People and Behavior Analysis.
Vol.
1 No.
https://doi.
org/10.
31098/pba.
Research Paper Social Anxiety.
Behavior, and Competence of the Students Amidst
COVID-19
Anna C.
Bocar 1* .
Ani Wahyu Rachmawati2 1 Gulf College.
Oman 2 International Women University Bandung.
Indonesia Received : January 2, 2023 Revised : March 29, 2023 Accepted : March 30, 2023 Online : March 31, 2023 Abstract The aim of this paper is to determine the extent of social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence of the student participants.
In addition, it defined whether age, gender, and academic year level have a significant relationship with the level of participants' social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence.
A structured survey questionnaire is employed to gather the data.
The descriptive-quantitative research type is used.
Each of the problems that the researcher desire to address has its inventory items which are considered as the indicators to arrive at the intended answers to the different issues that this paper is The results display that young adult participants are greater in number, and also, the males are greater than their counterparts.
The highest frequency in terms of the academic year is Level 6.
Social anxiety is felt by the participants occasionally.
their social behavior is to a great extent, and they frequently have their social competence.
The participants' age has no significant relationship to the level of their social anxiety while gender and academic year level has a significant relationship, although it is revealed that the intensity of the relationship is at a weak level.
In general viewpoint, age, gender, and academic year level have a significant relationship with participants' social behavior and social competence at a weak level.
however, in both issues, gender has a greater intensity of relationship among the three variables.
Keywords: Social Anxiety.
Behavior.
Competence.
Age.
Gender.
Academic Level INTRODUCTION There are several studies conducted related to anxiety, behavior, and competence.
in the specific sense, there are not many investigations made on those topics mentioned earlier which are related to a medical pandemic.
In 2019, an unprecedented scenario occurred and challenged a huge part of human life.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a medical WHO has been assessing this outbreak with deep concern because of the alarming levels of the spread COVID of -19.
And because of this.
WHO urged that all countries must strike a fine balance in protecting the health of individuals involved in the said health crisis.
All countries are reminded to warn their citizens to be aware of the health crisis, and they should be informed on how they are going to protect themselves.
WHO gave one other word that is much more actionable namely: prevention.
public health.
and political leadership.
WHO believes that these are doable (WHO, 2.
The COVID-19 epidemic has significantly altered peoples' individual and societal Although people of all ages are impacted by the epidemic in some manner, elderly people are far more likely to have the worst health effects.
Behavioral reactions and behavior evolution vary at different ages.
When adjusting for other factors, the chance of older and younger persons participating in preventative personal practices at the start of the pandemic (March 2.
was comparable.
However, older adults implemented mitigating personal behavioral modifications more than younger ones as the epidemic spread (Kim, and Crimmins, 2.
During this unprecedented time, social anxiety, behavior, and competence of the people are challenged.
times that these issues cannot be prevented, at least the individual is prepared on how to handle these issues to avoid new other issues to craft up which may affect the health of the individual.
Copyright Holder:
A Anna C.
Bocar & Ani Wahyu Rachmawati.
Corresponding authorAos email: anna@gulfcollege.
This Article is Licensed Under:
People and Behav.
Analysis Way back in the early years, the ways in which the person engages with their teachers had a significant impact on the development of their thoughts.
Ikie.
Amosun, and Olalowo .
advised that teachers have to continue the positive, high-quality interactions that define their teaching despite the finding that there is no significant link between teacher-student interactions and cognitive development.
These interactions may speak to students' other uniqueness and educational needs.
Caratiquit.
Caratiquit, and Tamanu .
stressed that the speaking skills of the individual need bravery and confidence.
Oral communication has long been branded as being unfriendly to individuals.
As a result, it seems to be one of the most difficult learning talents that need exposure and practice.
Social anxiety is a global human condition.
There is a varying degree of every person's worries about how others see them, with crippling discomfort and disruptions in social, academic, and occupational performance.
Social anxiety must be carefully assessed (Herbert.
Brandsma, and Fischer .
The article of Strahan and Conger .
discussed that the participants' performance and capacity to evaluate their own performance were unaffected by high levels of social anxiety.
Although this study speaks to participants' self-evaluation, it is still worth noting to observe the present situation.
In the study of Alvi.
Kumar, and Tabak .
, they found that young adults now more than ever experience social anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 Finding social cognition functions that may be damaged will help us better understand how social anxiety disorder develops and persists since social anxiety has a detrimental influence on interpersonal functioning.
Although, research on the connections between social anxiety and social cognition has produced contradictory results up to this point.
Beidel.
Alfano.
Kofler.
Rao.
Scharfstein, and Sarver .
mentioned that up to seventy percent of patients who are seeking therapy have a diagnosis of social distress, which is characterized by significant social and general anxiety, social inhibition, fear of being judged negatively in their social behavior during interactions, avoidance, fearfulness, and self-consciousness.
Moreover, this study includes social competence in which Leffert.
