Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students

Kelemu Zelalem Berhanu; Parvathy Naidoo

doi:10.17275/per.26.32.13.3

Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students

Abstract

Many students often view higher education settings as unwelcoming or emotionally cold, which can make their academic journey more challenging. Despite growing interest in how students experience their campus environment, there’s still very little research that looks closely at how academic stress might explain the link between how students feel about their campus climate and how well they perform academically. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the intervening role of perceived academic stress in relationship between students’ perceived campus climate and academic achievement by taking the Study-Demand-Resources (SD-R) model as a theoretical framework. The study participants were 360 regular undergraduate students of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Consequently, students generally had a positive perception of the campus climate. Students experienced high levels of academic stress, since lower scores on the scale represent higher stress. The study also revealed a positive campus climate perceptions are linked to less stress and better academic performance. However, academic stress has a negative impact on academic achievement. Finally in the present study, academic stress acted as an intervening factor between perceived campus climate and academic achievement. This result validates the SD-R model's premise that stress plays a significant role in linking the interaction between resources (like campus atmosphere) and outcomes (like academic achievement). The research also adds to the theory and literature by shedding light on how students view the campus environment, academic stress, and academic success within the Ethiopian setting.

Keywords

Students’ Perceived Campus Climate, Academic Achievement, Perceived Academic Stress

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Educational Administration, Supervision, Planning and Economics (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Kelemu Zelalem Berhanu ^*
0000-0001-5397-8780
South Africa

Parvathy Naidoo This is me
0000-0001-6074-8721
South Africa

Publication Date

May 4, 2026

Submission Date

April 29, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 13, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 13 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.32.13.3

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA73UM77NF

APA

Berhanu, K. Z., & Naidoo, P. (2026). Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students. Participatory Educational Research, 13(3), 18-36. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.32.13.3

AMA

1.Berhanu KZ, Naidoo P. Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students. PER. 2026;13(3):18-36. doi:10.17275/per.26.32.13.3

Chicago

Berhanu, Kelemu Zelalem, and Parvathy Naidoo. 2026. “Academic Stress As a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students”. Participatory Educational Research 13 (3): 18-36. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.32.13.3.

EndNote

Berhanu KZ, Naidoo P (May 1, 2026) Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students. Participatory Educational Research 13 3 18–36.

IEEE

[1]K. Z. Berhanu and P. Naidoo, “Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students”, PER, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 18–36, May 2026, doi: 10.17275/per.26.32.13.3.

ISNAD

Berhanu, Kelemu Zelalem - Naidoo, Parvathy. “Academic Stress As a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students”. Participatory Educational Research 13/3 (May 1, 2026): 18-36. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.32.13.3.

JAMA

1.Berhanu KZ, Naidoo P. Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students. PER. 2026;13:18–36.

MLA

Berhanu, Kelemu Zelalem, and Parvathy Naidoo. “Academic Stress As a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students”. Participatory Educational Research, vol. 13, no. 3, May 2026, pp. 18-36, doi:10.17275/per.26.32.13.3.

Vancouver

1.Kelemu Zelalem Berhanu, Parvathy Naidoo. Academic Stress as a Factor Influencing the Relationship Between Perceived Campus Climate and Academic Achievement of Students. PER. 2026 May 1;13(3):18-36. doi:10.17275/per.26.32.13.3