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The Effects of Study Addiction to the Academic Performance of

Grade 11 STEM Students in Claret School
Of Quezon City

Alfonso M. Alviar, Miguel G. Araneta, Karl C. Cariño

Matthew L. Cuevas, Irie M. Gatchalian, Michael D. Maglamba,
Franky L. Santos
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Senior High School Student
Claret School of Quezon City, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines

ABSTRACT

Study addiction has been a relatively unknown issue within society

but it has affected students from elementary to college. Study addiction has many
causes, and many effects. Three in particular, stress, burnout and sleep
deprivation, have negatively affected academic performances for many. Senior
High School students nearing the end of secondary school and entering college
and adulthood are more prone to these problems, especially in modern times,
where these things have become more widespread and ubiquitous. The STEM
strand, in particular, receive more attention, due to their perceived more difficult
curriculum. This paper aims to identify just how the effects of study addiction
affect the academic performance of Grade 11 students in the STEM strand. This
qualitative study intends to interview 22 randomly selected, non-transferee STEM
students in order to find out these effects with regard to their performances. Stress
causes anxiety and irritability, which causes poor academic performance. So does
burnout, which results to gradually worsening grades throughout the year. Sleep
deprivation was related to students’ lifestyle, but not their academic
performances. Study addiction and its effects negatively affect Grade 11 STEM
students’ academic performances. This research confirms the relation between
this issue and CSQC’s Grade 11 STEM strand, and the importance of a student’s
past performances to the current one.
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Keywords: Study Addiction, Stress, Academic Burnout, Sleep Deprivation,

Academic Performance, STEM-strand

INTRODUCTION

Students are expected to excel and have a good academic record in school. Unfortunately,

some students end up studying excessively in this effort leading to the detriment that they would

ideally try to avoid (Oludiran, 2014). Studying too hard can result to underperforming in exams

(Livengood, & Anne, 2016). It is because it makes students tired which decreases their ability

and enthusiasm to learn at expense of other activities (Parker, 2014).

Study addiction has been defined as “being overly concerned with studying, to be driven

by an uncontrollable studying motivation, and to put so much energy and effort into studying that

it impairs private relationships, spare-time activities and/or one’s health.” (Andreasson, Hetland,

& Pallesen, 2014). Additionally, study addiction has been defined as the point wherein a student

does more harm to him/herself than good, this point being compared to the point of diminishing

returns (Koepsell, 2017). Symptoms of study addiction, as stated by Academia International

(n.d.), include the inability to concentrate, being easily irritable, feeling tired and/or upset, and

sleep deprivation. In simpler terms, study addiction is when a student excessively studies

material and/or lessons to the point of exhaustion, thus negatively affecting his mindset, which

may lead to poorer performances.

Since study addiction is very prevalent within students which may take a toll on their

mind, body, and health, it has been observed that a strong correlation between excessive activity
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in the brain and subsequent cardiac events, such as heart attack, stroke, and angina affecting the

students both physically and mentally (The Chicago Medical Institute, 2017).

This research aims to interview the Grade 11 Students belonging to the STEM strand of

the Senior High School Department of Claret School of Quezon City. This strand was specified

due to their curriculum involving the most science-related subjects, namely Pre-Calculus, Basic

Calculus and General Chemistry (DepEd, n.d). Millar (2008) stated that science-related subjects

are confusing and tends to alienate many learners, making these subjects confusing and harder to

grasp. The topic intends to evaluate and find out the effects of study addiction and their impact to

the academic performances of these students.

CSQC’s Grade 11 students in the STEM strand may benefit if the research successfully

identifies the common factor/s, if there are any, of study addiction. The researchers may be able

to utilize results acquired through interviews conducted with the said respondents, through the

raised awareness of the issue. The results will be gathered and analyzed accordingly, therefore

making the concept of study addiction and its symptoms known to not only the respondents, but

also the rest of the school body. Aside from the students, the research may also benefit

administrators and teachers as well. It benefits the former in the way that school personnel will

be able to pinpoint the main struggles and weak points of the students. Teachers may also benefit

due to the increased awareness of this issue. These teachers can allocate the needed time and

resources in order to help the students study addiction.

