Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.

2 113

The Effect of Shyness and Loneliness on School Activity Participation of

High School Students
Yar Zar Chit
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of shyness and loneliness on school activity
participations of high school students. In this study, 200 high school students from Basic
Education High School, Tada-U, in Tada-U Township participated as samples.
Descriptive research design and survey method were used. As the research instruments,
Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) developed by Cheek & Buss (1981),
University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) developed by Russell,
Peplau & Ferguson (1978) and Evaluation Record for Monthly School Activities
Participation were used. Results showed that there was a significant difference in
students’ shyness by gender (p<0.001). Male students seem to be shyer than female
students. However, there was no significant difference in students’ shyness by Grade.
Moreover, there was a significant difference in students’ loneliness by gender (p<0.01).
Female students seem to be lonelier than male students in their daily livings. However,
there was no significant difference in students’ loneliness by grade. In school activity
participation, although there was no difference by gender, it was found by grade. Grade
10 students participated more than Grade 11 students. Finally, it was found that students’
school activity participation was negatively moderately correlated with shyness and
loneliness. Based on the findings, it is hoped that the teacher trainers will get some ideas
to reduce the shyness and loneliness of their students.
Keywords: shyness, loneliness, school activity, participation
Introduction
Unlike the animals, the mankind lives forming a society. Therefore, people ever
have to make interaction with others. It is a difficult case for mankind to maintain good
interaction forever and there may be difficulties to perfectly meet our expectations about
social contact. A variety of rapidly changing settings for academic, vocational and leisure
activity of modern society burdens children and adolescents with challenges such as
multifaceted social competencies. Adopting multifaceted social competencies is a
difficult case for them. Consequently, children and adolescents are prone to have deficits
in their network of social relationship and can also experience shyness and loneliness.
Shyness makes people go through a higher degree of anxiety than what is
normal. The horror of censure, the anxiety that a much wanted outcome will not come to
pass and the fear of ‘fear’ itself, hold shy people back from making an effort when they
are the centre of attention (Gökhan, 2010). Extremely shy persons find it hard to push
through their feelings of shyness. They hesitate to try new things. Ultimately their
shyness damages their self-image and often end up spending an agonizingly lonesome life
(Reddy, 2005).
Loneliness has been demonstrated to be associated with a number of psychosocial
difficulties (e.g., low self-esteem, low social competence, poorer quality social
interactions), as well as mental health problems (e.g., poorer immune and cardiovascular
functioning, sleep deficiencies). Auslander (1979) found that in students loneliness was
associated with poorer grades, expulsion from school, running away from home, and
engaging in delinquent acts such as theft, gambling and vandalism (cited in Peplau &
Perlman, 1982).
Myanmar is a developing country trying to be a modern developed nation. Thus,
today’s students in the classroom need to be well-equipped with sound mental and
physical health as well as great academic knowledge so that they can lead the country to a
better one in future and can stand out the world. Therefore, students need to participate in


Dr., Assistant Lecturer, Department of Educational Psychology, Sagaing University of Education
114 Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2

school activities and co-curricula activities beside the school curricula. Here, shyness and
loneliness as social constructs that have been found to be associated with their
participation in school activities will need to be studied. Consequently, this study focuses
on the investigation of the effect of shyness and loneliness on high school students’
school activity participations.

Purposes of the Study

The main aim of this study is to investigate the effect of shyness and loneliness on
school activity participations of high school students. The specific objectives are as
follows:
 To explore the shyness, loneliness and school activity participations of selected
high school students
 To examine the differences of students’ shyness and loneliness according to grade
and gender
 To examine the differences of students’ school activity participations according to
grade and gender
 To inspect the relationship of shyness, loneliness and school activity participation

Related Literature Review

Shyness: Shyness has long been described as a character trait, an attitude, or a state of inhibition
(Durmuş, 2007). Shyness is a form of excessive self-focus, a preoccupation with one’s
thoughts, feelings and physical reactions. Shyness may vary from mild social
awkwardness to totally inhibiting social phobia. It may be chronic and dispositional,
serving as a personality trait that is central in one’s self-definition. Situational shyness
involves experiencing the symptoms of shyness in specific social performance situations
but not incorporating it into one’s self-concept. The reactions for shyness can occur at any
or all of the following levels: cognitive, affective, physiological and behavioural, and may
be triggered by a wide variety of arousal cues (Henderson & Zimbardo, 1998).
Components of Shyness: Theorists have identified four components in the experience of
shyness. These components may explain individual differences in the experience of
shyness and the way in which it is described. These components include experiences on
the cognitive, affective, physiological and behavioural levels. Crozier (2001), as well as
Henderson and Zimbardo (1998) described specific experiences at these levels.
First, cognitive components of shyness may include fear of negative evaluation
and rejection, self-consciousness, worry and rumination, and self-blaming attributions.
Second, the affective component of shyness can include feelings of anxiety,
embarrassment, shame, dejection, loneliness and sadness. Third, the physiological
component of shyness resembles an anxiety response. It may include increased heart rate,
blushing and perspiring, muscle tremors, and dizziness, nervous hand movements and
stammering. Fourth, the behaviours that are associated with shyness include reticence,
speech dysfluencies, Passivity, reduced eye contact, maintaining physical distance, lack
of appropriate responses and avoidance of situations.
Loneliness: According to Peplau & Perlman (1982), loneliness is the unpleasant
experience that occurs when a person's network of social relations is significantly
deficient in either quality or quantity. According to Weiss (1973), loneliness is caused not
by being alone but being without some definite needed relationship or set of relationships.
Loneliness appears always to be a response to the absence of some particular relational
provision, such as deficits in the relational provisions involved in social support.
Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2 115

