Impact of Students Anxiety on Academic performance
HSR400- Integrated Capstone
Introduction:
- Anxiety is defined as a feeling of stress, constant fear and
worries about a bad situation happening, constant thinking
about negative things that affect our emotional and physical and
may lead to disrupting our daily life (Ankrom, 2020).
- Academic performance is the measurement of student
achievement across several academic subjects through the test,
graduation rates, and classroom performance (Shahzadi, &
Ahmad, 2011).
- A study conducted by Owens, Stevenson, and Hadwin, (2012)
to investigate the relationship between negative affect, worry,
working memory, and academic performance. The findings
revealed that higher levels of anxiety affect academic
performance therefore it leads to low academic performance
and that show negative impact, and lower levels of anxiety lead
to higher academic performance.
- Another study conducted by (Agboola and Evans ,2015) to
examine the relationship between anxiety and academic
performance of international students among postgraduate
international students of the University of Bedfordshire. The
study examines if there are other factors such as culture,
environment, and language that lead to anxiety in students, and
their academic performance. They found that a high level of
anxiety leads to affect negatively the academic performance.
purpose:
This current study aims to investigate anxiety in United Arab
Emirates university students and the impact of this anxiety on
students’ academic performance. This study purpose is to
distinguish the dispersal of anxiety among students might lead
to a negative impact on learning, as well as an increase in
student absenteeism, lack of interest in studying, and lowering
of academic performance. For this reason, it is necessary to
investigate what causes student anxiety to be able to prevent
them at an early stage. The results of this study will
significantly contribute to existing literature with regards to
students’ anxiety and its effects on academic performance in
United Arab Emirates University.
Research question:
Is there an impact of anxiety on student’s academic
performance among United Arab Emirates university students?
H1: There is an impact of students’ anxiety on academic
performance.
Hind Almeqbaali, 201516518
Department of Psychology & Counseling, United Arab Emirates University
Participants: Result:
- Undergraduate students at United Arab Emirates University. - Result showed the rate of the anxiety of the students varied from a
- 36 students (33 female and 3 male) ranging from 18 to 26 years old. small percentage between moderate and high. Most of the students’
- Different majors in university. The majority from psychology majors and others from answers were in the range of moderate to high anxiety.
different majors in United Arab Emirates University. - The majority was choosing point three from the scale, which is
- The sample will be selected using a random sampling method. “moderately or sometimes true”.
- The mean of the participants age is 22, and SD= 0.8. - The majority of participants who answered the moderately or
sometimes true, and highly or usually true have a low GPA
Material: - The finding of this research is there is a relationship between
- Westside Test Anxiety Scale that was developed by (Driscoll, 2004). anxiety and academic performance.
- Measure the student with anxiety impairments who could improve from an anxiety-reduction
intervention.
- The scale is designed of 10 items, consist of six items assessing impairment, four items on
worry and dread, and no items on physiological over-arousal.
- I added four questions about student information, first question is about age, second question
is about gender, third question about majors, and fourth question about GPA.
- The Westside Test Anxiety Scale is rated on a scale of 5 points:
- Point 1 is “not at all or never true”,
- Point 2 is “slightly or seldom true”.
- Point 3 is “moderately or sometimes true”.
- Point 4 is “highly or usually true”.
- Point 5 is “extremely or always true.
- Reliability between 0.49 and 0.40, and the validity is 0.44 (Driscoll, R. 2006). - This graphs show us the total selecting for the 5 points of the
- The method used in this research is quantitative data collection method. scale that the participants chose.
- The highest total select is on “Moderately or sometimes true”. The
Design: total for all the participants they chose this item is 80 times.
- Quasi-experimental research because it’s a cause and effect relationship. - The sconed highest total select is on the item “ Highly or usually
- The independent variable is anxiety and it’s not manipulated. true”. The total for all the participants they chose this item is 75.
- Dependent variable is academic performance. - The less item that the participants chose is “Not at all or never
true”. The total for this item is 41.
Procedure:
- participants will be selected randomly.
Discussion:
- Westside Test Anxiety Scale will be administered to participants via online.
This study examined the relationship between student’s anxiety and
- The survey will be uploaded in a google document and the link will be sent to participants
academic performance among United Arab Emirates University
through social media applications.
- Informed consent. students. The findings of this study showed the majority of the student
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. have a moderate level of anxiety, the level of their anxiety increases
when they face an important event, such as a final exam, research
project, or presentation. This leads to a high level of anxiety and low
grades. There was a small percentage between two items of the scale
References: the participants were chosen, these two points are “moderate or
• - Adeoye-Agboola, D. I., & Evans, H. (2015). The relationship between anxiety and academic sometimes true” and “highly or usually true”. The moderately or
performance of postgraduate international students in a British University: A cross-sectional sometimes true was 25%, and highly or usually true was 24%. Also,
quantitative design. Science, 3(3), 331-338.
the majority of student their GPA was low and from there answered
- Ankrom, S. (2020). Top Tips for Coping With Anticipatory Anxiety. Retrieved 28 November 2020,
from https://www.verywellmind.com/anticipatory-anxiety-and-panic-disorder-2584252 we find that who choose moderately or highly their GPA is lowest
- Owens, M., Stevenson, J., Hadwin, J. A., & Norgate, R. (2012). Anxiety and depression in academic than who choose not at all or slightly. This indicates anxiety leads or
performance: An exploration of the mediating factors of worry and working memory. School affects the GPA. The finding of this research that there is a
Psychology International, 33(4), 433-449. relationship between anxiety and academic performance.
- Shahzadi, E., & Ahmad, Z. (2011). (PDF) A STUDY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. Retrieved 29 November 2020, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266736633_A_STUDY_ON_ACADEMIC_PERFORMANC
E_OF_UNIVERSITY_STUDENTS