Benson, & Roehlkepartan .
accordingly define social competence as the personal knowledge and abilities that people acquire to deal successfully with life's numerous options, difficulties, and opportunities .
s cited in Han, and Kemple, 2.
It is one of the parameters of the study.
Seeber and Wittmann .
said social skills, also known as social competency, have been extensively studied in psychology, educational sciences, and human resource management.
Social skills are frequently viewed as generic talents in professional settings, unrelated to particular job demands.
Specifically, in this paper, the researcher desires to: .
determine the extent of social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence of the participants.
measure whether age, gender, and academic year level have a relationship to the level of their social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence with the hypothesis that the age, gender, and academic year level has no relationship in the level of social anxiety, social behavior and social competence of the In terms of participation in this study, the participants' consent is given importance.
They answer the questionnaire according to their own will and intention, and it is considered LITERATURE REVIEW Age Aging, which is widely defined as any change in an organism over time after development, is virtually always a phenomenon for living things (Austad, 2.
Mayordomo et al.
discussed that one of the categorizations related to age is the widely held belief that as individuals age, their ability to set new goals and objectives declines.
Some writers claimed (Chrisler.
Barney, & Palatino, 2.
that this is not always the case, though, because some people's life objectives remain the same or even get stronger as they get older.
In addition, they suggest that there are People and Behav.
Analysis misunderstandings regarding aging in both professional literature and the general public's knowledge .
s cited in Gutiyrrez and Mayordomo .
According to the study of Brenman.
Ae Suttner et al.
successful aging in humans is linked to appropriate social contact, which can also have a good influence on lifespan.
As people become older, many habits are changed, particularly social behavior.
As a person ages, the impact of aging on information processing and perception may have an impact on the actions taken in reaction to other people's presence or to their association with people in society.
Probably, several other social habits will also change as people age.
In the paper of Billari et al.
, .
they discover that the youngest members of the respondents have marginally improved cognitive abilities and also seem to lead less busy social interactions: they are less likely to be in romantic partnerships.
Their findings imply that two processes may be responsible for the negative relative age effects on university performance.
They added that a pattern of cognitive development might be slowing down by the time someone reaches a certain age of maturity.
psychological impacts of relative age cause the youngest members of the respondents to develop social skills .
elf-esteem, leadershi.
more slowly.
Thus, younger students are less involved in their social interactions and spend more time studying, which is supported by further data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) research.
Gender and Academic Year Level Gender is viewed as a collection of traits that differs between masculinity and femininity.
These traits include behavioral traits, social roles, and personal characteristics.
According to (Wood & Eagly, 2.
, men work outside the house more likely than women, and the latter are more likely to do childcare.
Through social interactions, these gender roles or gender-typed expectations have an impact on both men's and women's personalities.
The study by Kupper et al.
showed that gender and educational level are important determinants of social anxiety.
Their analysis reveals that female participants manifested higher scores than male ones in terms of social anxiety.
This implies that gender has a significant relationship to both .
ales and female.
however, the level of females' social anxiety is greater than their counterparts.
On the other note.
Suryaningrum .
states that social anxiety among college students is a significant topic regardless of their admission year or gender.
Moreover, they clearly indicate in their findings that there is no difference in the levels of social anxiety between male and female college students.
Social Anxiety It can be difficult to distinguish between social anxiety and shyness, which is often seen as a personality feature rather than a negative trait (Topham.
& Russell.
, 2.
Shyness is not the same as social anxiety.
The latter is a persistent worry that interferes with day-to-day activities, self-confidence, relationships, and life at work or in school.
Social anxiety is an issue that typically manifests in adolescence.
According to the self-presentation model (Schlenker & Leary, 1.
, those who have social anxiety may develop these anxieties on a regular basis.
In addition to wanting to leave a positive impression on others, students frequently hang on to their grades, making it a high-stakes situation.
According to Archbell and Coplan .
, this would Aureduce cognitive functioning and poor academic performanceAy.
Topham .
disclosed that there are clear signs that social anxiety affects the scope and quality of learning.
Social anxiety has been described as an emotionally uncomfortable and constraining feature in a variety of learning contexts.
It may be upsetting and significantly affect people's life.
Some people find that as they age, things get better.
But for many others, it persists after receiving no treatment.
Many people worry about social activities on occasion, but those who have social anxiety are worried excessively.
In times that a person People and Behav.
Analysis experiences worrying about regular activities like going to the workplace, going to the store, talking on the phone, or interacting with people, refrain from engaging in social activities like chatting in a group, dining with colleagues, and attending parties.
constantly worry when blushing, perspiring, or acting incompetent.
struggle to act in some situations while others are present.
feel as though they are constantly being observed and evaluated, this indicates that the person has social anxiety.
Social anxiety is a heightened feeling of anxiety that interferes with the ability of a person to function well.
It can be treated, but self-help can reduce social anxiety (National Health Service.
Young adults experience social anxiety because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
With the rapidly expanding epidemic, social anxiety is considered to excessively impact young people.
