Lifelong Learn. 2019, 9, 7-22
The Link between Anxiety and Academic Achievement among University Students of the Teacher Training Programmes
The topic of academic success is the subject of study in many different contexts, and it is increasingly becoming part of numerous professional discussions. So far, there have been described several factors, one of which is anxiety, whether in the form of the currently-experienced state or the personality trait. Although it appears that anxiety affects academic success negatively, this issue is not sufficiently explored in the Czech universities. The study aimed to analyze the impact of anxiety on individual aspects of academic success and to verify the possible practical applicability of this knowledge in the context of the concept of supporting academic success among university students of the teacher training programmes. Data collection was carried out using two methods: the self-constructed questionnaire of academic achievement and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait version (STAI-T, Spielberger, 1983). The research sample consisted of 411 undergraduate students (average age 24.68, SD = 6.26, range 19-54), out of which 76 were men and 335 women. We used the following statistical methods for data processing: Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis. The results showed that higher rates of anxiety are associated with the worst grade in the last winter semester and throughout the study, and that a lower degree of anxiety is associated with a better ability to organize the time for study, greater involvement in other activities related to study, the ability to fit among the classmates, adapting to study life, and also improving the ability to handle the overall demands of learning.
