PERCEIVED IMPACT OF TREND FASHION ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study examined the perceived impact of trending fashion on students' academic performance in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. This study was a quantitative research that adopted descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 25000 students in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Taro Yamane’s formula was used to determine a sample size of approximately 394 students. Sample random sampling technique was used to select these 394 students. The study used structured questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. It was structured on a 4-point scale with 20 items. The questionnaire has an average Cronbach Alpha of 0.87. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed with mean scores and standard deviation. Analytical tool t-test statistics was used for the hypotheses to test the differences between the mean responses of the male and female students. The study found that impulsive buying of trending fashion impacts students' academic performance by causing financial difficulties, leaving less money for educational resources. Excessive shopping consumes study time and distracts from academic responsibilities. Besides, prioritizing fashion over academics results in students allocating more funds to fashion than educational expenses, staying up late to shop online, and feeling pressured to keep up with trends. This can lead to academic dishonesty, poor academic planning, and emulating fashion influencers who prioritize style over studies. The study recommended that students should control impulsive buying so as to avoid financial difficulties, leaving less money for educational resources like textbooks and study materials. Lecturers should encourage students to prioritize academic activities to fashion so as to allocate more funds to educational expenses over trending fashion.