Discovering social awareness functions will help people better understand how social anxiety disorder develops and persists since social anxiety has a detrimental influence on interpersonal functioning.
However, research on the connections between social anxiety and social cognition has produced contradictory results up to this point (Alvi et al.
, 2.
According to Nevid et al.
, social anxiety can develop without having a history in infancy.
In addition.
APA .
elaborated that social anxiety typically develops because of being exposed to stressful situations or taking on new responsibilities .
s cited in Suryaningrum, 2.
Jefferies, et al.
, .
supports the claim made by Lecrubier et al.
that developmental problems experienced during adolescence may cause social anxiety.
However, these studies are unable to clarify if social anxiety causes people to suffer in their academic or professional lives, whether these struggles in turn cause social anxiety, or whether there is a more complex link.
Nordstrom et al.
articulated that social anxiety is a mental health issue that needs to be researched among college students since it affects their ability to adjust socially and academically and is a highly powerful predictor of a low-grade point average.
If left untreated, social anxiety would cause a person to cease doing what they desire or are capable of doing, which over time can worsen their social connections, professional achievement, educational opportunities, and other activities (Butler, 2.
Seipp .
denotes that academic performance and anxiety are tightly linked with each other.
This is an enormously acceptable concept since academic performance involves conscious intellectual activity.
This theory was supported by Archbell and Coplan .
when they specify that for students who struggle with social anxiety, the academic environment seems to be more worrisome.
According to Mattick and Clarke .
, people with social anxiety typically worry about being incomprehensible, appearing dull or dumb, not knowing how to reply, and being ignored.
The participative and social aspects of the classroom may make these worries worse in a learning setting.
In short, they are not worried about what they may say or do, but they are worried about how they are being looked at or listened to by the people.
This implies that their communication skills are also affected.
Social anxiety restricts the abilities of college students to function academically and it would prevent them from showcasing their actual capabilities and qualities.
Speaking in front of large groups of people, interacting with new people, making friends, and building relationships with people in authority are considered important for many college students in academia and society ( Suryaningrum, 2.
Somebody who is not familiar with or unprepared for social interaction can create social anxiety.
It may be a tendency to feel uneasiness in social circumstances for fear of being judged contrarily by others and getting humiliated or mortified, and making others feel awkward or dislike them (Anton et al.
&Swinson, 2.
According to Davila et al.
, people with social anxiety tend to avoid conflict.
And since it seems they do not like to be involved in a conflict, obviously, they will avoid socializing with people and having conversations or communication with them.
Berger et al.
, 2017.
Gilbert, 2001 said that people with social anxiety often see themselves as inferior to others.
The risks of social life can readily jeopardize the urge to For instance, when individuals are victimized, rejected, or excluded from one another People and Behav.
Analysis (Gilbert, 2.
In this case, the person will become aloof and will develop a feeling of indifference.
Research to date has indicated a link between social anxiety and social rejection after brief interactions, but it is unknown whether social anxiety has an impact on affiliation ratings after longer interactions.
The findings of Dijk et al.
demonstrated a negative relationship between social anxiety and dominance but not with affiliation.
In particular, the findings of Suryaningrum .
indicated that there was no difference in social anxiety levels between first-year college students and returning students.
The lack of this distinction suggests that college students, either at a new level in their college life or who are returning to college, can suffer social anxiety regardless of the year they entered the program.
Social Behavior Interactions between individuals are referred to as social behavior (Davis, 2.
Rubenstein et al.
support this and say that individual interactions are characterized by social behaviors.
These include those that are hostile, reciprocal, supportive, humane, and parental behaviors.
Social dealings arise as a result of regular interactions between people.
These dealings might be formed with a familiar person, blood relatives, and people of the same gender.
Any social structure's characteristics are eventually defined by its environmental and social context, population, and College students underwent different interactions.
Social interactions are more true when these circumstances are related to grades, graduation, and evaluations that affect self-worth.
becomes challenging to develop young individuals of exceptional ability to become the instrument of change ( Suryaningrum, 2.
Communication, grooming, aggression, and parenting conduct are just a few examples of social activities that might entail any type of interaction.
While other social actions might lessen the effects of stress, some social behaviors, like aggression, can operate as stressors in and of Stress can alter social behavior in ways that depend on both individual and gender variations (Gammie, 2.
Students who are severely emotionally disturbed behave differently in social situations than their counterparts who behave normally (Singh, 1.
Matsumoto .
argues that specific actions are the results of the interplay between the three main sources of influence on behavior, namely: .
basic human nature .
hrough universal psychological processe.
, .
y social role.
, and .
ia individual role identitie.
One aspect of social behavior is hostility, which may either be beneficial or harmful to any Human aggressiveness may be viewed as an adjustment that may be necessary for survival, or it may have detrimental effects on social interaction amongst people of both genders.
When it comes to aggressive and competitive behaviors, gender is a crucial factor (De Almeida et , 2.
