Social Anxiety and Academic Participation Among Undergraduates at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, North East Nigeria

Social anxiety is a prevalent and functionally impairing psychological condition among university students, limiting classroom participation, peer interaction, and academic success in ways that extend beyond simple shyness. At the University of Maiduguri in North East Nigeria, the compound effect of conflict-related trauma exposure and social anxiety on academic participation has not been previously examined. This study investigates the relationship between social anxiety and academic participation among undergraduate students at the University of Maiduguri. A cross-sectional survey is applied to 260 students from four faculties, selected through stratified random sampling. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and an Academic Participation Observation Checklist supplemented by self-report measures are administered alongside a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression are computed in SPSS. Literature from North East Nigerian university settings identifies fear of negative evaluation and public speaking anxiety as the dominant social anxiety features impairing academic participation, with conflict exposure history moderating social anxiety severity. Clark and Wells's Cognitive Model of Social Anxiety provides the primary theoretical framework, supplemented by Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory. Findings will contribute to the university counselling centre's social skills and anxiety management programme development in Borno State. Keywords: social anxiety, academic participation, undergraduates, University of Maiduguri, Borno State.