Relationship Between Personality Traits And Academic Stress Among Postgraduate Students In Pakistan

Abstract

Over the years, increased academic stress has been experienced among postgraduate students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The struggle for achieving higher level of academic performance can produce academic stress and lead postgraduate students to low academic performance.Research indicates that the increasing amount of stress poses a serious problem for many postgraduatestudents at the university level. Despite other factors like academic environment, work load and peer expectations; student’s personality traits also play an important role in the level of perceived stress among postgraduate students of HEIs. It has been observed that levels of academic stress among postgraduate students vary according to their personality traits. Personality traits have a significant role in student’s life to handle academic related issues which may lead to decline in the academic performance. Stress brings changes in the personalities of postgraduate students’ and can alter their behaviour. With regards to Pakistan, where students belong to different areas and cultural background, with below average education standards due to paucity of educated and committed teachers, therefore, Pakistani students feel increased stress due to the personality traits that they possess. The current study is mainly focusing on the relationship between personality traits and academic stress among postgraduate students of the HEIs in Pakistan