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Conceptual Framework

STUDY ADDICTION
STRESS Poor Academic
BURNOUT
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Performance

Grade 11 STEM Students

The study focuses on finding out the prevalent effects of study addiction to the Grade 11

students of Claret School of Quezon City under the STEM strand. Jakki Forester, in her 2013

article, stated that studying too much caused ‘brain habituality’ or the inability to register much

information meaningfully in the brain. Additionally, it has been attributed to bring forth more

negative effects than good ones in the long run (Griffiths, Zsolt & Atroszko, 2018). Various

researches have, in turn, studied the numerous effects of work addiction and study addiction,

namely stress, burnout, poor academic performances and sleep deprivation. The students will be

interviewed regarding these effects, and their answers will be used to determine whether these

effects are present and prevalent.

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Review of Related Literature

Key term: Stress to students

Stress is the physical, emotional or mental factor that causes mental fatigue/tension

(Shiel, 2018). It is the result of external and internal factors that causes a student to struggle.

When one is addicted to studying, stress is inflicted. Agnihotri (2018) stated that students may

experience excess stress due to study addiction, adding that the presence of stress is one

symptom of study addiction. Pietrangelo and Watson (2017) said that stress induces anxiety,

headaches, and irritability, and affects most systems in the body. Additionally, stress and its

symptoms have been proven to result in poorer final grades and academic performances

(Bachrach & Read, 2012). This shows that stress not only negatively impacts one mentally, but

physically as well.

Hypothesis 01: If the respondents are experiencing stress due to their schoolwork and

studies, their grades and academic performance would decrease.

Key term: Burn-out, burnout

Study addiction is assumed to have some sort of relation to academic burnout, and

burnout in general. Burnout, as defined by the World Health Organization in their 2019

International Classification of Diseases, is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress,

and is characterized by feelings of energy depletion and exhaustion. Atroszko, Demetrovics, and

Griffiths in their 2020 study regarding work addiction, stated that burnout is related to

overworking and the presence of a heavy workload, two factors the research assumes study
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addiction brings forth. According to Kiuru et. al (2008), burnout has also been attributed to

school demands and increased exhaustion. This therefore negatively affects a student’s mental

capacity to want to learn, and perform in school.

Hypothesis 02: The respondents who have symptoms of burnout would experience that

their academic grades and performances have worsened compared to past years.

Key term: Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation refers to not getting enough sleep and/or sleeping at the wrong time of

day (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, n.d). The researchers assume that a student’s

errant sleep schedule may be connected to study addiction, and may be a resulting effect of the

issue. Alhola and Polo-Kantola, in their 2007 study, stated that SD (sleep deprivation) impairs

attention and working memory, as well as one’s cognitive performance. Sleep deprivation has

also been proved to affect one’s mood and motor skills regardless of whether one is experiencing

long-term nor short-term sleep deprivation (Pilcher & Huffcutt, 1996). These effects may

negatively impact a student’s physical performance as well as mental capabilities during

schoolwork and exams. Based on these references:

Hypothesis 03: A respondent’s academic performance would be negatively affected by

the presence of sleep deprivation.

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METHOD
Approach
The approach used was a qualitative approach, making use of interviews to fully delve

into the answers of the respondents regarding their academic performances as a result of the

effects of study addiction. This approach allowed the researchers to interpret the answers from

the respondents’ own words, omitting any misgivings or random answers.

