Level-of-academic-stress.docx

LEVELS OF ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR STUDENTS OF THE MABINI ACADEMY by Cabungcal, Billy Flores, E- Jay R, Logro, Sealtiel Kent G. Gamara, Diane E. Lomerio, Seatiel Kathleen Mae C. Grade 11 – STEM C Group 6

Chapter I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction Education is one of the most important treasures for an individual. All of us wanted to have this, but behind this, there is also an academic performance that plays a crucial role that may lead to stress. Stress is now understood as a lifestyle crisis affecting any individual regardless of their developmental stage. Students may experience pressure not only in studying but also in house and the parents’ high expectation in their children. Also, students may experience stress because of lots of requirements, exams and when that happens it will be difficult for the students to make time management on the entire task that they need to do. Academic stress may involve the failure in school and the challenges that the students may take, students will be the one to choose on to the lessons or studies that they will make. Academic stressors may include: at school, home and all of the people that surrounds us. The stress related that the student is taking on are exams, financial, high expectation of teachers, family, and friends, competitions, extracurricular activities and time management on things that the students may do. Academic stress is related to students who are impotent in doing all of their home works. They also need to balance their relationship between academics, family and friend and in social life. The objective of this study was to examine those academic stresses among senior high school scholar students. This particular study attempts to determine and justify how academic stress affects students in many schemes and the relationship between academic stress and being a scholar among senior high school students.

Statement of the Problem The study focused on identifying the levels of academic stress among senior high school scholar students of the mabini academy. Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1. Age 1.2. Gender 2. What is the level of academic stress of the selected senior High School scholar students in terms of: 2.1. Time Management 2.2.

Academic Performance

2.3.

Pressure of Studies

2.4.

Extra Curricular Activities

3. How does being a scholar affect the levels of academic stress in terms of: 3.1. Time Management 3.2. Academic Performance 3.3. Academic Requirements 3.4.

Extra Curricular Activities

4. Is there a significant relationship between academic stress and being a scholar? 5. What action must be undertaken to mitigate the level of stress of students? Theoretical Framework (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977) Stressors are things that cause tension to an individual demanded by the internal and external environment which alters balance within physical and psychological well-being. Starting during the 1970s, stress was viewed as a transactional phenomenon dependant on the meaning of the stimulus to the perceiver (Lazarus, 1966; Antonovsky, 1979). The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping is a structure for assessing the procedures of adapting to stressful events. Unpleasant encounters are interpreted as individual condition exchanges. These exchanges rely upon the effect of the outer stressor. This is intervened by right off the bat the individual's evaluation of the stressor and besides on the social and social assets at his or her disposal (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977; Antonovsky & Kats, 1967; Cohen 1984). An individual assesses the possible threat when encountering a stressor. Necessary assessments is an individual’s judgement about the importance of an occasion as distressing, positive, controllable, testing or unimportant. Confronting a stressor, the second examination pursues, which is an appraisal

of individual’s

adapting assets and choices (Cohen, 1984). Optional examinations address what one can do about the circumstance. Genuine adapting endeavours went for guideline of the issue offer ascent to results of the adapting procedure.

Glanz et al (2002) use medicinal approach as well such as biofeedback, relaxation and visual imagery. Biofeedback expects to create mindfulness and control of reactions to stressors which lessen pressure and strain in response to everyday situation. Relaxation techniques use a constant mental stimulus, passive attitude and a quiet environment such as relaxation training, hypnosis and yoga. Visual imagery is a strategy used for improving the state of mind of an individual and improving adapting capability. This can be done for example with visualizing host defences destroying tumor cells. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping is valuable for wellbeing training, wellbeing advancement and infection counteractive action. Stress does not influence all individuals similarly, yet stress can lead to disease and negative encounters. Adapting to pressure is therefore an important factor, it influences whether and how individuals search for medical consideration and social help and how they trust the advice of the professionals.

Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework of the study is depicted in the form of paradigm of IPO style. While the frames show the relationship and the actual pattern used in the study. INPUT

PROCESS

OUTPUT

Respondents’ Demographic Profile: 1.1 Age 1.2 Gender

Levels of Academic Stress

Descriptive– Correlational

Proposed Actions to

Research Design:

mitigate Levels of

Self – made Survey

Students Academic

Questionnaire

Stress

Figure 1 Conceptual Paradigm on the Levels of Academic Stress among Senior High School Scholar Students of the Mabini Academy

This study tries to explain the relationship between the levels of academic stress among senior high school scholar students of The Mabini Academy. This approach the input and output process to describe the conceptual framework of the study. The first frame shows the input of the study consist the respondents and its relationship in the levels of academic stress. The second frame shows the process of the study; which is the correlative research design that is self made survey questionnaire. And lastly, the third frame present the output of the study contains the proposed actions to mitigate the levels of student’s academic stress. Statement of Hypothesis Based on the specific problem stated, the null hypothesis is hereby given. Hօ: There is no significant relationship between academic stress and being a scholar student. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study is conducted to identify the level of academic stress of scholar students and the relationship that coexists between them. The respondents of the study were randomly selected from The Mabini Academy, Lipa City. The result and the conclusion of the study are delimited to the group of scholar students tested in the said school. The use of the survey questionnaire is the main gathering instrument used in the study.

Significance of the Study The problem on the levels of academic stress especially to those senior high school scholar students could be the immediate recipient. The scholar students, parents, teachers’ and the school administration will most likely benefit from this study. Scholar students. Scholar students will benefit the most from this study since they are the most affected ones from academic stress. The findings of the study may help them in coping with their problems. Parents. This study will help parents to become aware of what is happening to their children who might be experiencing academic stress. Teachers. This study will benefit teachers as well because through this, they may realize the need to make adjustments for their students. School Administration. The result of this study may be a form of realization that there should be less academic works. Future Researcher. The result will give information which would be relevant to the future researchers who would pursue a study similar to this.

Definition of Terms These are the important word/s which are defined for better understanding and clarification. These words are defined conceptually and operationally. Stress. As claimed by APA stress is any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioural changes. As applied in the study, it refers to a common problem that most of the students. Self – Imposed Stress. According to Merriam Webster it is defined as any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one’s well- being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities. As used in the study, it means the action of imposing something to yourself that turns out to be stressful. Physiological. As stated by Wikipedia it is the scientific study of the functions and mechanisms which work within a living system. As proclaimed In the study, it refers to the internal body parts and its bodily function. Cognitive. According to Merriam Webster it is defined in relating to being or involving conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering). As used in the study, it is one of the mental aspects that contributes to stress.

Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter represents related literature about the topic chosen by the researchers. This chapter’s purpose is to support the research done by citing related literature and related studies which serves as the researcher’s guide in developing the project, to fully understand the research to be done and for better understanding of the definition of terms in the study. Conceptual Literature According to the book of “general psychology a birds eye view”.Dr. Hans Selye of Montreal one of the leading expert on stress. He defined stress as the “ rate of wear & tear within the body”. Stress is something that you and I have experienced, are experiencing or will experience. This means that to experience stress is definitely normal. But it is only normal if stress does not lead to impairment of occupational, social, school, and daily functioning. If it is does, then, it becomes psychopathological. It is said you experience pressure in stress from external factor such as an examination or graded recitation, traffic, a contest or competition, death, lingering illness, physical injury, natural calamities, noise pollution, enemies and peer group, financial obligation and many more. All of this pressure from external stimuli can create tension and as a consequence, you will start to exhibit physical reactions as well as psychological and behavioral reactions. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) stated that Harold G. Wolff consider stress “dynamic state” involving adaptation to environmental demands” while Hans Selye

considered stress as an “ orchestrated physiological response pattern”. Lazarus and Folkman take these conceptions about stress as important since in the biological usage, stress is an active process of “fighting back” wherein body engages in adaptational efforts that are crucial in the maintenance or restoration of equilibrium. Based on the “ summary of the principles of total relaxation program” stress is the greatest killer in the modern world. People who underestimate the damaging effects of stress is the one that are candidates for stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and other physical and psychological problems. It is also said that our modern world is immune to the effects of stress and the only way to overcome it is to minimize your exposure to it and by learning to be uninfected by it. ISometimes people talk about “feeling stressed”, as if stress were an emotional state, one that involves anxiety and exhaustion. Some people are ‘stressed” by minor events, whereas others seem to sail through life amid a great number of demandswork, family, and school. Stress is a part dynamic interplay between peoples interpretations of events in their lives and their reactions to those interpretations. Stress occurs where a situation overwhelms a persons perceived ability to meet the demands of that situation. As stress is defined in the ‘stress as stimulus and response”, stress push us to the limits or exceed our ability to manage the situation at hand stressors. The focus on the situation that cause stress is known as the stimulus view of stress. And in contrast, stress can be internal to us. The response view of stress has focused on the physiological changes that occur when someone encounters an excessively challenging situation.

