Eliciting the Story Behind Academic Stress Among the students of

Guintarcan National High School

A Research proposal Presented to

Jonna Rose C. Libril

As a requirement in

Practical Research ll

Submitted by:

Catherine Joy Acibar

Alexis Ordoñez

Jesus Andrew Palmiano

Jhon Ivan Pacaña

Submitted to:

Jonna Rose C. Libril

Guintarcan Senior High School

July 31 2019
 Chapter I
INTRODUCTION

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Academic stress is the anxiety and stress that comes from schooling and education .There is a lot of
pressure that comes along with pursuing education. According to Abouserie (1994) Students report
experiencing academic stress at predictable times each semester with the greatest sources of academic
stress resulting from taking and studying for exams, grade competition, and the large amount of content
to master in a small amount of time.There are lot of stress related to studies, homework, tests, reading,
tuition and other academic competitions student faces a lot of stress due to imbalance of academic and
social performance and time management for extracurricular activities from education. Academic stress
occurs in the students who are unable to maintain balance between their academic, family, and friend,
social and academic activities in life. Stress is very common as they are more worried about their carrier
(Kumar,2014)

The level of the stress student also depends on attitude of teachers towards them. Fear of academic
failure is a definite stressor (Kolko, 1980). If a teacher is friendly then the student has less stress .
Whereas teachers who are not friendly then students does not feel that comfortable due to fear which
generally arises due to stress. This problem has created certain reliable situations among students. In
such situation a student depends more on tuition rather than school teachers. If the tuition- teacher is
not able to understand the problem of the student than it leads to stress level so high that the student
slowly starts to lose interest in studies. The stress level among students varies when work is given as
challenges or threat. The pressure to perform well in the examination or test and time allocated makes
academic environment very stressful. Erkutlu & Chafra (2006) explained that if the work is given as the
challenge then the stress level lowers due to the competition among the students to achieve the target
provided if the work is given in small amount and if the completion of work is not required in an
allocated time.

Whereas if the work is given and student are threatened to complete the work in a limited time then the
stress level in students is found to be very high and only few student are able to complete the given task.
The stress levels of student vary according to behavior of teachers and according to the school
environment. The stress level of students studying in schools which promote or give importance to co-
curricular activities such as sports, dance, music, swimming art is low as compared to student studying in
school which don’t promote these co-curricular activities instead they promote co-curricular activity
related to education such as debate, quiz, speech etc and general feeling among such school are that
sports is rubbish and are less focused and promoted ( Kumar ,2014).

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

 Stress among students is quite common in the world but most of the students are not aware that
they are affected by stress. Stress in academic institutions is higher as they may create negative and
positive impact if it is not treated properly. Especially in academic institutions the working and
organizational setup is entirely different when compared with non academic institutions were the stress
level of the students would also differ .Likewise there are lots of pressures for the present generation
especially to learn more and more than the past generations for their better future. Many academic
institutions in the form of maintaining discipline they make students stressful not allowing the students
to mingle with peer groups, not allowed to speak with girls, heavy and challenging workload,etc.
(Dimitrov ,2017).

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is your perception towards stress?

2. what are the reasons behind your academic stress?
3. What are the suggest solution in coping with academic stress?

1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STATEMENT

The goal of this research is to identify factors causing stress among students in Guintarcan national high
school.To identify specific areas of stress in student’s life and techniques to deal with the stress. To let
the readers know that stress is not just a simple problem and let them realize the value of life that
students shouldn't duzzled the problems that they are facing.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITITIONS OF THE STUDY

This study focuses on the academic stress of the grade 9 -12 students in Guintarcan National high School,
school year 2019-2020. This study will not cover other problems that are not consider as one of the
academic stress. The other students that are not fall apart of grade 9- 12 students are not within the
scope of this research. This would be done through the utilization of interview as a reference or
evidence. By this strategy the researchers will be able to know the Ademic Stress among the students of
Guintarcan National High School.

1.7 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study aims to help the students to identify which academia activities leads them to be tresss .The
outcome of the study will provide the basis for enhancing the general adoption of a new, positive
approach to student life, thereby, ensuring academic success.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Stress
A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding
circumstances.