The children with divorced parents exhibited higher levels of relational aggressiveness, physical violence, and depression symptoms, as well as lower levels of good social behaviors, in contrast to children with married parents (Toklu, et.
, al 2.
Notably, the civil status of the parents can also be considered in future research related to this study since this point is not included in this paper.
Social Competence A set of abilities known as social competency are required to get along with others and be These abilities depend on the ability to perceive other people's emotions, understand social norms and interactions, and have social intelligence.
The mastery of social skills and interpersonal relationships comes at different times during a child's developmental stages, and social competence improves with time (Spence, 2.
Children must acquire several skills that support social competence, such as perspective-taking, social problem-solving, and emotion control, which may People and Behav.
Analysis also differ in developmental stages if they are to succeed in a variety of social interactions (Fabes et al.
Children that lack social skills are more prone to suffer grief and engage in antisocial conduct, according to Kim & Cicchetti .
Their principle is supported by Prelow.
Loukas, and Jordan-Green .
as well.
Rubin et al.
, .
expressed that it is still unclear how these social competence building blocks relate to one another as they develop, despite research on social competence having made significant advancements in understanding the underlying skills, and pertinent collaborative perspectives at crucial ages in children's lives.
There is still a need for an extensive understanding of how social competence develops from childhood to adolescence.
Bukowski et al.
has supported the said theory .
According to Fabes et al.
, the idea of social competence should be viewed as a construct that signifies progress in and of itself rather than as a fixed attribute.
As youngsters get older, there are increasingly varied and meaningful opportunities for social interaction outside the They also noted that social competency is demonstrated by one's ability to mingle easily socially with peers and adults.
The cornerstone of social competency is the development of one's perspective of one's own behavior as well as expectations for forthcoming interactions with others.
Social competency entails the capacity to understand another person's point of view in a given circumstance (Semrud-Clikeman, 2.
, draw lessons from the past, and apply those lessons to new social circumstances.
Yu et al.
discussed in their study respondents who are that it is under 24 years of age occasionally demonstrated their social competencies as compared with the older respondents.
Rai .
assumed that younger students' social and emotional competencies are still in a formative This is in contrast to students older than them and who are finishing their final years of study, whose social and emotional capabilities are more mature as a result of their greater experiences.
Tabassum, et al.
, .
showed that females had a substantially greater level of social They also revealed in their results that adults .
hey described them as older than 39 year.
were found to have a slightly greater degree of social competence even though the fact that there was not much of an evident difference across age groups.
Anme et al.
, .
, stated that social competency boosts students' access to social support, which in turn improves their academic In consideration of the need for more literature that could guide the reading public and add more awareness when they encounter some issues related to social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence, the researchers are encouraged to conduct this study.
RESEARCH METHOD
Participants The students in one of the Higher Educational Institutions (HEI.
in Oman are the participants of the study.
The total number of students who were randomly picked from the different classes was one hundred twenty-three males and females.
They came from three different academic levels, which are Levels 4, 5, and 6.
Procedure This study employs the descriptive-quantitative research type.
A survey questionnaire is adopted from Social Anxiety Questionnaire .
with slight modifications and is utilized in gathering the data.
The first part of the instrument is added by the researcher to gather the personal information of the participants, which includes their age, gender, and academic year level.
This is followed by the inventory items for the determination of the three issues, which are social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence.
Each of these issues has its indicators.
The frequency and People and Behav.
Analysis percentile are utilized in the identification of participants' age, gender, and academic year level.
the other hand, the weighted mean is used to determine the extent of participants' social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence.
There were three constant variables used in this study ( age, gender, and academic year level ) to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the participantsAo social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence.
Pearson's Correlation Coefficient The test statistic that assesses the statistical relationship between two continuous variables is called Pearson's correlation coefficient (Kent State University, 2.
It is regarded as the best method for determining the relationship between variables of interest.
Pearson's correlation analysis has been done to make certain that the defined questions are not relative.
The correlation is significant at the 0.
01 level.
Based on the articles published by Chan .
Dancey and Reidy .
, and Guyatt .
, their correlation coefficient interpretation varies.
Their interpretations were cited in the article of Akoglu .
Furthermore, the said authors elaborated that the way that correlation coefficients are interpreted varies greatly throughout scientific study fields.
The interpretation of their strength is not subject to any definite guidelines.
As a result, authors should refrain from overinterpreting the intensity of connections when writing the paper.
In this present study, the interpretation of the correlation coefficients anchored the interpretation created by Dancey and Reidy .
Their interpretations were shown in the two first columns, and to make it more specific for this study, the researcher added the third column for its verbal interpretation.
Correlation Coefficient A1 A 0.
7 to 0.
A 0.
4 to 0.
A 0.
1 to 0.
Table 1.
The Interpretation of the Correlation Coefficients Qualitative Description Interpretation (Dancey and Reidy, 2.
o make it more specific for this study, the called this column as their researcher added this colum.
