THE EFFECTS OF ACADEMIC STRESS IN THE ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE OF GRADE-11 HUMSS/ICT STUDENTS OF
SAINT ANTHONY ACADEMY OF GONZAGA, INC.
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A TITLE PROPOSAL
Saint Anthony’s Academy of Gonzaga, Inc.
Paradise, Gonzaga, Cagayan
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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for Practical Research 1
and English for Academic and Professional Purposes
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GARCIA, KC ANN T.
ABELLA, JOANNA FAITH T.
ACEBUCHE, AIRA JOY G.
ESTEBAN, GIAN MICO S.
OPSIMA, LAWRENCE GERE C.
April 2023
INTRODUCTION
At the present time, stress has become an important subject matter in
research studies in academic circle as well as in our society it is viewed as a
negative emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological process that occurs as a
person tries to adjust to or deal with stressors. Academic stress among students has
long been a topic of research study and researchers have recognized different
important stressors which include excessive assignments, unhealthy competition
among class students, fear of failure in educational achievement and lack of pocket
money, poor interpersonal relationships in class or with lecturers, and family
problems. Students experience stress due to different many factors including issues
of time management, financial matters, interaction with lecturers, personal subjective
goals, social behavior, adjustment in the academic culture lack of support system
(Wilks, 2008), admission process, high expectation of parents, curriculum comprised
of complex concepts, unsuitable school timings, unbalanced student-teacher ratio,
physical environment of classroom, unhealthy student teacher interaction, hard and
fast rules of discipline, too many or complex assignments, teaching methodology,
unconcerned teacher’s attitude and overemphasis on weaknesses rather than
acknowledging strengths (Masih & Gulrez, 2006).
If stress is harsh and extended, it can lessen academic performance, hinder
with a student’s capability to involve in and add to campus life, and raise the
probability of substance abuse and other potentially destructive behaviors (Richlin-
Klonsky & Hoe, 2003). Researchers (Vermunt & Steensman, 2005; Topper, 2007;
Malach-Pines & Keinan, 2007) have defined stress as the insight of incongruity
between environmental burden (stressors) and person’s ability to fulfill these
demands. Researchers usually define stress as the undesirable response people
have to extreme strain or other sort of burden placed on them. Stress occurs when a
person deal with a situation that they recognize as irresistible and cannot manage.
Perception of educational goals as a challenge brings stress and in turn this stress
creates a sense of competence and enhanced learning capability. However,
perception in education as a threat brings such stress which brings forth hopeless
and a foreboding sense of loss, thus leading to lower academic achievement. Stress
is considered to be a part of students’ life and can impact the students coping
strategies in accordance with the demands of academic life. This is so because
academic work is always accomplished with stressful activities (Agolla & Ongori,
2009). Many studies have addressed this issue and it was found that many
psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, and stress have an impact on
the students academic achievement. Williamson, Birmaher, Ryan, and Dahl (2005)
reported that in anxious and depressed youth, stressful life events are considerably
elevated which in turn lead to low performance in academics.
Students in secondary and tertiary education settings face a wide range of
ongoing normative stressors, which can be defined as normal day to day hassles
such as ongoing academic demands. Accordingly, secondary/high school (defined
here as junior/lower secondary education and senior/upper secondary education)
(UNESCO, Citation2012) and tertiary (defined here as post-secondary education)
(UNESCO, Citation2012) students commonly self-report experiencing ongoing stress
relating to their education, which we refer to as academic-related stress, such as
pressure to achieve high marks and concerns about receiving poor grades. For
example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
recently conducted a survey involving 72 countries and consisting of 540,000 student
respondents aged 15–16 years. On average across OECD countries, 66% of
students reported feeling stressed about poor grades and 59% reported that they
often worry that taking a test will be difficult. The OECD further found that 55% of
students feel very anxious about school testing, even when they are well prepared.
As many 37% of students reported feeling very tense when studying, with girls
consistently reporting greater anxiety relating to schoolwork compared to boys
(OECD, Citation2017). This data demonstrates that education and academic
performance are a significant source of stress to students. The impact of this
ongoing academic-related stress to student outcomes and well-being has not been
comprehensibly explored. Therefore, the current narrative review explores the
impact of academic-related stress on students’ academic performance, mental
health and well-being.
Academic Stress is a heavy feeling that causes in different problem in School.
According to the research of Jhoselle Tus (2020) which he stated that academic
stress has become essential part of senior high school students as they are nearing
college life. Academic stress has a big impact to the academic performance of the
students. According also to the research of Andrea Mae C. Cabamalan (2019), she
stated that academic stress encountered by the students leads to poor performances
in School task and duties.
According to some Grade 11 HUMSS/ICT students of Saint Anthony
Academy of Gonzaga that we asked, school activities such as performance tasks
and exam are the common source of their academic stress. Lack of time to finish the
activities and too much school works, this is also what they stated. It is also said to
them that academic stress is affecting their performance on studies by losing their
focus on another subject.
This research aims to study the effects of academic stress in the academic
performance of grade – 11 HUMSS/ICT students to help the students on how will
they are going to deal with stress and for them to be aware on the possible situation
that they may encounter. The researchers also aim to provide data for the school
that they may use in planning programs to help the students that are encountering
stress.
RESEARCH QUESTION
This research aims to study the effects of academic stress in the academic
performance of grade – 11 HUMSS/ICT.
Specifically, it aims to answer these following questions:
1. Does academic stress affect your performance in your studies?
2. What are the common psychological effects of academic stress you’ve
noticed?
3. What are the common physiological effects of academic stress you’ve
noticed?
