A Research Paper

Presented to Colegio San Agustin – Makati

High School Department

Mental Health Concerning the Academic Stress of Grade 12 STEM Students of Colegio
San Agustin - Makati

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in Inquiry

A.Y. 2020 – 2021

Submitted by:

12D

Armintia, Andre Eavan M.

Blanco, Gabrielle S.

Gao, Da

Rafanan, Kirsten Clerre DLS

Ramoran, Juan Leandro R.

Valdez, Christopher Robin M.

March 12, 2021

 ABSTRACT

The research studies the mental health problems of grade 12 STEM students in Colegio

San Agustin due to academic stress. For STEM students, they are facing stress from schools such

as grades and performance, and the situation of remote learning exacerbates their stress. The

stress may negatively affect their mental health, resulting in several mental health problems such

as anxiety and depression. Those problems should be emphasized and addressed since it may

cause bad behaviors like insomnia and substance usage to the students, those symptoms can

eventually affect their physical health. Therefore, quantitative methods and analysis are applied

in the research to assess whether the students are having mental health problems getting from

academic stress, and the impact of the problems. After analyzing and interpreting the data

collected by the survey using mathematical models and hypothesis testing, it concludes that the

majority of the students in the grade 12 STEM strand encounter academic stress and more than

half of the students are suffering mental health problems because of academic stress.

Keywords: Mental health problems, Mental health Academic performance, Academic stress,

STEM students

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This study would not be possible without the help of the following people and individuals

who helped the researchers accomplish their journey.

To our classmates and friends who gave us the strength and support we need to finish this

study successfully, words can not express how much we appreciate the support despite the busy

schedule of everyone, as well.

To our adviser, Ms. Sharin C. Albacete, who encouraged us to keep on pushing and for

being there when we needed help, our accomplishments right now would not have been possible

without your help.

To our Capstone instructor, Mr. Charlie Villate, who guided us throughout the entire

research process and gave us ample time to finish the study, we would not have been able to

complete this study without the learning materials that were provided to us.

To our Inquiry instructor, Ms. Ira Louise Ramos, who was never tired of providing us the

support, strength, and guidance we needed to complete the research, the kind words given to us

enabled us to thrive and keep going. We also appreciate the endless knowledge that has been

handed down to us, all of which vastly helped us in completing this research.

To our parents, who provided us with everything we needed and for understanding our

situation, we express our deepest gratitude for being another stepping stone for us to attain

success.

Above all else, to God almighty, for giving us a reason to rise early in the morning, and

for His never-ending blessings that are poured upon us.

Again, we are extremely grateful to all of you.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract 2

Acknowledgement 3

List of Tables and Figures 6

Chapter I Introduction

Background of the Study 7

Statement of the Problem 8

Research Objectives 8

Research Questions 9

Research Hypothesis 9

Significance of the Study 10

Scope and Limitations 10

Conceptual Framework 11

Definition of Terms 12

Chapter II Review of Related Literature

Mental Health 14

Academic Stress 15

Synthesis 17

Chapter III Methodology

Data and Methods 18

Variables/Dependent Variables 19

Independent Variables

19

4
Analytic Strategy 20

Chapter IV Results and Discussion 21

Chapter V Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations

Conclusion 33

Recommendations 33

Appendices 35

Literature Cited 40

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 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Figure 1: Section of the respondents 21

Table 1: Responses based on survey question numbers 1 to 6 21

Table 2: Responses based on survey question numbers 7 to 12 22

Table 1.1: Percentages of the responses to “Yes” 23

Table 1.2: Measures of central tendency 24

Table 2.1: Correlation analysis 25

Figure 2: Academic performance and mental health and overall wellness 27

Figure 3: The effect of workload on the mental health of the student 28

Figure 4: Factors affecting the academic performance of the student 29

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Chapter I: INTRODUCTION

I. Background of the Study

Students nowadays are facing stress from a variety of factors such as peer pressure,

environmental factors, etc. These stresses can undeniably affect the mental health of students,

and one of those, particularly, is academic stress. According to Kiani, et al (2011), this type of

stress may come from exams, projects, career selection, etc. Then, as discussed by Poon, et al

(2010), this stress may eventually lead to poor academic performance, anxiety, depression, or

even suicide. It is commonly believed that a high level of academic stress can cause the students

to be mentally unhealthy or cause disorders. Also, their study shows that this stress is typically

inevitable for students, but the impact on mental health can be lessened if the problem is properly

addressed, meaning, to make students less stressed, it needs the cooperation of students

themselves and the teachers and parents.