Perfect perfect correlation: as one variable increases, the other variable tends to also increase .
f positiv.
or decrease .
f negativ.
(Statistics Solutions .
Strong strong correlation Moderate average correlation Weak little correlation Zero no correlation at all Moreover, for purposes of interpreting the extent of participants' social anxiety, behavior, and competence, a four-point Likert Scale is created, and the scales of measurement displayed in the tables below are utilized.
The tables are arranged according to the order in which they appeared in the study.
Table 2 shows the measurement employed to determine the extent of participantsAo social anxiety.
Table 2.
Social Anxiety Measurement Numeric Hypothetical Mean Qualitative Interpretation Respondents Value Measurement 00 - 1.
Never not anxious at all 76 Ae 2.
Occasionally anxious at some time 52 - 3.
Frequently anxious most of the time 28 Ae 4.
Always anxious at all time People and Behav.
Analysis In addition.
Table 3 below is utilized to measure the extent of the social behavior of the Numeric Value Table 3.
Social Behavior Measurement Hypothetical Mean Qualitative Interpretation Measurement RespondentsAo social behavior 00 - 1.
Less Extent needs enhancement societyAos 76 Ae 2.
Less Great Extent 52 - 3.
Great Extent meets societyAos expectations with high a degree 28 Ae 4.
Very Great Extent is excellent Moreover.
Table 4 below is utilized to measure the extent of participantsAo social competence.
Numeric Value Table 4.
Social Competence Measurement Hypothetical Qualitative Interpretation Mean range Measurement Respondents 00 - 1.
Never not socially competent at all 76 Ae 2.
Occasionally competent at some time 52 - 3.
Frequently competent most of the time 28 Ae 4.
Always competent at all time
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Table 5 shows that out of the one hundred twenty-three participants, one hundred seventeen are aged between nineteen to forty years old and the other six are aged above forty to sixty-five.
This indicates that most of the students belong to the young adult category.
Grouping by Age 19 to 40 Above 40 to 65 Total Table 5.
Age Group Frequency Percentage Based on Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development people are grouped according to their age and with significant phases in the different stages of life.
For those who are aged 19 to 40 years old or grouped as young adult, relationship with others is important to them.
They planted and nurtured it.
however, they would experience intimacy or isolation although they expect to love as their outcome.
Meanwhile, those that are more than 40 to 65 years of age are grouped as middle In this stage, work and parenthood are their concern.
The generativity or the concern for people besides self and family is developed, or there could be stagnation, although care is enormously the expected outcome.
Furthermore.
Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development mentioned that people aged more than 65 years are the ones who have done their reflection on themselves and their ego and integrity fight against despair.
Considering their ages and experiences, wisdom could be the outcome (Cherry, 2.
In this study, it is apparent that the young adult is greater in number as compared with the middle adult participants.
Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development expressed that the young adult's concentration is on relationships with others this could be one of the reasons why there are more young adults who engage in pursuing their studies aside from their academic goals.
People and Behav.
Analysis Gender Gender Male Female Total Table 6.
The Frequency of The Participants About Gender Frequency Percentage In this study, male participants were 89, and 34 were females.
This signifies that males are greater in number than female participants.
Academic Year Level Table 7.
Highlights The Year Level of The Students Who Participated in This Study Level Frequency Percentage Total From the three Levels of study .
,5, and .
, the result demonstrated that Level 6 students are greater in number than the other participants.
Therefore, it is recognized that Level 6 students participated greatly as compared with the other year level.
Social Anxiety Table 8 displays the results related to the participants' social anxiety amidst the pandemic.
Thirteen-item indicators are utilized to determine the extent of participants' social anxiety.
Just like the other two significant parameters of this study, there were four qualitative measurements used in this section.
Table 8.
The Extent of Respondents' Social Anxiety Social Anxiety Inventory Items Qualitative Interpretation Measurement Respondents I feel that certain social situations 1.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes expose me to judgment.
I am worried about my actions 1.
Never not anxious at all embarrassing me.
I am afraid of my anxiety being obvious 1.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes to the people around me.
When I am anxious.
I feel physically 2.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes I feel hopeless or worthless.
Never not anxious at all Feelings of guilt overwhelm me.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes I use alcoholic beverages to ease my 1.
Never not anxious at all People misinterpret my anxiety as a 2.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes sign of unfriendliness.
I give people time to air their opinions.
Frequently anxious most of the time My anxiety has a negative influence on 1.
Never not anxious at all my relationships.
I tend to avoid social events.
Occasionally anxious at sometimes I take medication to deal with my 1.
Never not anxious at all People and Behav.
Analysis Social Anxiety Inventory Items Qualitative Measurement Never Interpretation Respondents not anxious at all I am nervous around authoritative 1.
FACTOR AVERAGE
Occasionally anxious at some time Source: Accessed: April 1, 2013, and adopted from Social Anxiety Questionnaire .
Slight modifications are made.
Among the thirteen item indicators of their social anxiety, they never felt anxious at all of the six indicators (Nos.
