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Vol. 16 No. 2 Dec, 2018 .| Management and Science University
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Anxiety and Academic Achievement among Undergraduate
Students
Khairunisa Amalina Binti Kaswadi, Aakriti Malik & Ooi Boon Keat
School of Education and Social Sciences, Management and Science University
Abstract
Undergraduate studies are a challenging time for students to adapt to the multi-functional roles and
responsibilities of a university life. Research worldwide indicates undergraduate students to experience
high levels of stress, depression and anxiety thus affecting their academic performance. Studies in Malaysia
with respect to understanding the relationship between anxiety levels and academic achievement are
sparse. The current study sought responses from a preliminary sample of 100 undergraduate students
consisted of 50 males and 50 females on their cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and Beck’s Anxiety
Inventory. The results suggested girls to have slightly higher levels of anxiety when compared to boys. Both
boys and girls were found to have moderate levels of anxiety as indicated by BAI. A mild negative
relationship was found between anxiety levels and academic achievement. The findings highlight the need
for preventive mental health measures in universities catering to the growing academic and personal
demands on students thereby facilitating students with coping and life skills.
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Introduction
According to the World Health Organisation’s global estimates (2017), the total estimated number
of people living with anxiety disorders in the world is 264 million. Across the countries, women suffer more
from anxiety disorders than men (4.6% compared to 2.6%). With regards to Malaysia Siti Fatimah Kader
Maideen et al (2015) found a prevalence of 8.2% of anxiety disorders in a population sample of 1556
Malaysians, with prevalence being higher in women than men. In a report by the National Health Morbidity
Survey (2015) 29% of population of Malaysia consisting of children aged 16 and above were found to be
suffering from mental illnesses; of which anxiety and depression were cited as the primary problems
among students.
Studying as an undergraduate in a university requires a strong commitment and dedication from
a student. It comes at a cost of living away from the comfort of home and family and taking responsibilities
of an adult. Research has found various factors contributing to the stress which undergraduate and
graduate students suffer from. These causes are both academic and non-academic, including socio-cultural,
environmental, and psychological attributes (Brand and Schoonheim-Klein, 2009). While research in the
area of stress and academic performance has interested many (Kumar et al, 2014; Bedewy & Gabriel, 2015)
the consequences of stress in terms of anxiety, depression, panic attacks and their relationship with
academic performance deserves attention.
The American Heritage Medical (2007, p.38) has defined anxiety as “a state of intense
apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often
to a degree that normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted”. According to American
Psychiatric Association (2013), fear and anxiety are the basis of the various anxiety disorders. Anxiety
affects both the mind and the body in its entirety. The physiological symptoms include shortness of breath,
dizziness, muscle tension, palpitations and increased heart rate. At a cognitive and emotional level, anxiety
leads to restlessness, fear of impending doom, fear of embarrassment, humiliation and even death. In an
alarming news article by Brown (2016), it was reported that the American College Health Association
(2015) found one in six college students to be diagnosed or treated with anxiety. Of the students identified,
approximately 21 per cent reported anxiety to have affected their academic performance, in the form of
lower grade on an exam or project, doing an incomplete work or drop out from the course. With respect to
South East Asia, Josephine et al (2006) stated in a research whereby a web based survey assessing
depression, stress and anxiety was distributed in first year tertiary students of education in Hong Kong.
The results showed that of the 7915 respondents, 41% were found to have anxiety ranging from moderate
to severe.
Saravanan and Wilks (2014) studied the prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical
students of a private Malaysian University. Using the Student Life Stress Inventory and the Depression,
Anxiety and Stress scale they found that from a total of 358 students, 44 per cent (i.e. 158 students) were
anxious and 34.9 per cent ( i.e. 125 students) were depressed. Further, females compared to males were
found to be more anxious and stress among students was found to be a predictor of depression and anxiety.
In another study conducted on the Malaysian Subcontinent, Teh et al (2015) assessed the
prevalence of depression, stress and anxiety among the undergraduate students of Melaka Manipal Medical
College. Utilising the Depression Anxiety and Stress scale, they found that from a total of 397
undergraduates, 55.5 percent suffered from anxiety, followed by 30.7 from depression and 16.6 per cent
ranging from a moderate to severe level.
Studies with regards to students have specifically assessed the impact of test anxiety experienced
by students on their academic performance. McDonald (2001) defined test anxiety as the experiences of
marked psychological distress when faced with evaluative situation. Balogun, Balogun and Onyencho
(2017) conducted a research on 393 students in Nigeria, Africa to determine the moderating role of
achievement motivation between test anxiety and academic performance. The results suggested test
anxiety to have a negative impact on academic performance and achievement motivation to have a positive
impact.