A student's mental health can directly affect how they are in their class. In one study, it

has shown that the student's performance affected their mental state in the later stages in life like

from age 3 affecting their mental health later in life even up to late as age 12. In another study, it

has shown that students that have poor mental health have shown a loss of interest in anything

school-related. It can also affect how they perform during classes such as one example where an

example is given where a student that enjoys the classes suddenly disliked the class on a different

day.

The topic aims to increase awareness and deepen the understanding of the effects of

excessive academic requirements on Grade 12 STEM students. It also aims to determine whether

the number of academic requirements should be lessened depending on the ability of the students

to handle and cope with stress. It will also contribute to the school in helping those who have

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mental problems recuperate their mental health through the recommendation of ways to lessen

academic stress.

II. Statement of the Problem

Grade 12 STEM students encounter academic stress because of the workload given by

the teachers. Academic stress that students encounter may affect the students’ mental health,

which may also have a significant impact on their academic performance. Thus, this research

aims to identify the mental health problems that Grade 12 STEM students encounter about

academic stress, that may affect their performance in classes.

III. Research Objectives

This study generally aims to find out how academic stress affects the mental health of

Grade 12 STEM students in Colegio San Agustin- Makati.

Specifically, it aims to:

1. Identify if students encounter mental health problems that are related to academic

stress.

2. Determine the perceived effects of the students’ performance at school concerning

their mental health.

3. Identify the impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing with

academic stress.

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IV. Research Questions

This research will be guided by these three points of inquiry:

1. Do students encounter mental health problems that relate to academic stress?

2. How do mental health problems affect the academic performance of the

students?

3. What are the impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing with

academic stress?

V. Research Hypothesis

Research Question 1: ​Do students encounter mental health problems that relate to academic

stress?

​ 0​
Null H

Students do not encounter mental health problems that relate to academic stress.

Alternative ​H​a

Students who are more stressed academically tend to have more mental health problems.

Research Question 2: ​How do these problems affect students’ performance?

​ 0​
Null H

Mental health problems do not affect students’ academic performance.

Alternative ​H​a

The students who encounter mental health problems because of academic stress have a more

significant effect on their performance in classes compared to other students who are not stressed

about their academics.

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Research Question 3: ​What are the impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing

with academic stress?

​ 0​
Null H

There are no impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing with academic stress.

Alternative ​H​a

There are impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing with academic stress.

VI. Significance of the Study

Students encounter stress because of a lot of factors. These can also affect the students’

mental health, and one of these is academic stress. Academic stress may come from tests,

projects, careers, and others (Kiani et al., 2011). Assessing how academic stress affects the

students’ mental health would allow researchers to widen their knowledge about this matter--

which may help educators and other professionals empathize with the students. Researchers

would benefit from this study because it will provide additional pieces of information that could

be connected to other academic and mental health-related research.

VII. Scope and Limitations

The general intent of the study is to identify the situation of Grade 12 STEM students’

mental health concerning their academic stress.

The study is focused on Grade 12 STEM students of Colegio San Agustin- Makati only.

The coverage of the study, as well, is to identify the mental health problems that the students

encounter because of academic stress. Moreover, the study will also cover the impacts of these

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 factors on the performance of the student in classes. The study does not cover the entire Grade 12

population in Colegio San Agustin- Makati and will solely focus on the STEM students. The

researchers limited this research to the general factors or concepts about mental health and stress.

This does not include the types of stress that students experience, but will focus on the students’

mental condition only. Lastly, The research will be conducted for five months.

