Academic Achievement and Psychological Well-Being in Pre-Service Teachers in Manipur: A Null Relationship

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between academic achievement and psychological well-being (PWB) among pre-service teachers in Manipur, India, using the Psychological Well-Being Scale (Sisodia & Choudhary, 2023). The 50-item scale, rated on a 5-point Likert scale (5 = Strongly Agree to 1 = Strongly Disagree), demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with test-retest reliability (r = 0.87) and internal consistency (0 = 0.90). The scale assessed five PWB subscales: life satisfaction, efficiency, sociability, mental health, and interpersonal relations. An independent samples t-test compared PWB scores between high achievers (n=376) and low achievers (n=175) based on academic performance. Results revealed no statistically significant differences in any PWB subscale: Life Satisfaction (t = 1.156, p = 0.248, Cohen’s d = 0.11). Efficiency (t = 1.494, p = 0.136, d = 0.14). Sociability (t = 0.501, p = 0.616, d = 0.05). Mental Health (t = 0.421, p = 0.674, d = 0.04). Interpersonal Relations (t = 1.031, p = 0.303, d = 0.10). Cohen’s d effect sizes (range: 0.04 to 0.14) confirmed negligible practical significance, with 90% overlap between groups. These findings suggest that academic achievement is independent of psychological well-being in this population, possibly due to cultural buffering (e.g., community support) or non-academic sources of fulfillment. The study highlights the need for culturally contextualized well-being assessments in teacher education research.