THE EFFECTS OF ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Leyte National High School

Proponent:

Melvin G. Javate ll

December 2, 2021
I. Background of the study
A sense of emotional or bodily tension is referred to as stress. There is a number of incidents in a person’s
life that lead to negative emotions like anger, frustration, and nervousness that further develop stress in
an individual. Stress is the body’s reaction to challenges or demands. Stress is something that causes
anxiety or depression, it comes from schooling, church, or even at home. Porwal & Kumar (2014) stated
that there are a lot of stress-related to studies, home works, test, and other academic competitions. The
students also face a lot of stress due to an imbalance of academic, social performances, and time
management for extra-curricular activities from education. Academic stress in the students who are
unable to maintain a balance between their academic activities, social, emotional, and family. It can be
positive at times; however, prolonged stress can lead to severe health conditions. Stress levels might vary
depending on how one responds to a certain event.

Some people just do not care and do not become nervous; they regard stress as a minor setback and go
about their regular lives. Others are overly concerned with themselves, which has a negative impact on
their health. Stress is considered as a negative, behavioral, physiological process that takes place when
the person tries to adapt or compromise with stressors (Bernstein et al. 2008). Stressors are events that
disrupt or threaten to disrupt an individual's regular functioning, forcing them to make changes"
(Auerbach and Grambling,1998). Stress is described by Malach, Pines, and Keinan (2007) as the
awareness of inconsistency between environmental burdens (stressors) and a person's ability to meet
these demands. Stress, according to Auerbach & Grambling (1998), can be defined as any situation that
can cause any form of harm or hazard to one's well-being.

II. Concept

1. Stress

Stress means pressure or strain. Life constantly subjects us to pressures. In people, stress can be physical
(e.g., disease), emotional (e.g., grief), or psychological (e.g., fear). Individuals vary in their ability to cope
with stress. How you see a situation and your general physical health are the two major factors that
determine how you will respond to a stressful event or to repeated stress.

Selye (1956) defines stress as “any external event or any internal drive which threaten to upset the
organism equilibrium is stress". Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that
demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. Everyone is exposed
to stress at some time in their lives, that uncomfortable situation that affects the sense of well-being and
quality of life. According to the cognitive-transactional model of stress, stress is the dynamic relationship
between an individual and the environment in which a stimulus (whatever it is) disturbs an individual’s
homeostasis, causing him/her to respond to the situation with all available resources. When this occurs,
we evaluate the demand relative to the available resources. Stress is a widespread phenomenon all
around during all human lifespan. All people have experienced it throughout their history and throughout
human history. The reason for the wide presence and inclusiveness of stress in human communities is
the complexity of human social, personal, and ecological environment, multiple and simultaneous
interactions of humans with surrounding tissues and diversity in stress expression. In psychological

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sciences, stress is a feeling of mental press and tension. Low levels of stress might be desired, useful, and
even healthy. Stress, in its positive form, can improve biopsychosocial health and facilitate performance.

2. Academic Stress

In today’s highly competitive world, students face various academic problems including exam stress,
disinterest in attending classes, and the inability to understand a subject. Academic stress involves
mental distress regarding anticipated academic challenges or failure or even the fear of the possibility of
academic failure. Academic stressors show themselves in many aspects in the students’ environment: at
school, home, in their peer relations, and even in their neighborhood. Academic stress is defined as the
body’s response to academic-related demands that exceed the adaptive capabilities of students .

What Causes of Stress Among Students?

Over the last few years, academic pressure has grown; students must manage tests, homework, and a
variety of other activities. Teachers and parents, in addition to the design, put a lot of pressure on pupils
to earn good scores. These expectations force pupils to work tirelessly, resulting in increased stress.
Academically, parents and institutions want their children to participate in extracurricular activities as
well; students are now expected to be all-rounders. Due to a lack of effective counseling channels,
students are unable to choose a career path for themselves, despite putting in long hours of study. The
youngsters become perplexed and stressed as a result of the parents' and instructors' demanding
attitudes. High school and adolescence are crucial years in forming a child's personality and view on life.
Peer pressure is still present.. Peer pressure is both damaging and persuasive. It can either assist
introverted kids to grow their personalities in a positive way or act as a hindrance and cause tension. It is
critical for kids to have wisdom and surround themselves with positive individuals in order to make the
most of peer pressure. Not all forms of stress are harmful. At our ideal level of physiological arousal, we
function and feel our best. To get things done on a daily basis, we require some tension. Boredom and
"rust out" can result from too little, while "burn out" can result from too much. Preventing us from
relaxing. This eventually leads to a permanent condition of stress. Worry, irritation or fear emerge from
the initial buzz. Challenges become dangers; we doubt our capacity to accomplish even the most basic
tasks, and issues feel insurmountable.

Heavy academic workloads and the constant feeling of being on the verge of missing another deadline can
be stressful. Parental pressure on children to excel in school and in extracurricular activities is at an all-
time high. The compelling desire to succeed in school, which is often abused, harms morale and is one of
the leading causes of stress, failure, and collapse. Parents compete to prove that their child is an all-
around performer, but they end up as victims rather than winners. Lack of support is a key cause of stress
among kids; lack of engagement with parents and teachers continues to build on uncertainties and
confusions, which can lead to tension in a child. A child is expected to achieve a lot, but owing to a lack of
sufficient assistance, they feel lost at sea and are unable to find their way.