Psychologists measure stress as a stimulus by quantifying the number of stressors a person experiences during a given period. Two major categories of stressors are major life events and daily hassles. Any situations that create a major upheaval in a person’s life could potentially lead to stress. We tend to think that stress as being caused by processes within the brain, for it is the interpretations of the events in the world around us that trigger emotions. Stress reduces neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and it may inhibit the synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and neocortex, impacting learning memory formation ( Artola, 2008; Wang et al., 2008). According to Esben Strodl and Jiandong Sun ( 2012), “academic- related stress among private secondary school in India.” This study examined the prevalence of academic stress and exam anxiety among secondary school in India. There are 400 students ( 52 percent are male) from five private secondary schools in Kolkata who were studying in grades 10 and 12. Based on the result of their findings all students reported high levels of academic stress, but those who had lower grades reported higher levels of stress than those with higher grades. Those students who engaged mostly in extra curricular activities are those more likely to report exam in anxiety. This study was also found out that the fear of failure is the one of the major source of stress among undergraduate students. In the study of Rajasekar (2013), “Impact of academic stress among the management students of AMET University”. The study was examined the impact of academic stress among management students.

Stress management encompasses

techniques to equip a person with effective mechanisms for dealing with psychological stress. The objective of this study was to find out the present level of academic stress, sources of stress and the management of stress.

Auerbach and Grambling (1998) states that, stress is the awful condition of mind, emotionally and psychologically which conclude by the people who experience it as a danger or a threat to themselves In the CCE system formulated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal ( 2010). Their study was all about the “method for analyzing students overall performances”. The students are assigned grades on the basis of projects, curricular and extra curricular evaluations along with academics. Thus, getting good grades become a major task for all of the students throughout the academic year. In the book of Psychology, ”even though stress results from situations in which we feel that we cannot manage or cope with the challenges we face, we are probably coping with those challenges whether we realize it or not”. In this study coping refers to anything people do to deal with or manage stress and emotions. Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman differentiated between those type of coping strategies, labeling them problem – focused and emotion – focused coping. Social support combines problem -focused and emotion –focused coping strategies. Stress has its benefits. We often associate with a negative experience, or which we call distress. There is another type of stress that results in having pleasurable or satisfying experience. This kind of stress is called “eustress”. It may causes tension that can cause one to excel and grow. There are also some key to successful stress management , the first one is identify the stressors of your life, next is increase your abilities and lastly is decrease your demands. Related Literature

For the longest time, people assumed that the student population was the least affected by any sort of stress or problems. Stress is now understood as a lifestyle crisis( Masih & Gulrez, 2006) affecting any individual regardless of their developmental stage ( Banerjee & Chatterjee, 2016). The only task students were expected to undertake was to study and studying was never perceived as stressful. What proved to be stressful were the expectations parents had for their children which in turn grew into larger burdens that these children could not carry anymore. According to the statistics published by National Crime Records Bureau, there is one student every hour that commits suicide ( Saha, 2017) The bureau registered 1.8% students who committed suicide due to failing in examinations and an 80% rise in suicide rates during a one-year time frame. A 2012 Lancet report also quoted that the 15-29 age group bracket in India has the highest rate of suicide in the world ( as cited in “India has the Highest Suicide Rate”, n.d.) and these numbers show no sign of dropping. Academic stress has been identified as the primary cause of these alarming figures.

