Anxiety, Metacognition, Resilience, and Problem- Solving Skills as A Predictors of Academic Achievement among Secondary School Students

Abstract

This research explores the roles of anxiety, metacognition, resilience, and problem-solving skills as predictors of academic achievement among secondary school students. Using a descriptive survey method, data were collected from a random sample of 600 students from the Amritsar district. Standardized tools were employed to measure the variables, including the Academic Anxiety Scale for Children (Singh & Gupta, 2009), the Metacognitive Skills Scale (Gupta & Suman, 2017), the Psychological Resilience Scale (Kumari & Yadav, 2019), and the Problem-Solving Ability Test (Dubey & Mathur, 2019). Academic achievement was assessed based on students’ previous class scores. Key findings revealed significant gender- and location-based differences in anxiety levels, with male and female students, as well as urban and rural students, exhibiting distinct mean scores. Metacognition also varied significantly between urban and rural students, though no gender-based differences were found. Conversely, psychological resilience and problem-solving skills showed no significant variations across gender or location. Statistical analyses demonstrated that anxiety, metacognition, resilience, and problem-solving skills were significantly correlated with academic achievement. These psychological factors collectively exhibited a significant predictive influence on students' academic performance, emphasizing their importance in educational outcomes. The findings underline the need for interventions that address these psychological dimensions to enhance students’ academic success.