2,5,7,10, 12, and .
They show that when social anxiety issues seem to occur, they deal with it with their confidence, positive character, and avoidance instead of entertaining In addition, they felt anxious occasionally .
nxious at sometime.
on the other six indicators (Nos.
1,3, 4,6, 8, and .
This signifies that, at some time, they feel anxious about other people's judgment when they are exposed to social situations or social events.
Whereas, among the thirteen indicators, only one of them which the participants declared that their social anxiety is challenged Frequently, and this is when they give people time to air their opinions (No.
Based on the overall results, the weighted mean (AA = 1.
of the Factor Average revealed that the participants are Occasionally anxious during the pandemic.
The present study was conducted during the time of COVID-19.
The overall results suggest that the participants are anxious sometimes.
The article by National Health Service, .
indicates that people who have social anxiety are worried excessively.
thus, based on the result of the study it can be concluded that the participants' social anxiety is yet low and not excessive .
ee Table .
Furthermore, it can be assumed that since the participants are familiar with their fellow students could be a reason that their social anxiety happens occasionally.
Antony et al.
, &Swinson .
impliedly supported the results of this study since they mentioned that somebody who is not familiar with or unprepared for social interaction could create social anxiety.
However, the participants must exercise caution since studies have shown that social anxiety has a major impact on academic failure (Van Ameringen et al.
, 2.
, elevated chances of exam failure (Stein & Kean, 2.
, and academic failure (Wittchen, 1.
Social Behavior Table 9 highlights the results related to the participants' social behavior amidst the The eight-item indicators are displayed to determine the extent of participants' social Table 9.
The Extent of Students' Social Behavior Qualitative Interpretation Social Behavior Inventory Items Measurement RespondentsAo I get along with other people at my 2.
Great Extent rationally meet workplace, school, and /or any other social gathering that I attend.
I have the capability of listening to 2.
Great Extent rationally meet others to finish what they are saying without interrupting them.
My relationship with my colleagues 2.
Great Extent rationally meet is at My ability to work with others in a 2.
Great Extent rationally meet team is at societyAos societyAos societyAos societyAos People and Behav.
Analysis Social Behavior Inventory Items My ability to solve problems that involve me and the people whom I socialize with.
My ability to form mental imagery and concept formation.
My ability to be attentive to other peopleAos ideas, suggestions, and /or discussions and make conclusions about them.
My preference to work with the group is at FACTOR AVERAGE Qualitative Measurement Great Extent Great Extent Great Extent Great Extent Interpretation RespondentsAo rationally meet societyAos rationally meet societyAos rationally meet societyAos rationally meet societyAos Great Extent rationally meet societyAos Source: Accessed: April 1, 2013, and adopted from Social Anxiety Questionnaire .
Slight modifications are made.
The results showed that the participants' social behavior is to a great extent.
It is manifested that they rationally meet society's expectations.
Among the eight indicators which they rated to the same extent, their ability to work with others in a team (No.
has the highest rate (AA=2.
This indicates that the participants are judicious and realistic in dealing with other people.
Although they have manifested in Table 8 that their social anxiety is challenged at some time when they are exposed to social situations or social events still, they behave rationally to meet society's Rubenstein et al.
believed that individual interactions are characterized by social behaviors.
Gammie .
revealed that communication, grooming, aggression, and parenting conduct are just a few examples of social activities that might entail any type of In the article of Billari et al.
is revealed that young individuals improved cognitive abilities seem to lead to less busy social interactions.
This signifies that their social behavior is to a lesser extent.
Analyzing the present study in comparison with the previous studies, it appears that the social behavior shown by the participants in this study is different since their social behavior is to at great extent.
This shows that the pandemic did not affect the level of their social behavior.
Social Competence Table 10 reveals the results related to the participantsAo social competence amidst the The table shows the fifteen indicators that are used to measure the extent of participantsAo social competence.
Table 10.
The extent of StudentsAo Social Competence Social Competence Inventory AA Qualitative Interpretation Respondents Items Measurement When I meet new people I 2.
Frequently competent most of the time interact with them.
I can deduce another personAos 2.
Frequently competent most of the time feelings, .
ither happy or sa.
In a group I can take a leadership 2.
Frequently competent most of the time I stand up for a friend who is 2.
Frequently competent most of the time being bullied.
People and Behav.
Analysis Social Competence Inventory AA Qualitative Interpretation Respondents Items Measurement In my community.
I participate 2.
Occasionally competent at some time in some activities.
I demonstrate helpfulness 2.
Occasionally competent at some time towards adults.
When I am with others.
I criticize 1.
Occasionally competent at some time In unfamiliar settings.
I keep it to 2.
Occasionally competent at some time I welcome challenging tasks.
Frequently competent most of the time I express my feelings properly.
Frequently competent most of the time I am in control of my emotions 2.
Frequently competent most of the time and can understand the effect of my contribution to the team.
I am aware of my strengths and 2.
