Effects of Perceived Academic Stress on Students’ Academic Performance: A Study Conducted on the University Students of Khulna City

The study investigated the relationship between academic stress and students’ academic performance among the public and private university students of Khulna city in Bangladesh. The survey was conducted at Khulna City's two public universities, Khulna University and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, and two private universities, Northern University of Business and Technology and North Western University, for the purpose of this study. A descriptive survey design and a quantitative methodology were used. The sample was made up of 88 male and 61 female students drawn from all four of the universities using convenience sampling techniques. The demographic profile of the respondents and the key questionnaire variable responses were gathered using a close-ended questionnaire with 48 statements, and the responses were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data, and the reliability test revealed that the average Cronbach's alpha for the four groups was 0.782. From the study it was established that personal issues, physical setting issues, and examination issues have a negative and significant effect on students’ academic performance, whereas teacher issues were found to have a non-significant effect. The study also discovered no discernible differences between male and female students' levels of academic stress. The study further found that examination issues contributed the most to students’ academic stress, scoring the highest mean score of 3.08. Based on the findings the study has validated three of the five hypotheses. The research suggests that programs to lessen stress among university students are needed and that the appropriate authorities need to put them in place. It is advised to conduct more research to look into the areas where the results were not statistically significant. Further research is necessary to fully understand the complex confounding effect of stress on academic performance.