Critical factors influencing academic stress on B-school students: a structural equation modelling approach

The purpose of this study is to examine the critical factors that influence stress among students pursuing post-graduate management courses. A convenient sampling technique has been used and data were collected from students studying in different management institutes located in and around Chennai. A conceptual model was developed based on the previous literature and expert opinions. The PLS-SEM technique was applied for model validation and data analysis. The study investigates the significant positive relationships between students' future anxiety, the complexity of management education (CME), courserelated challenges, assessment and evaluation techniques (AET), personal problems, and poor academic conditions (PAC) with academic stress. The results reveal that future anxiety has a strong influence on the academic stress of the students followed by course-related challenges (CRC) and assessment and evaluation techniques. The study also revealed that poor academic conditions have the least impact on academic stress followed by personal problems of the students and the complexity of management education. Academic stress has been shown to be a critical issue for students. Hence, there is a need to formulate effective strategies to mitigate its effects.