Influence of Stress and Test Anxiety on Academic Achievement of Science Education Students in Adamawa State University, Mubi

Abstract

This study investigated the perceived influence of stress and test anxiety on academic achievement among undergraduate science education students at Adamawa State University, Mubi. Adopting a descriptive survey design, the research targeted a population of 429 students across four academic levels. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 200 participants. Data were collected using a validated and reliable instrument the Influence of Stress and Test Anxiety on Academic Achievement Questionnaire (ISTAAAQ) which achieved a reliability coefficient of 0.84. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were employed to answer research questions, while t-tests and Pearson correlation were used to test hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that stress is widely perceived as a major academic impediment, particularly due to workload, with a grand mean of 3.54. Test anxiety was also found to significantly affect performance, with a grand mean of 3.48. Gender differences emerged in stress perception, with females reporting higher stress levels, while no significant gender differences were found in test anxiety. Correlation analyses indicated statistically significant moderate negative relationships between stress (r = -0.587, p = 0.027) and test anxiety (r = -0.631, p = 0.039) and academic achievement. The study concluded that both stress and test anxiety substantially hinder academic performance and should be addressed through targeted support services. Recommendations include the implementation of stress management programs, expansion of counseling services, gender-responsive interventions, and reforms in academic workload and assessment practices to reduce psychological burden on students.