A Correlation Study of Mental Health and Academic Achievement of Secondary Students

This study assesses the mental health levels of secondary students and further investigates their association with academic achievement. A quantitative research approach was adopted in which a random sampling technique was employed in which 100 class XI students were selected to represent the population. Data were collected with the help of a standardized Mental Health Questionnaire (MHQ) developed by Dr. Bano Akhtar and Sushma Talesara (2017) and academic achievement was measured by the students’ final Grade 10 examination academic scores. Descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation and percentage) was used to summarize and analyze data. Pearson correlation coefficient (Pearson r) (Inferential analysis) was used to find the relationship between mental health and academic achievement. The study revealed a significant positive correlation between mental health and academic achievement of secondary students, with an r-value of 0.648016, concluding that students with better mental health levels are more likely to score better academically. Mental health is one of the key variables affecting academic achievement and this work suggests policy makers should collaborate with schools and parents to implement programs that will help students to understand their mental health, manage stress and how to be resilient, which may benefit their mental well-being and improve their academic performance. Further investigations into the factors such as financial and social status, mental resilience and stress management strategies could provide a clearer and more reliable understanding of how each influences students’ outcomes.