The relationships between perceived stress, coping skills and academic motivation in university students

The aim of the research is to examine the relationship between stress, coping skills, and academic motivation perceived among university students. Within this scope, the relationships between the variables were investigated, and whether there was a significant difference in the levels of dependent variables among groups formed based on sociodemographic characteristics was explored. Additionally, it was also examined whether perceived stress and coping skills predicted academic motivation. The research was conducted using a quantitative research method. The population of the study consists of students located on the central campus of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, covering the academic year 2022-2023. 506 people participated in the study using simple random sampling method. A personal information form containing socio-demographic variables, Perceived Stress Scale, Coping Styles Scale Short Form and Academic Motivation Scale were used in the research. SPSS 27.0 program was used to analyze the data. The data of the study were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Analysis, One-Way Intergroup Variance Analysis (ANOVA), Independent Groups T-Test, Regression Analysis, Tukey Analysis and Tamhane's T2 Analysis. According to the findings of the research, a significant relationship was found between academic motivation and coping styles. When the academic motivation averages between groups compared on the basis of gender are examined, it was seen that women had higher academic motivation than men; and when the averages of perceived stress variables were examined, it was seen that women had higher levels of perceived stress than men. When the groups compared on the basis of GPA were examined, it was concluded that academic motivation increased as the averages increased. When the groups compared on the basis of grade were examined, the highest academic motivation was found in students studying in the 4th grade. The stress level was found to be highest in first graders.