjustment. One of the
emotional problems undergraduate students display in the university includes
anxiety in confronting test or examination.
People 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, 2008). 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 students
might feel anxious. At one time or another, most undergraduate students feel
anxious in some social situation to the extent that they may find it difficult
to look into someone’s eye or talk to someone.
Anxiety has become part of everyday experiences for undergraduate
students. Fortunately for most of them, it does not entail intense suffering
endured by those with anxiety disorders of which there are three important
types: generalized anxiety disorder in which a person for no apparent reason
feels uncontrollably tense and uneasy. 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. 1994)
Anxiety is a problem that involves both the mind and body. A lot of
undergraduate students are facing this problem today hence, demands urgent
attention from well-meaning educators and scholars. Huberty, (1997) 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. It is a complex emotional state and may
involve and influence multiple domains of a student’s functioning.
Specifically, a student may experience cognitive, behavioural, and
physiological effects. 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 (Lowe & Raad, in Lopez, 2009).
According to Kring & Gordon, (1998), Anxiety as a unique emotion can
be viewed in both positive and negative light. A slight amount of anxiety can
be helpful, motivate and facilitate a student performance, whereas too much
anxiety can be debilitating and hinder performance. 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
self-efficacy to do better because of the time spent 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.
Although, the university campus is a regulated academic environment,
undergraduate student s still feel free and engage in lots of activities that
are social, academic and religious in nature which sways their academic
self-efficacy.
Bandura (1995) defines self-efficacy as the belief in ones 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, 1998). For instance, a lot
of students arguably engage in romantic relationship on campus and this makes
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 a common phenomenon.
Academic self-efficacy beliefs are people’s or student’s beliefs about
their ability to produce desired outcomes through their own actions. These
beliefs are among the most important determinants of the behaviors 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. (Friedman,
1998).
Academic self-efficacy may be operationally defined as undergraduate
students’ belief in their ability to attain their academic goal. Academic
self-efficacy are undergraduate students’
convictions that they can successfully achieve academic task and attain their
academic goal(s) which will consequently lead to positive academic adjustment.
According to Lahey (2004), 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 students will be able to form a
kind of good relationships with others in the university leading him to enhance
his academic achievement.
The term adjustment refers to the extent to which an individual’s
personality functions effectively in the world of people. 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 with in a given environment.
(Sabin, 2012).
Academic 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 and Siryk, 1999). 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. (Feng & Li, 2002 in
Quan, 2014). Operationally, academic adjustment refers to individual and
specific students’ organization of their behavoiur in order to strike.....
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