VIII. Conceptual Framework

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

Our independent variables are academic stress and Grade 12 STEM students. We used

these variables because these are the primary sources of our research and what we will be able to

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produce. Our dependent variable is the mental health of the students. Mental health is dependent

on who is experiencing it. This is our dependent variable because this is what we are testing-

how academic stress affects the mental health of Grade 12 STEM students. The controlled

variables in our research are workload and strand. These variables are constant and cannot be

changed. Our mediator variable is the hours of sleep of the students. This relates to our research

argument because the outcome of the data (academic stress) may vary depending on the

respondents’ hours of sleep. Last is the moderator variable, which is mental stability and

procrastination because these variables may differ from individual to individual.

IX. Definition of Terms

To provide the proper context in understanding this research, the following terms are

defined:

1. Academic Performance- ​Academic performance refers to the outcomes of the

performance of a students’ goals (Steinmayr, Meibner, Weidinger, & Wirthwein, 2014).

According to Masud (n.d), academic performance is just one of the many elements that

lead to academic success. It measures how well students can grasp and understand

various taught concepts. They can be measured or evaluated in several ways. Overall

grades, tests, or quizzes may be used to quantify a students’ performance and

understanding. These are the most commonly used methods used by teachers or

professors in any educational institution.

2. Academic Stress- ​The response of the body to school-related requirements that overlap

the ability of the student (Alsulami et al., 2018). Additionally, it is a type of stress that is

caused by frustrations in school. Some factors that affect this are high standards of

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 parents, workloads, competitiveness, and the like. It may lead to children using some

coping strategies such as alcohol, drugs, and whatnot (Gnawali, 2017).

3. Mental Health- ​According to Felman (2020), mental health refers to someones’

cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It talks about how an individual thinks,

acts, and feels. It also refers to taking care of one’s condition and peace of mind.

Individuals who are considered as in a “good mental state” often show positive emotion

and action. According to Keyes (2006), Mental Health has three components: Emotional

well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being. Emotional well-being talks

about one's joy or contentment in one personality. Psychological well-being talks about

balancing daily life activities and having a positive attitude and outlook on their life.

Social well-being refers to the feeling of being a functional member of one’s community

of society.

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 Chapter II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter will provide significant literature on the key points of the relationship of

academic stress to the mental health of the students. These pieces of literature will help in

establishing the connection between academic stress and how these affect the mental health of

the students. Additionally, these pieces of literature will explore previous research about

academic stress and the mental wellness of the student.

I. Mental Health

Conflicts in mental health may affect the student in many aspects including their life in

general, academic performance, physical health, higher education experience, and may adversely

affect relationships. Mental health problems also have long-term damages to the student that may

affect their career choices, opportunities, and overall health (Suicide Prevention Resource

Center, n.d.).

A research was conducted to understand the effects of academics on the students’ mental

health in five universities. They found that a vast number of students are experiencing challenges

regarding their mental health. The mental illness of the student also carried large stages of stress

and distress. They also stated that they observed an increase in the prevalence of challenges in

mental health concerning academics (Hughes, Panjawni, Tulcidas, & Byrom, 2018).

A study from Gifu University in Japan revealed that the mental health of first-year

students in 2020 seems to be better compared to the previous year, despite the Covid-19. They

gave a web-based survey to the students. After the students answered, they analyzed the result

using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and Counseling Center Assessment of

Psychological Symptoms—Japanese, and found that the mental health of first-year students

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during this pandemic is more positive compared to last year’s new students. Also, the number of

students who are prone to mental disorders is lower (Horita, Nishio, & Yamamoto, 2020).

A research paper on the effect of academic stress on the mental health of college students

in the University of Wah shows that there is no correlation between the academic stress and

mental health of the 70 college students in this study. However, the researchers have perceived

that the responses were made with active coping mechanisms of a student in denial. With this,

the researchers concluded that academic stress harms the mental health of college students

despite the results (Kiani et al., 2017).

