Anxiety Levels and Academic Achievement Among Junior Secondary School Students in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria

Test and academic anxiety represent significant barriers to educational achievement among secondary school students in Nigeria, particularly in states such as Plateau where social tensions and resource constraints in schools compound psychological stressors. This study examines the relationship between anxiety levels and academic achievement among junior secondary school students in Plateau State. A descriptive correlational design is adopted with 270 students from six junior secondary schools in Jos and Barkin Ladi selected through cluster sampling. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and end-of-term cumulative grade point averages are used as measurement instruments, alongside a demographic questionnaire. SPSS is used for Pearson correlation and independent samples t-test to compare anxiety and achievement across gender and school type. Available educational psychology literature from North Central Nigeria identifies family conflict, insecurity exposure, and academic competition pressure as the dominant anxiety antecedents in adolescents, with a curvilinear relationship between anxiety and academic performance consistent with the Yerkes-Dodson Law. The Cognitive Interference Theory and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Theory provide the analytical frameworks. Findings are expected to confirm a significant negative correlation between high trait anxiety and academic achievement, with implications for counselling service deployment in Plateau State schools and teacher training on anxiety-sensitive instructional practices. Keywords: anxiety, academic achievement, junior secondary school, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.