Relationship between academic adjustment and psychological well-being of senior secondary schools’ students in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Academic adjustment plays an important role in students’ psychological development because the ability to cope with academic demands may influence their self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and independent functioning. This study investigated the relationship between academic adjustment and psychological well-being among senior secondary school students in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the relationships between academic adjustment and self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and autonomy. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised senior secondary school students in public schools across Adamawa State, while a sample of 300 students was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using Academic Adjustment and Psychological Well-Being questionnaires, which were validated and tested for reliability. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant positive relationships between academic adjustment and self-acceptance (r = 0.456, p < 0.05), positive relations with others (r = 0.476, p < 0.05), and autonomy (r = 0.395, p < 0.05). The study concluded that effective academic adjustment contributes positively to important dimensions of students’ psychological well-being. It was recommended that schools should strengthen counselling programmes, promote supportive teacher-student relationships, and provide opportunities that encourage students’ self-management and independent learning skills.