Academic Stress

Academic stress is a source of stress for many students (Hashim, 2003), not only examinations but also
other academically related stressors such as fear of logging behind in the homework, writing assignment,
working on individual and group projects, time pressure, lack of financial support, concern about
academic ability, scheduling classes and required motivation to study (Tyrrel, 1992).

Depression

Severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied by feelings of
hopeless and inadequacy.The act of lowering something or pressing something down.

Anxiety

A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent even or something with an
uncertain outcome.

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Academic Stress is a much talked in today’s time whether or not the seriousness with which to avoid it
and to deal with it, is adequate in organization .Academic Stress today affects almost all in some of the
students .The intimation of stress are many, including the morale, attrition, overhead costs and poor
productivity ,therefore there have been many researches that have examined stress and it’s
variables.Minter (1999) defines stress as Dangerous for physical and emotional that happened when the
workers can not make his / her job well .Schuler (1982) is of the opinion that stress is be able to feel the
changes of conditions of being unsure about the importants.Pestonjee (1992) defines stress as occurring
when demands on an individual exceed his adjustment resources. He is of the view that while stress is
generally believed to have a deleterious effect of health and performance, recent research has revealed
that a minimal level of stress is essential for effective functioning. It is the individual's reaction to stress
which makes all the difference and may prove to be harmful. According to him the interest in the issue
has been rising and calls the present century as the ‘age of anxiety and stress.’
In the lives of most individuals stress has been identified as a constant condition. Stress affects the life
and functioning and therefore there has been an importance of stress as a research topic (Abdollahi,
2002). In addition, Selye (1956) and Oxington (2005) was describe that stress is the source of our life , it
is inescapable and destined to us.

Cases and effects of stress or symptoms , (Rechael MS,RD January 7, 2018)

Acne

Acne is one of the most visible ways that stress often manifests itself.When some people are feeling
stressed out, they tend to touch their faces more often. This can spread bacteria and contribute to the
development of acne.Several studies have also confirmed that acne may be associated with higher levels
of stress.One study measured acne severity in 22 people before and during an exam. Increased levels of
stress as a result of the exam were associated with greater acne severity (2Trusted Source).Another
study of 94 teenagers found that higher stress levels were associated with worse acne, especially in boys
(3Trusted Source).These studies show an association, but don’t account for other factors that may be
involved. Further research is needed to look at the connection between acne and stress.In addition to
stress, other potential causes of acne include hormonal shifts, bacteria, excess oil production and
blocked pores

Headaches

Many studies have found that stress can contribute to headaches, a condition characterized by pain in
the head or neck region.One study of 267 people with chronic headaches found that a stressful event
preceded the development of chronic headaches in about 45% of cases (4Trusted Source).A larger study
showed that increased stress intensity was associated with an increase in the number of headache days
experienced per month (5Trusted Source).Another study surveyed 150 military service members at a
headache clinic, finding that 67% reported their headaches were triggered by stress, making it the
second most common headache trigger (6Trusted Source).Other common headache triggers include lack
of sleep, alcohol consumption and dehydration.

Chronic Pain

Aches and pains are a common complaint that can result from increased levels of stress.One study made
up of 37 teenagers with sickle cell disease found that higher levels of daily stress were associated with
increases in same-day pain levels (7Trusted Source).Other studies have shown that increased levels of
the stress hormone cortisol may be associated with chronic pain.For example, one study compared 16
people with chronic back pain to a control group. It found that those with chronic pain had higher levels
of cortisol (8Trusted Source).Another study showed that people with chronic pain had higher levels of
cortisol in their hair, an indicator of prolonged stress (9Trusted Source).Keep in mind that these studies
show an association but don’t look at other factors that may be involved. Furthermore, it’s unclear if
stress contributes to chronic pain or vice versa, or if there’s another factor that causes both.Besides
stress, there are many other factors that can contribute to chronic pain, including conditions such as
aging, injuries, poor posture and nerve damage

2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

James-Lange: Theory of Emotion

In 1884 and in 1885, the theorists state of William James and Carl Lange might have differently proposed
their respective theories on the correlation of stress and emotion, but they unite there ideas on this
relationship - emotions do not directly succeed the insight of the stressor or the stressful event; they
become active after the body’s response to the stress. For instance, when your are a witness in a crime,
your heart bit faster, your breath begins to go faster, then your eyes become wide open. James and
Lange say that, the feeling of fear or any other emotion only begins after you experience . This means
that when emotional behavior is not connected to one’s brain it will not possible occur.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY
This chapter covers the methods that were undertaken in conducting this study. The chapter is consist of
the following discussions: research design, participants of the study, research locale, research
instrument, research analysis tools, and research procedure.

