Gozitan students studying in Malta : a study about the potential stress factors involved

Abstract

The aim of this study was to see whether travelling to and from Malta is stressful to Gozitan students studying in Malta, and how do they experience this situation. Another aim of this research was to see whether homesickness is prevalent among the participants and whether they are stressed interpersonally, intrapersonally, academically and environmentally. A survey was conducted amongst two hundred Gozitans studying in Malta where 72% of the questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire consisted of four sections, including: the Demographics which also involved an open-ended question, a Homesickness Questionnaire, a Student Stress Survey, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Descriptive statistics were used to find whether the participants were stressed and homesick, while inferential statistics (t-Tests) were conducted to see whether there were any significant differences between items of the Demographic section. Findings show that Gozitan students studying in Malta are positive towards certain homesick and stress factors, especially transport, general hassles and time stressors and that there are significant differences between specific Demographic items.