THE INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL IN UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT

Abstract

Academic stress has become a common trend which cuts across all undergraduate students all over the world and has been found to be a major predictor of academic performance. The proposed research conducted is aimed at exploring how stress affects the academic performance of undergraduate students at the University of Gujrat (UOG), Pakistan. The nature and extent of the relationship between stress and academic performance were studied using a quantitative, descriptive survey design. Purposive random sampling enabled the selection of 150 undergraduate students (who are representatives of different academic departments at UOG). The data was gathered using a self-constructed, tested questionnaire of 25 questions on a five point Likert scale, which included academic stressors, physiological reactions, psychological aspects, and academic performance indices. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis. The results are supposed to show statistically significant negative association between stress levels and academic performance where high level of stress is related with low Grade Point Averages (GPA). The research additionally predicts that academic load, examination pressure, time management issues and money issues are the most eminent stressors among undergraduate students. The findings are part of the expanding literature on student mental wellbeing and academic achievement as well as practical implications of university leadership and faculty to create supportive academic conditions and support academic counseling.