3.1 Research Methodology

 An appropriate method for addressing the aim of the study is qualitative research design. The
researchers selected qualitative research design to examine the phenomenon in detail and to allow the
research participants to describe the situations in their own words (Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh, & Sorensen,
2006). Qualitative research is designed to reveal the participants’ range of behavior and the perceptions
that drive it concerning specific topic and issues. The study is specifically a case study as it utilized an
approach that generates an in-depth understanding of a complex issue or particular case in real life
(Crowe, et al., 2011). Becker (1970) explains that case study refers to a detailed analysis of a particular
case supposing that “one can properly acquire knowledge of the phenomenon from an intensive
exploration of a single case” (p.75). Single-case research designs are diverse and powerful set of
procedures useful for demonstrating causal relations among clinical phenomena. It refers to those in
which the phenomena of interest are studied using small group of research subjects (Nock, Michel, &
Photos, 2008). This helped to determine the challenges encountered by Guintarcan both junior and
senior high school students who were identified as stress.

3.2 Research Participants and Sampling Method

The participants of this study will be the students of Guintarcan both Junior and High School for those
who are experiencing academic stress. They were chosen through purposive sampling, a non-probability
sampling technique. Purposive sampling (also known as judgement, or selective sampling) is a sampling
technique widely used in qualitative research, wherein the researcher based his or her own judgement
when choosing participants of the study (Patton, 2002).This involves identifying and selecting individuals
or groups of individuals that are knowledgeable about or experienced with a phenomenon of interest
(Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). Purposive sampling in qualitative inquiry is the deliberate seeking out of
participants with particular characteristics, according to the needs of the developing analysis and
emerging theory (Lewis-Beck, Bryman & Liao, 2004).

3.3 Research Locale

The locale of the study was in Guintarcan Senior and National High School, where the all students
suffering from stress were enrolled. The interview will be conduct within the premises of Barangay
Guintarcan on the set dates and places with the research participants.

3.4 Research Instrument

Since the study was intentionally to find out and describe the challenges encountered by the Senior
and Junior High School Students suffering from academic stress, the researcher will use an interview
questionnaire. Researcher-made instruments such as questionnaires and interview guide must meet the
qualities of a good research instrument before being used in gathering data (Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh, &
Sorensen, 2006). The draft of the questionnaire will be submit to the researchers’ adviser for validation.
Some items not relevant to the proposed study will be discarding.

The questionnaire, as designed by the researchers, consists of close and open-ended questions
mainly about their demographic profile, experiences with stress and perspective, challenges
encountered and the factors that cause their feelings towards academic stress. The questionnaire was
divided into two (2) parts. Part I aimed to gather information on the participant’s personal data such as
his/her name, grade level and section, age, status and contact number. Part II was about their
experiences in academic stress.

3.5 Research Analysis Tool

The interview responses will be transcribe and analyze by the content analysis. Content analysis is a
research tool used to determine the presence of certain words or concepts in texts or set of texts
(Patton, 2002). As recommended by Lauri and Kyngas (2005) the researchers will use an inductive
approach in content analysis since there was a gap in knowledge about the phenomenon studied. In
inductive content analysis, the categories will be derive from the data. There are three main phases of
the content analysis: preparation, organizing and reporting (Elo & Kyngas, 2008). The preparation phase
starts with reading the transcription several times (Burnard, 1991; Polit & Beck, 2004) and selecting the
unit of analysis (McCain, 1988; Cavanagh, 1997; Guthrie, Yongvanich, & Ricceri, 2004) to become
immersed in the data. Then organize the qualitative data by open coding, creating categories and
abstraction (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). In formulating categories, this requires researchers decision
through interpretation as to which is to be put in the same category (Dey, 1993). And lastly, reporting of
analysis process and results are done.

