ABSTRACT

This study investigated anxiety and goal orientation as correlates of academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among university undergraduates in South-East, Nigeria. Twelve research questions and twelve null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The sample for the study consisted of 1,804 second year University undergraduates drawn from a population of 9,024 University undergraduates with very low and very high academic self-efficacy and school adjustment respectively in federal universities in South-East. Four instruments namely: Students’ Anxiety Identification Questionnaire (SAIQ), Students’ Goal Orientation Questionnaire (SGOQ), Students’ Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SASQ) and Students’ School Adjustment Questionnaire (SSAQ), were developed by the researcher and validated by three experts: one from Psychology, one from Guidance and Counselling and another from Measurement and Evaluation; all from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. The items of the four instruments were subjected to construct validity by analysing the original items factorally. Cronbach Alpha statistics were used in computing the data collected and the reliability estimates obtained were 0.81 for SAIQ, 0.80 for SGOS, 0.67 for SASQ and 0.88 for SSAQ. The data obtained through the administration of the instruments were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to answer research questions. Linear regression was used to test null hypotheses 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12 while multiple regressions were used to test null hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 at 0.05 level of significance. Scheffe test was also done for a step-wise comparison of the means for research questions/hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 to determine the direction of the relationship. The study revealed the following findings: There was significant and positive relationship among anxiety levels (low, moderate and high), school adjustment and academic self-efficacy among the respondents. Moderate anxiety had the highest percentage contribution of 51.92%; followed by low anxiety which predicted 34.35% and lastly high anxiety with 13.73% of school adjustment and academic self-efficacy of the respondents; There was significant positive relationship among goal orientation, school adjustment and academic self-efficacy of the respondents; There was significantly positive relationship among gender, anxiety levels (low, moderate and high), school adjustment and academic self-efficacy of the respondents. Gender influence on high anxiety had the highest percentage contribution of 40.58%; followed by moderate anxiety which predicted 38.72% and lastly low anxiety with 20.69% of school adjustment and academic self-efficacy of the respondents; There was no significant positive relationship among gender, goal orientation and a combination of school adjustment and academic self-efficacy of the respondents. Among the educational implications was that the study could provide supportive frameworks from which one can explore the relationship existing among anxiety, goal orientation, academic self-efficacy and school adjustment among university undergraduates. It was thus recommended that parents or guardians and lecturers should educate their children/students on the relationships that could exist among anxiety, goal orientation, academic self-efficacy and school adjustment.