American International Journal of Social Science

The Determination of Academic Stress Levels by Gender and Year of Study. A Case of Kenyan University Students
Laigong Beatrice Chemutai, Shikuku M. Mulambula

Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of gender, type of university, year of study and age on the level of stress among university students in Kenya. The study was conducted among Bachelor of Education students in universities located in western Kenya. The sample was 410 students with an equivalent number of male and female students. The study adopted a quantitative research design. Academic Stress Level (ASL) questionnaire was the main instrument used in collecting data. Data was analysed using t-test for the level of stress based on gender. One way ANOVA was used to determine the differences of stress level based on the year of study. The findings revealed a significant dissimilarity in the level of academic stress between male and female students. Female students were found to have higher stress level than the male students. The levels of stress also differed on the basis of the year of study with student in year three having higher levels of academic stress than those in the other years of study. Age and the type of university did not evident any significant influence on academic stress level. The study concluded that gender and the year of study significantly determined the level of academic stress among university students in Kenya. This study recommended that female students require more academic mentorship and be equipped with more stress coping mechanisms.

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