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As indicated, most of the studies in the Malaysian subcontinent have looked at stress, depression
and anxiety as collective variables wherein it’s difficult to delineate the factors contributing individually to
each of them. Depression has been significantly associated with anxiety disorders as found by many studies
(Kessler et al, 2005, 2010; Alono & Lepine, 2007). The current research aims at understanding the
relationship between anxiety and academic performance among undergraduate students.
Methodology
This preliminary study aimed to determine the gender differences on level of anxiety and academic
achievement (CGPA) among the students of a private university in Malaysia. Further, an attempt was made
to understand the relationship between level of anxiety and academic achievement. The research was
conducted in a private university where English is the medium of instruction and caters to children from
diverse backgrounds. Undergraduates being a phase of immense stress and challenges was considered as
an appropriate stage to assess the anxiety levels of students. The students identified for data collection
were from both Diploma and Bachelors courses. Since the study primarily aimed to assess anxiety levels
and academic achievement across undergraduates, the courses students pursued were across different
faculties and departments of the university. The university has approximately 15 thousand students in
total. A preliminary sample of 100 students undergraduate students comprised of 50 males and 50 females
representative of the population was selected. Students participating in the study aged from 18 years to
23 years.
With respect to operational definitions, academic achievement in the current study referred to a
student's success in meeting short- or long-term goals in education. This information was sought by asking
students to record their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Anxiety, in the current research was
defined as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes in the
body” (Kazdin, 2000). The symptoms of anxiety, pertaining to the physiology, were assessed by Beck’s
Anxiety Inventory.
Students wishing to participate in the study submitted their names to the researcher. Following
that, the targeted students were selected through a draw of lots. They were then asked to sign an informed
consent, a form seeking their basic demographic details and cumulative CGPA which was followed by them
responding to BAI. With respect to the scoring of the BAI, the scores were divided into three categories.
Scores ranging from 0-21 were designated to have low levels of anxiety, scores in the range of 22-35 were
marked as having moderate levels of anxiety and score higher than 35 fell in the category of ‘potential cause
of concern’, implying a severe level of anxiety. The study was carried out in the middle of the semester.
Instruments
This study used Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to obtain self- report measure of anxiety consisting
of 21 statements. The scores are on a scale value of 0 (not at all) to 3 (severely). Higher total scores indicate
more severe anxiety symptoms. It can be administered to individuals aged 17 years and above. It was
specially designed to measure clinical anxiety and found to minimize the overlap between depression and
anxiety, traditionally seen in various anxiety scales (Beck, 1988; Wetherell & Arean, 1997; Osman et al,
1997). Internal consistency for the BAI on Cronbach’s alpha is 0.92 with rest-retest reliability of 0.75. With
regards to validity, BAI was found to be moderately correlated with the revised Hamilton Anxiety Rating
Scale 0.51, and mildly correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 0.25 (Beck et al., 1988).
Results
The results obtained showed three main objectives from this study which are the overall level of
anxiety, the comparative analysis according to gender differences and the correlation of anxiety with
academic achievement among the undergraduate students. Table 1 shows the level of anxiety according to
the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory classification of three levels. The results indicated only 18% the students had
high anxiety level and this occurred more among female than male. In total, about half of the student
respondents scored low anxiety level whereby males (n=27) were slightly more than females (n=24).
Vol. 16 No. 2 Dec, 2018 .| Management and Science University
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While 31 respondents obtained scores at the moderate anxiety level whereby not much different in term
of student number.
Table 1: The Anxiety Level of Beck’s Anxiety Inventory
BAI- Anxiety Level
Male
n %
Female
n %
Total (N=100)
N %
Low (0-21)
27 54
24 48
51 51
Moderate (22-35)
16 32
15 30
31 31
High (36 and above)
7 14
11 22
18 18
Table 2 depicts gender differences in term of anxiety scores. The overall mean score was found to
be 22.25 and standard deviation 14.46. Girls had got higher mean scores on the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory
in which Mean= 23.54, SD = 15.55 compared with boys who had scored average Mean = 20.96, SD = 13.76.
Though the difference of BAI mean scores by gender was 2.85, however the difference was not significant.
The analysis of compare means showed no significant difference between the means of boys and girls on
BAI scores in which t = -0.891, p<0.375.
Table 2: The Difference of Beck Anxiety Inventory Mean Scores by Gender
Gender
Male
Mean SD
Female
Mean SD
T
p
Total score on BAI
20.96 13.758
23.54 15.155
-.891
.375
Significant level p < 0.05.
Correlation analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between the total anxiety
score on BAI and academic achievement among the respondents. It was found to be significant at 95 per
cent confidence interval. The correlation shows strong relationship between anxiety level and the
academic achievement with r = 0.885, p = 0.015. This relationship seems to be positively correlated
whereby the higher the level of anxiety, the better the achievement in term of CGPA.