Frequently competent most of the time I am able to manage negative 2.
Frequently competent most of the time emotions and feelings.
I admit my mistakes and faults.
Frequently competent most of the time I am capable of grasping 2.
Occasionally competent at some time othersAo perspectives easily.
FACTOR AVERAGE
Frequently competent most of the time Source: Accessed: April 1, 2013, and adopted from Social Anxiety Questionnaire .
Slight modifications are made.
Among the fifteen indicators, the five (Nos.
5, 6, 7, 8, .
of them are rated by the participants This means that they are socially competent at some the time in these five items.
the other hand, the ten (Nos.
1,2,3,4, 9,10,11,12,13,.
indicators were rated by the participants This means that in these ten items, they are socially competent most of the time.
The weighted mean (AA= 2.
of the factor average shows that the participants' overall rating is Frequently.
This signifies that their social competence is great most of the time.
They manifested that they can interact with other people, construe their feelings, they can support their friends who are bullied without hesitation, can act as a leader, and show helpfulness when they participated in community activities, they know about their strong points and flaws and they can willingly acknowledge their faults and mistakes.
Moreover, they are at ease with challenging tasks.
SemrudClikeman, .
held that social competency entails the capacity to understand other person's points of view in a given circumstance, draw lessons from the past, and apply those lessons to new social circumstances.
According to Fabes et al.
, as youngsters get older, there are increasingly varied and meaningful opportunities for social interaction outside the home.
Social competency is demonstrated by one's ability to mingle easily socially with peers and adults.
Moreover, they added that social competency is demonstrated by one's ability to mingle easily socially with peers and adults.
Learning from their study, the researcher believed that these outside experiences of the youngsters developed their social competencies.
This could be a strong reason that the participants of this study show social competencies frequently.
The result of this study shows that the participants can handle other people most of the time.
thus, this study confirms the claim of the mentioned researchers.
The succeeding discussions highlighted the results concerning the determination of whether three constant variables used in this study .
ge, gender, academic year leve.
have a relationship with participantsAo social anxiety, social behavior, and social competence.
The degree of intensity of People and Behav.
Analysis the relationship between two variables is statistically measured with the use of Pearson Correlation**.
Correlation is significant at the 0.
01 level .
-taile.
Table 11 shows that age has a negative value of correlation.
This means that regardless of the age of the participants, it has no significant relationship with the extent of their social anxiety.
Table 11.
Analysis of the Relationship of the Variables with ParticipantsAo Social Anxiety Variables Pearson Correlation Degree of Interpretation Decision Coefficient Correlation Age No correlation there is no significant Accept the null at all Gender Weak there is a significant Reject the null Academic Weak there is a significant Reject the null year level **.
Correlation is significant at the 0.
01 level .
-taile.
Authors of some articles do not come up with the same theory regarding age.
Mayordomo et .
discussed that one of the categorizations related to age is the widely held belief that as individuals age, their ability to set new goals and objectives declines.
Chrisler et al.
claimed that this is not always the case .
s cited in Gutiyrrez and Mayordomo, 2.
Though they have not specifically mentioned the relationship of age with social anxiety, apparently, setting goals and objectives could cause pressure on the person, and once a person is pressured, social anxiety would Mayordomo et al.
, as cited in Gutiyrrez and Mayordomo .
, mentioned that there is a deterioration in the ability to set new goals and objectives.
As the person ages, it is presumed that social anxiety decreases.
The gathered data shows only a few of the participants are middle adults .
ore than 40 to 65 years of ag.
, and it is revealed in the results that the correlation coefficient as to age is negative.
This signifies that age has no correlation at all with the level of participants' social anxiety.
Thus, the result of this study gives the impression that it affirms the theory of Mayordomo et al.
as cited in Gutiyrrez and Mayordomo .
Particularly, the findings of Suryaningrum .
indicated that there was no difference in social anxiety levels between first-year college students and returning students.
The lack of this distinction suggests that college students, either at a new level in their college life or who are returning to college, can suffer social anxiety regardless of the year they entered the program.
In this paper, the participants are all returning students (Levels 4, 5, and .
The results show that the gender and academic year levels have a weak degree of correlation.
This means that participants' social anxiety is impacted a little by their gender and academic year level.
Among the two variables mentioned, gender (.
shows a higher correlation coefficient.
thus, it has a bit greater significant relationship to participants' social anxiety than academic year level.
Suryaningrum .
indicates in their findings that there is no difference in the levels of social anxiety between male and female college students.
Table 10 above clearly displays the varying correlation coefficient with regard to gender and academic level.
Thus, this indicates that there is a difference when it comes to statistical significance.
therefore, the results of the present study negate the theory of Suryaningrum .
However, it shows that these two variables have a weak degree of correlation to participantsAo social anxiety.
Moreover, another study signifies that gender impacts social anxiety.
Aside from it worsening socio-emotional functioning, it also decreases engagement, and females have less communication with teachers than males.
The negative correlations between social anxiety and communication People and Behav.