A study in Chile about the mental health of students being able to predict their grades in

the future was conducted and has proven to link both factors to each other. The researchers have

concluded that the results showed that mental health was a significant predictor for the students’

future academic performance. Results show that students with positive mental health from first to

third grade made better academic improvement than those whose mental health worsened or did

not change. (Murphy et al., 2014)

II. Academic Stress

Academic stress is the body’s response to demands in academics that surpasses the

students’ capabilities. An estimation of 10-30% of students encounters academic stress.

Academic stress is more prevalent in students who are enrolled in universities that have high

academic standards (Alsulami, Al Omar, Binnwejim, Alhamdan, Aldrees, Al-bawardi, &

Alhabeeb, 2018).

A review about academic stress of Hong Kong undergraduate students mentioned that

academic stress perceived can be caused by numerous factors (e.g. high expectations of

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performances, academic overload, etc.), and stress can also cause a lot of negative impacts on a

student’s daily life such as internet addiction, lack of sleep, etc. It is also mentioned that time

management skills, as well as social and campus support are important and necessary for

students to eliminate their academic stress (Ng, Chiu, & Fong, 2016).

Research regarding the academic stress among undergraduate students at King Saud

University stated that the major source of academic stress is the fear of failure. The data was

collected from 232 out of 300 students by the distribution of self-administered questionnaires.

The responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and analysis of variance

(ANOVA). Furthermore, it was also concluded that students with different levels of study and

specializations had no major differences in academic stress among them (Bataineh, 2013).

Research conducted about the impacts of academic stress on students in secondary and

higher education stated that the requirements and pressure placed on students have shown

changes in their actions such as sleep deprivation, substance usage, and lowering their mental

health. The researchers searched for peer-reviewed articles using the keywords such as academic,

school, stress, etc., and used a snowball strategy to examine the articles found using a narrative

review (Pascoe, Hetrick, Parker, 2019).

Excessive levels of Academic stress can lead to physical and psychological problems

such as depression, anxiety, etc. These problems can affect the performance of the student in

school. According to the survey made, the greatest academic stressors are tests, grades,

homework, academic and achievement expectations. Also, the coping capacities of a child vary

from one another. Therefore, if a child has a poor coping capacity, the child is more prone to

physical and psychological problems (Thakkar, 2018).

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Synthesis

Conflicts in mental health may affect the student in many aspects (Suicide Prevention

Resource Center, n.d.). A vast number of students are experiencing challenges regarding their

mental health. The mental illness of the student also carried large stages of stress and distress

(Hughes, Panjawni, Tulcidas, & Byrom, 2018). On the other hand, academic stress is the body’s

response to demands in academics that surpasses the students’ capabilities (Alsulami, Al Omar,

Binnwejim, Alhamdan, Aldrees, Al-bawardi, & Alhabeeb, 2018). In secondary and higher

education stated that the requirements and pressure placed on students have shown changes in

their actions such as sleep deprivation, substance usage, and lowering their mental health

(Pascoe, Hetrick, Parker, 2019).

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 Chapter III: METHODOLOGY

I. ​Data and Methods

To effectively investigate the research question, numerous questions were formulated by

relating the research question and variables in the study. The collection of data was initiated by

surveying through google forms, which allowed for a quick and easy way to disseminate the

survey and collect as many responses from participants as possible. From the conducted survey,

responses will be gathered and assessed to properly investigate and answer the various research

questions.

Ideally, 30 respondents would answer the survey. The survey consists of 15 items with

four dichotomous questions in which respondents simply answer yes or no, eight Likert scale

questions in which respondents specify to what extent they agree or disagree with a certain

statement, and three open-ended questions. All the respondents should participate voluntarily and

they should be grade 12 STEM students in CSA Makati since the research looks into the

relationship between the mental health and academic stress of said students. The survey contains

questions that self-evaluate a respondent regarding his or her mental health problems, academic

workload, academic performance, and academic stress.

Ethical considerations were present in the survey. The main purpose of the survey was

presented at the beginning together with an invite to be a participant in the study. The consent

form also included the privacy protection protocol of the research to assure the confidentiality of

the responses. There is also compensation wherein withdrawal of data will be respected by the

researchers if the respondent chooses to cancel participation. The data privacy agreement was

clearly presented in the survey to ensure that the ethical rights of the respondents were respected.

