The Relationship Between Negative Self-Concept and Academic Anxiety in Students Working on Final Assignments
Abstract
The college years represent an important stage in an individual's development toward adulthood, during which students face various academic demands that may trigger psychological pressure. One form of such pressure is academic anxiety, an emotional condition characterized by feelings of worry, fear of failure, and tension when dealing with academic tasks. Meanwhile, negative self-concept refers to an individual's negative perception or evaluation of themselves, which includes feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and low self-confidence. Students with a negative self-concept tend to have low confidence in their own abilities, making them more vulnerable to experiencing academic anxiety. This study aims to determine the relationship between negative self-concept and academic anxiety among students who are completing their final projects in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at Syiah Kuala University. The research employed a correlational quantitative approach, involving 332 students selected using a simple random sampling technique. The research instruments consisted of a negative self-concept scale and an academic anxiety scale. The findings show that the majority of students have high to very high levels of negative self-concept, with a percentage of 58.73%, and academic anxiety levels categorized as high to very high, with a percentage of 48.80%. Based on the Spearman correlation test, the coefficient value obtained was 0.373 with a significance level of 0.000, indicating a positive and significant relationship between negative self-concept and academic anxiety. This means that the higher the students' negative self-concept, the higher their level of academic anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of guidance and counseling services in higher education settings to help students develop a positive self-concept and manage academic anxiety adaptively, enabling them to complete their studies successfully.