Analysis with tutors and student involvement were shown to be much larger in females than in males (Archbell and Coplan, 2.
This result has been supported by MacKenzie and Fowler .
when they indicate that women often have higher levels of social anxiety than men.
In Table 12 below, it can be described that the three variables .
ge, gender, and academic year leve.
have a weak degree of correlation.
This means that these variables have little correlation with the participantsAo social behavior.
Apparently, these three variables have a statistically significant relationship with participantsAo social behavior though it is weak in its intensity.
Moreover, among the three variables, gender shows the greater correlation coefficient (.
280**).
thus, gender has revealed that it has a greater impact on participantsAo social behavior.
Table 12.
Analysis of the Relationship of the Variables with ParticipantsAo Social Behavior Variables Pearson Correlation Degree of Interpretation Decision Coefficient Correlation Age Weak there is a significant Reject Gender Weak there is a significant Reject Academic .
Weak there is a significant Reject year level **.
Correlation is significant at the 0.
01 level .
-taile.
According to the study of Brenman Ae Suttner et al.
, as people become older, many habits are changed, particularly social behavior.
As a person ages, the impact of aging on information processing and perception may have an impact on the actions taken in reaction to other people's presence or to their association with people in society.
Thus, it can be stated that there are already adjustments to behavior that are observed by people in society as they grow older and this also includes their academic goals.
Gender roles or gender-typed expectations have an impact on both menAos and women's personalities (Wood & Eagly, 2.
The result of the present study agrees with the mentioned statement, although the impact is at a weak intensity level.
In Table 13, the three variables .
ge, gender, and academic year leve.
show a weak degree of correlation.
This means that these three variables have little intensity of correlation with participants' social competence.
however, among the three variables, gender shows a greater correlation coefficient (.
249**).
This signifies that gender has a significant relationship with the participant's social competence greater than age and academic year level.
Although all three variables display little intensity of correlation to the social competence of the participants, it is still clear that they have a significant relationship with the social competence of the participants.
Table 13.
Analysis of the Relationship of the Variables with ParticipantsAo Social Competence Variables Pearson Correlation Degree of Interpretation Decision Coefficient Correlation Age Weak there is a significant Reject the null Gender Weak there is a significant Reject the null Academic Weak there is a significant Reject the null year level **.
Correlation is significant at the 0.
01 level .
-taile.
People and Behav.
Analysis In the article of Yu et al.
, respondents who are that it is under 24 years of age occasionally demonstrated their social competencies as compared with the older respondents.
Rai .
assumed that younger students' social and emotional competencies are still in a formative stage.
This is in contrast to students older than them and finishing their final years of study ( academic year leve.
, whose social and emotional capabilities are more mature as a result of their greater experiences.
Impliedly.
Rai .
suggests that for those students who are at Level 6 .
inal year - as grouped in the present stud.
in their academic year level, their social competence is much more firm and strong.
Tabassum et al.
revealed in their results that adults .
hey described them as older than 39 year.
were found to have a slightly greater degree of social competence.
In addition, they mentioned that there was not much of an evident difference across age groups.
In other words, different age group shows different degree of social competence.
In the present study, the participants' age are categorized into two groups, namely: 19 to 40 as a young adult.
and above 40 to 65 as a middle adult .
ee Table .
This grouping is based on Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development.
however, in the determination of the degree of its correlation with the participants' social competence, it is interpreted as one group of variables.
But the groupings are clear in Table 5 that a young adult is greater in frequency as compared with a middle adult.
It can be observed in Table 13 that although age, gender, and academic year have a significant relationship with the participants' social competence, results also demonstrated that each variable has a weak degree of intensity.
Thus, this implies that the result of the present study does not affirm the study of Rai .
Tabassum et al.
, and Yu et al.
CONCLUSIONS
After a thorough investigation of the three issues as discussed above, the researcher discovered that the participants feel anxious occasionally amidst the pandemic, their social behavior is to a great extent, or they rationally meet societyAos expectations.
Frequently the participants have their social competence.
Moreover, with respect to the relationship of the three constant variables .
ender, academic level, and ag.
with social anxiety, it is observed that gender and academic year level has a significant relationship, although the intensity of the relationship is at a weak level while age shows that it has no significant relationship.
Furthermore, age, gender, and academic year level have a significant relationship with social behavior and social competence, although at a weak level.
however, in both issues, gender has a greater intensity of relationship among the three variables.
In closing, it is suggested that knowledge about issues that would affect public or private interactions must be taken into consideration by the students to deepen their understanding of the issues that would increase social anxiety, boost social behavior, and enhance social competence.
Learning the ways how to act or counteract would be a great help to thrive in social dealings, communication, connections, and collaborations which would lead to not only achieving academic goals but also successful life experiences.
LIMITATION & FURTHER RESEARCH
In the course of the future study, the researchers recommended that a huge number of participants be utilized, and the study must explore more on the responses of the students in the other departments in the college or university.
REFERENCES