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 II. Variables / Dependent Variables

The variables that are present in our research are the following: independent, dependent,

controlled, mediator, and moderator variables. The controlled variables play a significant role in

the research, as this is unchangeable and the respondents have this one. The controlled variables

in the research are workload and strand. These variables are constant and cannot be changed.

Next, is the mediator variable, which may have a significant effect on the dependent variable.

The mediator variable is the hours of sleep of the students. This relates to the research argument

because the outcome of the data (academic stress) may vary depending on the respondents’ hours

of sleep. Last is the moderator variable. The moderator variable is something that may vary per

individual. In the research, mental stability and procrastination are the moderators or moderating

variables because these variables may differ from individual to individual. The dependent

variable is the mental health of the students. Mental health is dependent on who is experiencing

it. This is the dependent variable because this is what we are testing- how academic stress affects

the mental health of Grade 12 STEM students.

III. Independent Variables

The independent variables are academic stress and Grade 12 STEM students. These

variables are used because these are the primary sources of the research and what we will be able

to produce.

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IV. Analytic strategy

To analyze the data, the following must be obtained: mean, mode, percentage, standard

deviation, variance, and standard error. The mean will show the average answer from the

respondents, and the mode shows how frequently a value appears on the data, which are

significant in the research. On the other hand, the standard deviation will show how distant each

score is from the mean. As for the variance, it tells how spread out the data is. Meanwhile, the

standard error shows the accuracy of the given data from the mean. Correlation analysis for the

Likert scale is also given. The purpose of the correlation analysis is to determine the

relationships between the variables. This also gives a clear representation of data, which will

help readers in understanding the study.

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 Chapter IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Chapter IV: Results and Discussion

I. Tables

Figure 1: Sections of the respondents

The respondents are all from Grade 12 STEM of Colegio San Agustin - Makati. They

were randomly selected and were made sure that they were willing to participate in this research.

Furthermore, other factors such as gender and age were not considered since it is not part of our

scope and limitations. Also, This research only focuses on the STEM sections, therefore there are

only 4 sections.

Table 1: Responses based on survey question numbers 1 to 6

In the survey, questions one to six are about the effects of academic stress on the mental

health and actions of the respondents and their view of the effects of the variables on each other.

These questions correlate to the research questions and objectives since the data from these can

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identify what are the effects and what aspects of academic stress are most effective on the mental

health of the students. Moreover, most of the respondents answered “yes,” which means that

there is a relationship between the variables.

Table 2: Responses based on survey question numbers 7 to 12

The remaining questions in the questionnaire made use of the Likert Scale to

figure out how much the respondents agree or disagree with the various queries. The usage of

this scale would allow the respondents to fully express their agreement or disagreement with the

questions, thus making the data more valid and reliable. Questions about the respondents’ mental

health and academic performance were asked, and the usage of the Likert Scale would be able to

pinpoint exactly the measure of their responses. Data collection is made easily quantifiable

because of this method. A trend may be found in the gathered responses, and relationships may

then be formed and explained from these variables.

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 II. Percentages

Table 1.1: Percentages of the responses to “Yes” based on survey question numbers 1 to 6

The six dichotomous questions at the beginning of the survey answer the first research

questions. Table 1.1 illustrates the percentage of the responses who answered “yes” to each

question. All the six questions have a percentage of not less than 50%, so more than half of the

respondents are experiencing mental health problems and are suffering from different effects of

it. For questions two, three, and five, they all reach a percentage over 85%. These three questions

aim to assess if the students encounter mental health problems related to academics, and the

majority of the respondents said yes, meaning a huge amount of Grade 12 students in STEM are

being stressed because of academics. As to questions four and six, the percentages of both are

around 50%. These two questions deal with specific behaviors or symptoms of mental health

problems such as substance usage and insomnia, the number primarily tells that half of the

students are having mental health problems because of academic stress and they have developed

some of the bad behaviors from the mental health problems. While, another possibility is that

different people may develop different behaviors or symptoms due to mental health problems,

thus a relatively neutral percentage can be shown for the two questions. This percentage also

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indicates that the deviant behaviors of mental health problems are diverse, and various symptoms

happen in different cases.