Table 3: Relationship on Level of Anxiety and Academic Achievement among Students
N=100 Mean SD r p
Total score on BAI & 22.25 14.458 0.885 0.015
Academic Achievement (CGPA) 3.30 0.358
Significant level p < 0.05.
Vol. 16 No. 2 Dec, 2018 .| Management and Science University
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Discussion
The findings indicated no significant difference between the total scores on anxiety between boys
and girls. Nonetheless the girls were slightly higher than that of boys. However, with respect to the level of
anxiety (as seen by the total anxiety score on BAI) it can be seen that males expressed themselves as
experiencing low levels of anxiety (0-21) on BAI) whereas females experienced moderate levels of anxiety
as assessed on BAI (22-35). The disparity of anxiety level experienced between the males and the females
in the current sample supports the previous research suggesting that women experience higher levels of
anxiety when compared to men (Saravanan and Wilks, 2014; Wani, 2016). There can be many factors
contributing in females having higher levels of anxiety when compared to males. Research in the area of
anxiety with regards to undergraduates either focuses on specific factors in the anxiety for example test
anxiety or the diagnosis received by the students on the anxiety spectrum disorders. A recent review by
Remes, Brayne, Rianne and Lafortune (2016) found the prevalence of anxiety disorders in women to be 5.2
to 8.7% worldwide, thus suggesting that women are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than men.
While the current research found girls to have higher levels of anxiety on BAI, it is essential to work on
preventive measures so as to equip them with the necessary skills to deal with stressors in life.
The level of anxiety for the total sample was found to be 22.25 which lies at the bor derline of
moderate to low level of anxiety on BAI. Innumerable reasons can be responsible for students to have such
relevant levels of anxiety regardless of the gender. This level of anxiety would have come from their normal
daily tasks and responsibility pursuing studies, family concerns, pressure of studies, coping with college
environment, managing finances, food and studies by themselves, finding friends and sustaining
friendships.
With respect to the relationship between anxiety level and academic achievement, a strong
positive correlation was found between the two variables as shown in table 3. While it is difficult to
conclusively comment on the association in this sample, the correlation indicates the more students felt
anxious, the better the achievement in their academic. This relationship was relevant whereby the overall
anxiety of students is at the borderline of low and moderate level. According Yerkes and Dodson’s inverted-
U hypothesis, when the anxiety level has reached the optimal point, the performance would be declining.
The state anxiety of the students in this study might be in the adaptable state where the optimal point of
anxiety of students was not made. The association of anxiety on academic achievement could be inversing
when the anxiety level of students was high or crossed the optimal point. In other words, the higher the
level of anxiety experienced by a student the more effort and concentration would be involved to make sure
their academic achievement is well performed. According to Cassady (2002), a moderate level of anxious
physiological arousal may be desirable to have an apposite results. Greater arousal may cause to an
incompetence to attend the task at hand because the physiological disturbances are striking (Geen, 1980).
This probably can be explained that anxiety could be one of the pushing factors of academic achievement.
In spite of the association, the anxiety among the students were still moderate and low which are
manageable levels.
Limitations and Recommendations
Since the present study was limited to getting the preliminary circumstances of one private
university. The findings of the study though important but restrict the generalization of data from other
private and public universities. A larger scale of cross-sectional study should be conducted at the particular
university before expanding to consider compare and contrast the anxiety level of students between public
and private universities. Additionally, the current study utilised Beck’s Anxiety Inventory as a tool to assess
anxiety level of students. Despite of being a standardized instrument, the tool primarily assesses the
somatic symptoms of anxiety and feelings of tension thereby negating the cognitive (or thoughts) domain
pertaining to anxiety. Research in future could perhaps study aspects of anxiety by specifically targeting
state or trait anxiety aspects or a holistic view of anxiety supported by a mixed method design. Further, to
understand the effect of anxiety on student’s academics, a comparative analysis within diploma and
bachelors students or within different courses shall prove beneficial.
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Conclusion
The current research is an attempt to understand the relationship between anxiety levels and
academic achievement among undergraduate students and has highlighted some essential findings. With
respect to gender, girls were found to have slightly higher level of anxiety compared to boys on BAI. The
level of anxiety of both boys and girls were found to be at a moderate level suggesting presence of some
factors, of being an undergraduate, commonly affecting both the genders. Lastly, the mildly inverse
relationship between the anxiety level and academic achievement of students suggests possible role of
anxiety in poor academic performance of students. The findings of this preliminary study sensitizes the
students, parents, academicians, managements and policy makers, in the field of education, highlighting the
growing need of undergraduate students for mental health support and well- being. It focuses on equipping
students, through hands-on workshops, recreational opportunities, and awareness and life skills programs,
with the necessary skills to adapt and deal with the changes in academic and personal lives.
Vol. 16 No. 2 Dec, 2018 .| Management and Science University
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