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Managing Stress

Students can relieve stress in a variety of ways, such as by including any type of exercise into their daily
routine; this tiny modification will go a long way toward ensuring a happy environment for the long term.
Students can also use meditation and breathing exercises to ease tension and avoid panic during exams.
It's also crucial to make sure pupils get enough sleep; this will help them be more patient and have a
better learning graph. Music has a calming effect, whether it is played in a stressful situation or not.
Listening to music has numerous advantages, including the ability to reduce stress. The way one speaks
to oneself has a significant impact on one's mindset; so, good self-talk is essential for achieving harmony
in one's surroundings. The ability to think positively is crucial to success. Take control of your stress and
anxiety by learning how to deal with them effectively. It's a good idea to begin by relaxing bodily tension
in order to lessen stress-related physical feelings. When your body is free of strain, your mind follows
suit. This aids concentration and learning, as well as decision-making and problem-solving. When you're
relaxed, you may look at each activity as a positive challenge and use tension as a motivator to complete
it, leaving you with a pleasant sense of accomplishment.

lII. Review of Literature

Stress has been a hot topic in academic circles, according to Agolla (2009). Many philosophers have
conducted extensive research on stress and determined that it is an issue that requires more attention. A
great deal more focus Radcliff and Lester (2003) investigated the causes of anticipated stress among
final-year college students and found that class assignments, a lack of supervision, and the pressure to
mix and become affiliated were among the factors that contributed to the stress. McKean et al. (2000)
claim that undergraduate students are more stressed at certain times of the semester. Academic
obligations, financial demands, and a lack of time management skills all contribute to the accumulation of
stress. Excessive stress can have a negative impact on one's health, emotional outlook, and academic
performance. As a result, undergraduate students must develop strategies for dealing with stressful
situations.

According to Ankari (2011), depending on the level of stress, it can be helpful or harmful. Stress has many
effects to a person it can affect the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, respiratory system,
cardiovascular system, endocrine system, and gastrointestinal system. Furthermore, stress is linked to
depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase
susceptibility to infections (American Institute of Stress, 2017), this effect of stress could affect any
individual.

Khan and Kausar (2013) concluded that stress had a deleterious impact on academic performance, while
no significant gender differences were discovered. There is a clear distinction between junior and senior
students. Stress has an impact on one's capacity to learn effectively and manage time. Studying on a
regular basis is vital since it relieves academic strain and allows students to achieve their objectives.

Kaur (2014) acknowledged that the mental health of teenagers gets affected due to academic stress. Girls
with academic stress were found to have poor mental health as compared to the boys. This was

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accounted in the study that parents at times put pressure and strain on students that leads to
deteriorated mental health.

 Relate Studies

Dr. Prabhu, M. and Dr. Madan Mohan, G. (2014) noted that anxiety largely contributes to the stress of
students, hence teaching faculty must concentrate on addressing the anxiety of students, which will
automatically reduce stress among the students. According to Sibnath Deb (2015), pupils reported feeling
pressure from their parents to improve their academic performance. Parental pressure levels varied
greatly depending on the parents' educational levels, the mother's career, the number of private tutors,
and academic success.

Kadapatti and Vijayalakshmi (2012) concluded that as the number of siblings increased the academic
stress of the students also increased. Family size was negatively and significantly related indicating that
as the family size increased the academic stress decreased. Type of family was significantly related to
academic stress indicating that students from the joint family had more academic stress than nuclear
families. Debyani Roy Bhowmick (2017 ) revealed that high expectations of Teachers/Parents in terms of
marks/grades, scolding from Parents/Teachers followed by poor performance, excessive competition,
financial problems, etc. are the factors causing stress among students. Rachana Parikh and Madhuri
Krishna (2019) noted that proximal social environments (home, school, peers, and neighborhood) played
a major role in causing stress in adolescents’ daily lives. Salient social stressors included academic
pressure, difficulties in romantic relationships, negotiating parental and peer influences, and exposure to
violence and other threats to personal safety.

Vl. Conclusion
The main source of stress for the students is the inadequacy of the right support. There is a regular
evaluation system that does not allow pupils sufficient room to experiment and push their limits to
success. Students are stressed due to a variety of personal and social issues. Lack of clarity and the
absence of appropriate career advisers results in a lack of direction, and even after graduation, students
are uninformed about their future and insecure about finding work. Academic pressure, extracurricular
activities, assignments, and other aspects of the study have all expanded dramatically. Parents want their
children to participate in the rat race and outperform their peers in order to improve their own social
status.

Running behind numbers is the new fad in this era of cut-throat competition, sad reality but true. Every
child is different hence it is important for the parents to make their children realize the importance of
identification of their strengths and encouraging them to pursue a career in the area of their ability. It is
critical to do what you enjoy or to enjoy what you do. Managing time properly and ensuring that at least
one physical exercise is performed on a regular basis can help to reduce stress and enhance attention
span, allowing you to be more productive in the classroom .

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