III. Descriptive Statistics

Table 1.2: Measures of central tendency based on responses for survey question numbers 1 to 6

The survey questions 1 to 6 aim to determine whether the respondents experience mental

health problems that relate to academic stress or not. The data above presents that the mean is

greater than 50% of the number of respondents, which is 30 and is close to it. Due to this, the

null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is failed to be rejected. The first null

hypothesis is, “students do not encounter mental health problems that relate to academic stress”,

while the first alternative hypothesis is, “students who are more stressed academically tend to

have more mental health problems”. The rejection of the first null hypothesis means that students

do encounter mental health problems that relate to academic stress. This also means that the first

alternative hypothesis is accepted, therefore students do tend to have more mental health

problems when they are more stressed academically.

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 The standard deviation states how far or near the responses are from the mean. In this

case, it is 6, rounded off, which tells us that each score is far from the mean. Although this is

what the standard deviation is, the mean is still the basis of accepting or rejecting the hypothesis.

The variance is the square of the standard deviation. It is the combination of all the values in a

data set that shows how spread out the data is. In relation to the standard deviation, the data set is

indeed spread out.

IV. Correlation

Table 2.1: Correlation analysis based on responses for survey question numbers 7 to 12

The respondents were asked a series of questions through a Likert scale on their

experiences with mental health and academic stress that affect their academic performance. The

data above shows the correlation analysis between the variables. Based on the correlation

statistics, there is a significant relationship between academic performance and mental health

problems. Because of this, the second null hypothesis, which is “mental health problems do not

affect students’ academic performance,” is rejected based on the computed data. Therefore, the

second alternative hypothesis, which is “the students who encounter mental health problems

because of academic stress have a more significant effect on their performance in classes

compared to other students who are not stressed about their academics,” is accepted.

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 The data also shows that the mean of the questions ranges from 3.1 to 4, signifying that

students experience mental health problems due to academic stress. In relation to the mean, the

standard error shows how accurate the mean from the samples is. The mode represents how

frequently an answer appears in the data. It shows that the response “agree” appears most

frequently in the data which means that there is indeed a correlation between variables. This,

then, proves that mental health problems affect academic performance. As for the standard

deviation, it tells how far each score is from the mean. The data, rounded off, is 1, which means

that each score is close to the average score.

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 V. Charts

Figure 2: How academic performance affects the mental health and overall wellness of the

student

Through an open-ended question, the respondents were asked how their academic

performance affects their mental health and overall wellness. The chart above shows the results

of the question. It is determined that their academic performance affects their academic stress,

motivation, mental health, confidence, self-doubt, and others. The “others” portion represents the

unique answers of the respondents. Some of which are workload, anxiety, and time. There is also

a small percentage of respondents who said that these do not affect them. However, since the

percentage of answers that there is an effect is larger than those who said that there is no effect,

this proves that there are impacts on the mental health of the student while dealing with academic

27
stress. Because of this, the third null hypothesis, which is “there are no impacts on the mental

health of the students while dealing with academic stress,” is rejected. Therefore, the third

alternative hypothesis, which is “there are impacts on the mental health of the students while

dealing with academic stress,” is accepted.

Figure 3: The effect of workload on the mental health of the student

The respondents were asked to state the effect of workload on their mental health. The

majority of the respondents answered that anxiety and stress are the effects of workload on their

mental health. The others responded that academic workload resulted in pressure,

overwhelmedness, tiredness, demotivation, and negative effects on their mental health. Lastly,

28
the minority of the respondents indicated that they felt depressed, it affected their overall health,

and it depended on the situation.

Figure 4: Factors affecting the academic performance of the student

The respondents were also asked about the factors that are affecting their academic

performance. Most of the respondents answered workload, motivation, and other factors. Some

also answered distractions like friends, social media, and other reasons. Laziness, personal

matters like home and environment, and overall health are also considered as a factor for the

respondents. As for the respondents who answered “others,” these include attention span,

personal and class schedule, time management, and others.

