An empirical study of the influence of individual-related factors on undergraduates' academic burnout: Malaysian context

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perfectionism, self-efficacy, coping strategies and academic burnout among Malaysian undergraduates in higher education institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 251 respondents who were public and private university undergraduates. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to investigate the influences of coping strategies, perfectionism and self-efficacy on academic burnout among undergraduates.

Findings

The results showed that all independent variables, namely coping strategies, perfectionism and self-efficacy are statistically correlated to academic burnout.

Research limitations/implications

This article provides an empirical framework for explaining the academic burnout of undergraduates’ based on the review of related career works of literature.

Practical implications

To provide insights in order to improve understanding of existing stress models and provide practical implications for local higher education institutions and undergraduates to reduce academic burnout.

Social implications

The study seeks to enhance awareness and destigmatise the mental health issues of undergraduates, which is important to help them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and well-being.

Originality/value

This paper offers new insight to identify the predictors of academic burnout among undergraduates from Malaysian higher education institutions.

Citation

Lau, S.C., Chow, H.J., Wong, S.C. and Lim, C.S. (2021), "An empirical study of the influence of individual-related factors on undergraduates' academic burnout: Malaysian context", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 1181-1197. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-02-2020-0037