Instrumentation
The group made use of a list of questions that were subsequently answered by a sample

composed of 22 Grade 11 students belonging to the STEM strand in conducted interviews. A

total of 9 questions were created for the purpose of identifying which effects were present in the

respondents’ academic performances throughout the academic year. The questions were a way

for the students to identify at what aspect they felt they were lacking focus and time, as well as

which aspects they were excessively obsessing over. The interview questions are as follows:

1. How would you describe and elaborate your concentration level when studying for

specialized STEM subjects and non-specialized subjects?

2. Do the specialized STEM subjects add to the stress of studying for other subjects?

3. How does the specialized STEM subjects affect your study habits during Long Tests,

Quizzes, and Periodical Tests?

4. How does the specialized STEM subjects affect the amount of stress and pressure you

have in studying?

5. How does the increased mathematical and scientific content of the STEM strand affect

your performance?
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6. Do you still get 8 hours of sleep even with major academic outputs for specialized STEM

subjects?

7. How did the specialized STEM subjects affect your performance compared to the

previous level?

8. How has the specialized STEM subjects overridden your study habits compared to the

previous level?

9. Are you still able to perform well and excel on the specialized STEM subjects with 8

hours of sleep?

The interviews were conducted within the span of 2 school days, starting off with an

interview request duly signed by the researchers. The interviewers then approached students

belonging to the 4 STEM-strand sections of grade eleven, namely: SAB, SAH, SJW and SLR to

ask their input in an interview. There were no students of note, no internal factors that affected

who were approached. After the respondents gave their approval, they were subsequently

interviewed at dismissal time.

Sampling Method

Random sampling method was used in order to select the respondents. Of course,

possible respondents were limited to those belonging to the STEM sections. Also, no Senior

High transferees were included. This was to make sure that all the respondents were familiar

with Claret’s grading system. The final sampling was done by drawing lots, with the class

number of each section drawn randomly.

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Data Gathering Procedure

There were 3 themes that each question was assigned to. They were: stress, burnout and

sleep deprivation. Questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 were assigned to the stress-related questions, while

Questions 5, 7 and 8 were burnout-related. Only Questions 6 and 9 were about sleep deprivation.

After assigning each question to their own theme, the interview process was conducted. The

respondents’ answers were then analyzed and interpreted.

Data Analysis
The gathered data was analyzed through the comparison of the respondent’s answers to

the symptoms and implications of the questions’ assigned theme. This was done in order to find

out whether a student’s experiences, or lack thereof, with the perceived effects of study addiction

were linked together. The group also analyzed by theme. Each theme and the questions it

contained were analyzed as a whole. A majority of answers implicating the nature of theme’s

effect would relate that student as experiencing said effect of study addiction. In the same way, a

lack of answers related to the effect’s symptoms and signs meant that same student was not

experiencing the effect.

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FINDINGS

STRESS (Questions 1, 2, 3, 4)

The findings of the interview and its analysis revealed that most of the 22 respondents

were experiencing stress due to study addiction. Out of the 22 students, majority of the

respondents answered that they felt “irritated” and “crammed” when studying for exams, and felt

that studying during exam week was “draining and tiring”. Additionally, respondents answered

feeling “very anxious” while studying for major outputs as well as admitting to have high

concentration while studying in general. However, most respondents described their study habits

to be “average” and “just fine” with only one respondent describing his study habits to be “lazy”.

BURNOUT (Questions 5, 7, 8)

In terms of experiencing burnout, 3 out of the 22 respondents answered to feeling

“inconsistent” regarding their performance throughout the year, while the rest said that their

grades fluctuated slightly from high to average, and average to low from quarters 1 to 3. All 22

respondents stated that their grades from last year worsened in one way or another. 5 out of the

22 respondents answered that from a P average (85-89) (85-89 is now B in the new curriculum)

in grade 10, their general average now stands at B-, which ranges from 80-84. Majority of the

respondents noted that their study habits “remained the same” since last year, with 2 out of the

22 respondents stating that they have “studied harder compared to last year.”
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SLEEP DEPRIVATION (Questions 6, 9)

6 out of the 22 respondents noted that they sleep less than they usually do when exam

days are coming up. 2 out of the 22 respondents stated that they actually sleep longer in those

days. Majority of the students said that they felt that their sleep time during those days are

“lacking” and “not enough”. However, 4 out of the 22 respondents said that they perform the

same regardless of how long they sleep. These respondents stated that they “felt sleepy” during

tests, but still received similar scores to tests wherein they performed with enough sleep.