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Discussion

The first research question is, “do students encounter mental health problems that relate

to academic stress?​” ​This was answered through the dichotomous survey question numbers 1 to

6. There was also a specific question asking if they do encounter these problems indeed. Based

on the gathered results, it proves that students encounter mental health problems that are related

to academic stress. This, then, rejects the first null hypothesis, as well. The survey question

numbers 1 to 6 are about mental health problems, academic stress, and academic performance.

To support these, researchers also found out that an estimate of 10% to 30% of students

encounters academic stress (Alsulami, Al Omar, Binnwejim, Alhamdan, Aldrees, Al-bawardi, &

Alhabeeb, 2018).

The second research question is, “how do mental health problems affect the academic

performance of the students?” The survey questions 7 to 12 aimed to answer this question using

a Likert scale. This set of questions asked the respondents about the relationship between their

mental health and academic performance, development of bad habits, and dealing with academic

stress. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between academic

performance and mental health problems. The accepted alternative hypothesis states that students

who encounter mental health problems because of academic stress do have a more significant

effect on their academic performance compared to other students who are not stressed about their

academics. This also rejects the null hypothesis for research question 2, which means that mental

health problems do affect students’ academic performance. Researchers also stated that they

observed an increase in the prevalence of challenges in mental health concerning academics

(Hughes, Panjawni, Tulcidas, & Byrom, 2018).

30
 The third research question is, “what are the impacts on the mental health of the students

while dealing with academic stress?” This was answered through survey questions 13 to 15. The

said survey question numbers were answered through an essay. The questions asked the

respondents how their academic performance affects their mental health. The results showed that

students having bad performances makes them demotivated, frustrated, etc. This, then, shows

that the academic performance of students affects their mental health, thus rejecting the third null

hypothesis. Researchers also attest to this because they stated that academic stress can lead to

physical and psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, etc. (Thakkar, 2018).

The objectives of the research are to (1) identify if students encounter mental health

problems that are related to academic stress; (2) determine the perceived effects of the students’

performance at school concerning their mental health, and (3) identify the impacts on the mental

health of the students while dealing with academic stress. These objectives were also observed

throughout the research since data gathering was successful and the methods were strictly

followed. Previous studies also state that researchers have perceived that the responses were

made with active coping mechanisms of a student in denial. With this, the researchers concluded

that academic stress harms the mental health of college students despite the results (Kiani et al.,

2017).

A few insights were formed during the research process. First, academic performance

significantly affects the mental health and overall wellness of the students. Second, there are

multiple factors, personal and non-personal, that affect the academic performance of the

students. Lastly, academic stress contributes to the mental health problems of the students.

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 Researchers who conducted a study to understand the effects of academics on students’

mental health in five universities observed that challenges in mental health concerning academics

were more common among students than other challenges (Hughes, Panjawni, Tulcidas, &

Byrom, 2018). This supports the insight that academic performance significantly affects the

mental health and overall wellness of students. Based on the open-ended question number 13 in

the survey, there are indeed impacts on the mental health of the students while dealing with

academic stress.

The greatest academic stressors are tests, grades, homework, academic and achievement

expectations (Thakkar, 2018). This, then, supports the insight that there are multiple factors that

affect the academic performance of the students. Based on open-ended question numbers 14 and

15, there are indeed factors that affect the academic performance of the students. Moreover,

based on survey question number 1, which asks if the workload is an academic stressor for

students, also matches the second insight. Survey results show that 93.3% of the respondents

answered that it is an academic stressor, which means that previous research matches the said

insight and this current research.

Requirements and pressure placed on students have shown changes in their actions such

as sleep deprivation, substance usage, and lowering their mental health (Pascoe, Hetrick, Parker,

2019). This supports the insight that academic stress contributes to the mental health of the

students. Moreover, based on survey question number 4, which asks if the students develop

inappropriate behavior, 50% of the respondents answered that they have and 50% answered

otherwise. This proves that academic stress affects the students significantly, which may also

affect the mental health of the students.

