E-Learning Anxiety and Its Impact on Academic Performance of Students

Abstract

E-learning has become an integral component of higher education delivery, yet the psychological challenges it introduces particularly e-learning anxiety remain insufficiently understood within developing country contexts. This quantitative, survey-based study investigates the impact of e-learning anxiety on the academic performance of undergraduate students enrolled in social sciences programs at a public university. A sample of 180 undergraduate students was selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising the E-Learning Anxiety Scale (ELAS) and self-reported cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) as the measure of academic performance. Descriptive analysis revealed that a substantial proportion of students experience moderate-to-high levels of e-learning anxiety across three dimensions: technophobia, online communication anxiety, and digital assessment anxiety. Mean anxiety scores were notably elevated among first-year students and female respondents. The findings indicate that e-learning anxiety is a prevalent and practically significant psychological barrier to academic achievement in online learning environments.