COMMUNICATION BARRIERS, SOCIAL COMPARISON AND GOAL ADJUSTMENT IN STUDENTS FROM GILGIT BALTISTAN

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of communication barriers, social comparison and goal adjustment in students from Gilgit Baltistan. Gilgit Baltistan students studying in other Pakistani provinces often struggle to achieve their goals due to language barriers, cultural transition shock, and challenges with co-education. These factors hinder their ability to adjust and succeed academically. Understanding the psychological phenomena contributing to goal adjustment failure is crucial for addressing these issues effectively. It was hypothesized that there is likely to be a negative relationship of communication barriers and social comparison with goal adjustment. Through correlational research design and non-probability purposive sampling technique a sample of (N=120) Gilgit Baltistan students (n=69 males, n=51 females) with age range of 17-30 years (M= 22.40, SD= 2.43.) was recruited. For this purpose, Personal Report of Interethnic Communication Apprehension Scale (PRECA), Social Comparison Scale (SCS) and Goal Adjustment Scale (GAS) were utilized. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the relationship among demographics and study variables. Furthermore, Mediation Analysis was used to investigate the mediating role of social comparison. Additional analysis, independent sample T-test was used to investigate the significant gender differences between study variables. The results of this research showed that Communication Barriers and Social Comparison had a significant inverse relationship with Goal Adjustment and Social Comparison had a mediating role in understanding the relationship of Communication Barriers and Goal Adjustment. The present study suggests that Communication barriers leads to poor adjustment of goals in the presence of social comparison. Therefore, to improve goal adjustment in students of different cultures will require multidimensional approaches, such as supporting each other, improving communication skills, and maintaining an interpersonal relationship with Gilgit-Baltistan students.