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The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design

Received: 18 March 2015     Accepted: 27 March 2015     Published: 17 April 2015
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Abstract

Aims: Anxiety has a great effect on students’ academic performance, especially among international students. Acculturation, discrimination, familiarity with the education system, weather, social support, and language limitation are among the main factors which contribute to anxiety among international students. This small scale study assesses the relationship between anxiety and academic performance of international students among postgraduate international students of in the University of Bedfordshire. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out. A non-randomised purposive sampling of n = 105 postgraduate international students participated in the survey comprising of 66 male, 39 female. The findings indicate that anxiety is significantly correlated to academic performance. Workload, choice of coping with stress, future prospect, and change in the system of education are the major types of anxiety affecting our participants giving significant relationship when cross-tabulated with gender and/ ethnicity. Also in the aspect of difficulties in focusing on their studies, more than 50% disagree showing a significant relationship when compared with gender. Anxiety is seen as a tool to explain academic performance. Hence, it is important that this is considered to make their learning experience more fulfilling.

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15
Page(s) 331-338
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Anxiety, Mental Health, Academic Performance, International Students, postgraduate, United Kingdom

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Dorcas Ibukun Adeoye-Agboola, Hala Evans. (2015). The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(3), 331-338. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15

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    ACS Style

    Dorcas Ibukun Adeoye-Agboola; Hala Evans. The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(3), 331-338. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15

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    AMA Style

    Dorcas Ibukun Adeoye-Agboola, Hala Evans. The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(3):331-338. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15,
      author = {Dorcas Ibukun Adeoye-Agboola and Hala Evans},
      title = {The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {3},
      number = {3},
      pages = {331-338},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150303.15},
      abstract = {Aims: Anxiety has a great effect on students’ academic performance, especially among international students. Acculturation, discrimination, familiarity with the education system, weather, social support, and language limitation are among the main factors which contribute to anxiety among international students. This small scale study assesses the relationship between anxiety and academic performance of international students among postgraduate international students of in the University of Bedfordshire. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out. A non-randomised purposive sampling of n = 105 postgraduate international students participated in the survey comprising of 66 male, 39 female. The findings indicate that anxiety is significantly correlated to academic performance. Workload, choice of coping with stress, future prospect, and change in the system of education are the major types of anxiety affecting our participants giving significant relationship when cross-tabulated with gender and/ ethnicity. Also in the aspect of difficulties in focusing on their studies, more than 50% disagree showing a significant relationship when compared with gender. Anxiety is seen as a tool to explain academic performance. Hence, it is important that this is considered to make their learning experience more fulfilling.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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    T1  - The Relationship Between Anxiety and Academic Performance of Postgraduate International Students in a British University: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Design
    AU  - Dorcas Ibukun Adeoye-Agboola
    AU  - Hala Evans
    Y1  - 2015/04/17
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15
    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15
    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
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    EP  - 338
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.15
    AB  - Aims: Anxiety has a great effect on students’ academic performance, especially among international students. Acculturation, discrimination, familiarity with the education system, weather, social support, and language limitation are among the main factors which contribute to anxiety among international students. This small scale study assesses the relationship between anxiety and academic performance of international students among postgraduate international students of in the University of Bedfordshire. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out. A non-randomised purposive sampling of n = 105 postgraduate international students participated in the survey comprising of 66 male, 39 female. The findings indicate that anxiety is significantly correlated to academic performance. Workload, choice of coping with stress, future prospect, and change in the system of education are the major types of anxiety affecting our participants giving significant relationship when cross-tabulated with gender and/ ethnicity. Also in the aspect of difficulties in focusing on their studies, more than 50% disagree showing a significant relationship when compared with gender. Anxiety is seen as a tool to explain academic performance. Hence, it is important that this is considered to make their learning experience more fulfilling.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Health and Social Sciences, Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK

  • Health and Social Sciences, Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK

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