Effect of Poverty on the Academic Performance of Students at the University Level in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Poverty prevails when individuals lack the resources to meet their fundamental needs. This study aims to explore the impact of poverty on students' academic performance, focusing on two universities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The research targeted students at the BS level in these institutions, employing a causal-comparative design. Six hundred students across all selected semesters were included, chosen through a simple random sampling technique. The study used a standard instrument utilizing a five-point Likert scale. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 students from WUB and Poonch University Rawalakot for pilot testing. The instrument's reliability, assessed using Cronbach's alpha, yielded a satisfactory value of 0.91. The Pearson correlation was used to explore the relationship between variables, while simple linear regression was used to assess the impact of poverty on academic performance. The results indicate a robust and statistically significant negative correlation between poverty and academic performance. The linear regression outcomes also reveal that poverty adversely affects students' academic performance. In summary, the findings suggest a conclusive relationship wherein an increase in poverty levels corresponds to a decrease in students' academic performance, and conversely, a reduction in poverty levels is associated with an improvement in academic performance.