Academic Stress, Resilience, Peer Relation, and Teacher Support as Predictors of Undergraduates’ Academic Confidence

Abstract

Globally, finding the predictors for undergraduates' mental health through academic success is critical for fostering youth to become productive citizens as adults. The study therefore addresses the predictive power of academic stress, resilience, peer relation, teacher support, and parental involvement on academic confidence among undergraduates in at Babcock University Ilishan, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design of an ex-post facto type. Two research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were collected using five standardized instruments. Research questionnaires were administered to three hundred (300) undergraduates at Babcock University. Data was analysed using Multiple Regression statistical methods. The findings of this study indicated that academic stress, resilience, peer relation, and teacher support are significant predictors of undergraduates’ academic confidence (R = .545; R² = .297; Adj. R² = .291; F _{(1, 296)} = 33.459; p <.05). Also, resilience (β= .110; t-value = 2.170), academic stress (β= .107; t-value = 1.817), peer relation (β= .083; t-value = 1.737), and teacher support (β= .100; t-value = 1.808)  are potent factor to the prediction of undergraduates’ academic confidence. However, the most potent predictor is resilience. It was therefore concluded that concluded that an increase in undergraduates' wellbeing through adequate teacher support, positive peer relation and academic stress may lead to enhanced academic resilience, which may also promote a meaningful and fulfilled life academically. It was recommended that since an increase in undergraduates' wellbeing through adequate teacher support, positive peer relation and academic stress may lead to enhanced academic resilience, which may also promote a meaningful and fulfilled life academically.

Keywords: Academic stress, resilience, peer relation, teacher support, parental involvement, academic confidence, undergraduates