Self-Efficacy and Academic Stressors in University Students

Abstract

This quantitative study aims to assess the degree to which self-efficacy (the sense of their abilities by students) enables students to overcome their academic stress. A sample of 174 men and women university students (age range of 18-23 and 23-29) of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur participated in the research; data was obtained by convenience sampling technique. The mode of collecting data was online i.e. via emails and social apps like WhatsApp etc. Demographic information such as age, name, gender, socioeconomic status, family system and education was taken, besides, The General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE) (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995) and Opinions of Scholastic Pressure (PAS) scale (Bedewy & Gabriel) were utilized. Study findings suggest that there is a negative correlation between self-efficacy and academic stress which means, if an individual's self-efficacy declines, academic stress will increase and vice versa. The results have also shown that Self-efficacy is a strong predictor of academic stress. Implications were given for future studies on the role of self-efficacy in helping students overcome their stress and improve their academic and other fields of life success.