DISCUSSION

The findings revealed that most of the respondents had their academic performances

negatively affected by stress and burnout, but not necessarily by sleep deprivation. Durmer and

Dinges (2005) had similar findings. They found that sleep deprivation’s severity varies from one

individual to another. The findings also point out the correlation between stress and student

distress. The results allude to the finding that a student experiencing stress will experience

irritability and anxiety. This was also similar to the findings of Whitman (n.d) in his study about

student stress. He stated that a student experiencing stress will also begin to display changes in

mood. This also follows the results of a 2011 study conducted by Einsenberg, Hunt, Speer and

Zivin, which stated that high levels of anxiety and distress can be attributed to a student’s stress

overload. Results of this study also revealed that stress and poor grades are inversely

proportional. High stress levels result in poor academic performance. This statement agrees with
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the findings of Goldstein, Boxer and Rudolph (2015). They noted that severe perceived stress

symptoms related to poorer final grades and academic performance. The finding of this study

that sleep deprivation does not directly affect a student’s academic performance counters the idea

presented by Talib and Zia-ur-Rehman (2012), who stated that students who suffered from poor

sleep quality performed worse during exams. This opposition of ideas may be attributed to the

scarce studies regarding study addiction here in the Philippines. Since study addiction is not a

widely discussed issue in the local setting, it may be that poor academic performances by local

students have not been attributed to this issue.

CONCLUSION

The study analyzed the effects of study addiction to the academic performances of a

randomly-selected sample of Grade 11 STEM students. The study focused on three perceived

effects of study addiction: stress, burnout and sleep deprivation. These effects of study addiction

were shown to be the most impactful in terms of one’s academic performances.

The study revealed that stress and burnout did indeed affect the academic performance of

the Grade 11 STEM respondents, while sleep deprivation did not. The study also found that most

students exhibited feelings of irritability and anxiousness when studying for exams, and that

most of the respondents’ grades worsened when compared to their grades in Claret the previous

year. Said findings give various implications to educators, especially ones in Claret School of

Quezon City.
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Firstly, teachers and counselors should help the students in dealing with stress and

anxiety through more personalized and student-centered lessons and activities, on the condition

that proper and objective education not be compromised in exchange for student comfort.

Second, teachers should monitor not only the grades and performances of a student during the

current academic school year, but his past grades as well, in order to prevent possible burnout.

Thirdly, teachers should lessen the workload of students, provided that learning remains optimal

and level with the expected curriculum of the school. And lastly, teachers need to increase their

monitoring and managing of each student in terms of their feedback and opinions about their

own performances and struggles regarding lessons.

Despite the miniscule number of local studies about study addiction and its effects, the

research was able to connect and relate the effects of the said issue to the local sample. The study

was able to find the implications of stress, burnout and sleep deprivation in order to explain why

students of Grade 11 STEM were experiencing poorer performances and increased stress in

school. The study has also determined which effects of study addiction are present, and how

much they affect students both physically and mentally. Finally, the research was able to suggest

various ways to teachers about how to apply and practice the findings for the improvement of the

academic performance of Grade 11 STEM students.

Since the study was conducted exclusively in Claret School of Quezon City, it is

recommended that future researchers expand to other schools, in order to find more implications

of study addiction. Other effects of study addiction not included in this study should also be

included in order to provide a full scope of the concept and its root causes. Finally, it would be
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best that other aspects study addiction is currently affecting or will affect in the future is

addressed, in order to understand more about the topic, this time in a local setting.

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