32
 Chapter V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS

I. Conclusion

Based on the careful analysis of the research, the researchers were able to answer the

research questions through the analysis of the measures of central tendency of dichotomous

questions and correlation analysis of the Likert questions. As for the open-ended questions, these

were analyzed through charts, which gives a better understanding of the study. The following

conclusions were derived from the study: (1) Students do encounter mental health problems like

depression, anxiety, and lack of motivation. All of which relate to academic stress. (2) Mental

health problems affect the academic performance of the students. There are also academic

stressors like workload that lead to the mental health problems of the student, which then affects

their academic performance. (3) there are impacts on the mental health of the students while

dealing with academic stress. Some of which is the feeling of anxiety and stress.

II. Recommendations

It is acknowledged that the research done may further be improved in a variety of ways

because the study may also be done through a qualitative approach. This will therefore allow

readers and other researchers to have a better understanding of the study, which is significant,

especially today because of the difference in the setup of classes compared to previous setups,

which was face-to-face.

33
 Thus recommendations for the research must be observed:

A. Recommendations for Stakeholders

Since the study mainly focuses on a school-setting, it is recommended to look into this

and other research, as well, to further understand the problems at hand and other problems that

may also occur. Moreover, since a wide range of students develops academic stress because of

the inability to manage time, it is recommended to orient the students on how they can manage

their time effectively so that academic stress may not be prevalent among students. Furthermore,

some students experience or encounter mental health problems because of academic stress, as

well. This may lead to a negative change in behavior for the students. Therefore, it is

recommended to lessen the academic stressors that the students may experience.

B. Recommendations for Further Research

The study was done only had a small sample size because of the difficulty in collecting

data online. With this, it is recommended that a greater number of sample sizes must be observed

while doing the research. The researchers also focused on students in the STEM strand alone and

it has been observed that the responses or data may differ if a wider population was used.

Furthermore, the interpretation of data may be done differently, as well. In this research, the

measure of central tendency and correlation analysis were mainly used to interpret the data.

Further researchers may also use the z-test to get more accurate data about the research

hypotheses.

34
APPENDICES

Sample of Survey

Grade 12 CSA Makati STEM Students’ Mental Health and Academic Stress

A. Dichotomous Questions
1. Do you encounter mental health problems that relate to academic stress?
O Yes O No

2. Is the amount of requirements a factor that contributes to your academic Stress?

O Yes O No

3. Do low grades and test scores negatively affect your mental health and stress levels?
O Yes O No

4. Does inappropriate behavior (ex: substance usage, insomniac-like behavior, depression)

develop while dealing with academic stress?
O Yes O No

5. Do you feel down whenever an excessive workload is given to you?

O Yes O No

6. Do you not feel like socializing or talking with others (family, friends, teachers, etc.)
when you feel stressed in school?
O Yes O No

B. Likert Scale
7. I encounter mental health problems that affect my academic performance.
O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

8. Mental health problems significantly affect my academic performance.

O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

9. Procrastination is a factor that leads to academic or mental stress.

O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

10. I have developed bad habits due to my mental health.

O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

11. Dealing with academic stress negatively affects my motivation to study.

35
 O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

12. I know the ways to deal with academic stress and I can apply those ways properly based
on my own case.
O Strongly Agree O Agree O Neutral O Disagree O Strongly Disagree

C. Short Answer Questions

13. How does your academic performance affect your mental health and overall wellness?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
14. How does the number of requirements affect your mental health?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
15. What do you think is/are the factor/s that affect your academic performance?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

36
List of Tables and Figures

Table 1: Responses based on survey question numbers 1 to 6

Table 2: Responses based on survey question numbers 7 to 12

Table 1.1: Percentage of the responses to “Yes” based on survey question numbers 1 to 6

Table 1.2: Measures of central tendency based on responses for survey question numbers 1 to 6

37
Table 2.1: Correlation analysis based on responses for survey question numbers 7 to 12

Figure 1: Sections of the Respondents

Figure 2: How Academic Performance Affects the Mental Health and Overall Wellness of the

Student

38
Figure 3: The Effect of Workload on the Mental Health of the Student

Figure 4: Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of the Student

39
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