The goal of using analysis tool is to identify important themes or categories within a body of content
and to provide a rich description of the social reality created by those themes/categories as they are
lived out in a particular setting. Through careful data preparation, coding, and interpretation, the results
of a qualitative content analysis can support the validation of existing theories and provide thick
descriptions of particular settings or phenomena (Zhang & Wildemuth, 2008).

3. 6 Research Procedure

In this study, the researchers wrote and sent formal letters asking permission to the target
participants. Upon approval, the researchers together with each participant set a date and place for face
to face interview. These helped the researchers to record participants’ unique perspectives or
experiences as they relate to a particular issue. In this way, the researchers elicited a more in-depth
response and clarified the information when the participant did not understand the question (Olson &
Muise, 2009).

The audio-recorded interviews will be transcribe by the researchers, then proceed to qualitative
content analysis, and used individual themes as the unit for analysis. The primary sources of data for
content analysis are the transcripts. Because the purpose of the study was to identify and describe
difficulties and challenges encountered by senior and junior high students suffering with stress anxiety,
Schamber (2000, p.739) defined a coding unit as “a word or group of words that could be coded under
one criterion category.” Responses to each interview wll be unitize before they will incoding. The
researchers went back and forth with their adviser in finalizing the themes.

REFERENCES:

Abdollahi (2002)Academic stress of a student

Becker (1970)ACADEMIC STRESS AND ADOLESCENT DISTRESS

Crowe, et al.,( 2011)Causes of students’ stress, its effects on their academic success, and stress
management by students

Dimitrov (2017).ACADEMIC STRESS AMONGST STUDENTS: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE

George Dimitrov (2017). A study on the impact of academic stress among college students in India

Hashim (2003).ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG ADOLESCENT IN RELATION TO INTELLIGENCE AND

DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Kartiki forwal, Dr. Ravindra Kumar (2014). A study of academic stress among senior secondary student
Kyngas (2005) Academic Stress among Higher SecondarySchool Students

Minter(1999).STRESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEESPRODUCTIVITY – A CASE STUDY OF GHANA PORTS

AND HABOURS AUTHORITY, TAKORADI

Oxington (2005) Academic stress of a student

Pestonjee (1992) Academic stress of a student

Polit & Beck, (2004)Academic Stress, Depression, and Social Support:

Schuler (1982). Academic stress of a student

Selye (1956)Theories of Stress and Its Relationship to Health

Tyrrel (1992).academic hardiness and academic sterssors in university undergraduates

William James and Carl Lange ( 1884 and in 1885) Psychological Theories of Stress

Dr. Madhu Kosuri (2017) Is Overthinking Negative? Can it cause much stress?

Kelly holland (2019) Financial Stress and Wellness: Understanding the Problem

Elaine mead (2019) What are Negative Emotions and How to Control Them?

Desamparadoa, Mendoza, Minguitoc, moneva (2019) Stress Levels Among the Senior High School
Students in Practical Research 2

AAAC (20003) SOURCES OF ACADEMIC ANXIETY

Appendix A

Part I: General Information

Name: _________________________________________ Sex: 

Grade level & Section: _________________Age: ________

Address: _________________________________

Civil Status:  Single  Live-in  Married.

Contact No: ______________________ E-mail Address: _________________________

Part II: Academic stress Encountered as a Student

1.What is your perception towards Academic stress?

2.What do you actually feel when you are stress in Academic?

3.What are your usual manifestations (emotionally and physically) when you’re stress in terms in
Academic?

4.what are the reasons behind your academic stress?

5.Do you have any embarrassing or stressing moment in school? If yes, can you share it?

6. What do you think are the factors affecting your stress towards stress?

7. What are the challenges you encountered given your feelings stress towards Academic stress?

8. Do you have taken any action about the stress towards academic that you feel? What are these
actions?

9.What are the suggest solution in coping with academic stress?

10. What do you think can the school do to help reduce the stress level of the students suffering from
academic stress?