Abstract:

The COVID-19 outbreak brought about immediate uncertainty worldwide and South Africa was no exception. There is limited information about the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has on students, mainly undergraduate students who still need to adjust academically and psychologically, to be able to produce good academic results.

A cross-sectional correlation research design was adopted to examine the connection between academic adjustment and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Web-based combined questionnaires of Ryff psychological well-being scales, academic adjustment scale (AAQ) and the fear of COVID-19 scale were used. The theoretical framework which was used in the study is the Self-Transcendence theory supported by theoretical perspectives of adjustment, psychological well-being and differential susceptibility theories. Four hundred and fifty (450) participants were selected using simple random sampling to self-report on their academic adjustment, psychological well-being and fear of COVID-19. Collected data were analysed using descriptive analyses such as frequency, mean, percentage, standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as correlation analysis to determine the relationship between variables (academic adjustment, psychological well-being and COVID-19 pandemic), and hierarchical regression to confirm the value of a norm from academic adjustment and COVID-19 pandemic to psychological well-being.

Keywords:

Academic Adjustment, Psychological Well-being, Fear Of Covid-19.