Lee & Larson (2000) explain this stress as an interaction between

environmental stressors, student’s appraisal and reactions for the same. It has now become a grave reality that is termed as a “career stopper” ( Kadapatti & Vijayalaxmi, 2012). It therefore, becomes a significant cause of concern as it is symptomatic of rising mental health concerns in India (Nadamuri & Ch, 2011) Depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, irritability, etc. are few of the many problems reported in students with high academic stress ( Deb, Strodl & Sun, 2015; Verma, Sharma & Larson, 2002). Incidences of depression were also found among stressful adolescents as it is linked with inability to concentrate, fear of failure, negative evaluation of future, etc. (Busari, 2012). Adolescents were also reported to be indulging in various risky behaviors such as increased consumption of alcohol and drugs,

unprotected sexual activities, physical inactivity, poor eating and

sleeping patterns

(American College Health Association, 2009; Bennet & Holloway, 2014; King, Vidourek Singh, 2014). The pressure these students face to perform is so severe resulting in fivefold increase in suicide attempts. It becomes imperative to also understand that low stress does not necessarily ascertain that students will perform better, but in fact under these circumstances, they would perceive the task as unchallenging and may also get easily bored ( Uchil, 2017). Though certain levels of stress push students towards optimum performance, when it is not managed efficiently due to inadequate resources to cope with the stress, it can have dismal consequences for the students as well as the institutions. The stress response elicited by every individual is identical regardless of the trigger causing. For example, marital stress, exam anxiety, work stress, etc. would elicit identical physiological responses from the body. This happens primarily due to the adreno-medullary system, which is part of the sympathetic division of our nervous system and the adrenoccortical axis (Bourne & Yaroush, 2003) resulting in the “fight or flight” reaction. Some of the physiological changes that can be observed in the body are changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, increase blood flow towards skeletal muscles, etc. While the stress response may be identical, the sources of stress reported y individuals vary. These differences would be seen in the causes, sources and consequences of stressors. Some of the common stressors reported in academic setting include excessive assignments, poor time management and social skills, peer competition, etc. (Fairbrother & Warn, 2003). These results are consistent with the

students conducted in India as well as reported by Sreeramareddy, Shankar, Binu, Mukopadhay, Ray & Menezes (2007). Other Individual specific factors include problems in financial management, changes in living atmosphere, difficulties managing personal and academic life, etc. (Byron, Brun & Ivers, 2008; Chernomas & Shapiro 2013; Goff, 2011; Jimenez, NaviaOsorio & Diaz, 2010; Moscaritolo, 2009) The educational system also plays an enabling role subsequently leading to increased stress levels experience by students. Some of the sources include overcrowded lecture halls, semester grading system, inadequate resources and facilities (Awing & Agolla, 2008), vastness of syllabus ( Agrawal & Chahar, 2007; Sreeramareddy et al., 2007), long hours and expectations of rote learning ( Deb et al., 2015). Parents and institutions relentlessly instill the fear of failure which affects their self-esteem and confidence. Ang & Huan (2006) reported increase expectations as one of the factors responsible for increased stress levels. Thus, as the sources of stress vary despite identical stress responses elicited by the body, understanding the former will help develop tailor made interventions targeted to reduce stress levels of students, which will in turn contribute towards holistic wellbeing of the individual. Synthesis Academic stress is often to people specially to students who has high expectation in their academic performance. This has been going on since past generation until now. The struggle of between handling stress and being a good student is really exhausting. People may misunderstood but meeting the high expectation of our

family, friends and teachers, instead of balancing the time between school-related things and other things, lacking of time is increasing. Impotent student who can’t cope effectively with academic stress, it may result on having psycho-social emotional health consequences (Gillikan, 2005; Tennant, 2002). Interralational factors is always with academic stress, including the interpersonal relationship between home and work. This factors may dictate (Misra, McKean, West, & Russo, 2000). Students whom is a scholar may experience some of the struggles and levels of academic stress. Some of them believe that the pursuit of higher education is always the best choice. Most of the student end up spending so much time in academic works and school related, and sometimes when they didn’t meet the deadline, it will result to cramming. Students who always over on studying always aim for the higher, and once they fail it could affect them emotionally that’s when academic stress will follow. To avoid academic stress on students, instead of pressuring the students, parents, family and friends should be supporting him/ her with their decisions, motivates him/ her and always understand an individual when it comes to school-related things and academic performances.

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