Classifications of Loneliness: On the basis of duration, Beck and Young (1978) also has
distinguished loneliness into three types- namely transient, situational and chronic
loneliness (cited in Sawir et al, 2008). Transient or everyday loneliness reflects short and
occasional lonely moods and has not been given much attention by researcher and
scientists. Situational loneliness is found in a person who has had satisfaction with
relationships until some specific change occurs, such as moving to a new town,
bereavement or getting divorced. Even though situational loneliness can be severely
distressing, it is not permanent for a long time. Chronically lonely arises from social
deficits across prolonged number of years. When the existence of situational loneliness is
long, it can become chronic. Therefore, it should be careful to prevent incidence of
loneliness (Peplau & Perlaman, 1998).
Co-curricular Activities: Co-curricular activities, previously known as extracurricular
activities are activities that educational organizations in some parts of the world create for
the school students. They are activities which all school students must attend alongside
the standard student co-curricular activities (Wikipedia, 2014). Co-curricular activity
means the programme of educational activities, which are systematically organized in and
out of school hours or school compounds together with the teaching of subject matters in
order to meet the educational objectives – to develop personality of school children, to be
able to act civilly, and to develop a sense of responsibility (Basic Education Law; 1973,
cited in Thidar Aung 2011).
By performing co-curricular activities, students get the following opportunities;
1. To develop friendship,
2. To become more interested in school,
3. To learn how to win and lose in a sportsman like manner,
4. To develop greater loyalty to the school,
5. To discover worthwhile things to do in their free time,
6. To develop friendly relationships with teachers,
To gain valuable information that has never been received in a curricular course
(Ministry of Education, 2012).

Methodology
Sampling: The participants of this research were taken from Basic Education High
School, Tada-U in Tada-U Township by random sampling technique. The participants
were 200 high school students (100 male and 100 female). High school students studying
in Grade 10 and Grade 11 (100 students from each Grade) were selected. Moreover, 4
classroom teachers were selected to mark their respective students’ school activity
participations.
Research Instrument: In this study, three instruments were used to collect the data.
Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS): Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness
Scale (RCBS) developed by Cheek & Buss (1981) was used to measure shyness of
students. It contained 13 items. After piloting, the internal consistency of RCBS was 0.76.
The RCBS used a 5-point Likert-type scale.
University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA): University of
California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) developed by Russell, Peplau &
Ferguson (1978), revised by Russell, Peplau & Cutrona (1980) was used to measure the
loneliness levels of students. The UCLA is a 20-item Likert-type scale to measure general
loneliness levels of participants. After piloting, the internal consistency of UCLA was
0.82. This UCLA used a 5-point Likert-type scale.
116 Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2

School Activities Participation Rating Scale: This scale was based on Evaluation
Record for Monthly School Activities Participation from basic education high schools.
This scale was for class teachers. They needed to evaluate and score the status of
students’ school activities participations. There were 10 items in this scale. After piloting,
the internal consistency of the scale was 0.75. This rating scale used a 5-point Likert-type
scale.
Research Method: Descriptive research design and survey method were taken in this
study.

Data Analysis and Findings

To study the shyness of high school students, descriptive statistics of students’
shyness, comparison of male and female students’ shyness and comparison of Grade 10
and Grade 11 students’ shyness were analyzed.
According to Table 1, the total mean score of students’ shyness is 42.75 and it is
greater than the theoretical mean, 42. Therefore, it can be said that the students are
probably shy when they live with other people.
Table 1 Descriptive Statistics for Shyness
Variable N Mean Std. Deviation
Shyness 200 42.75 7.14

To find out gender differences in students’ shyness, descriptive analysis was

made. The means and standard deviations of male and female students were reported in
Table 2.
Table 2 Descriptive Statistics for Students’ Shyness by Gender
Variable Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Mean Difference
Male 100 44.65 7.01
Shyness 3.8
Female 100 40.85 6.79
Table 2 showed that there was a slight difference in mean scores by gender in
students’ shyness. Again, to find out the significant difference, independent samples t-test
was used. It was reported in Table 3. According to Table 3, it was found that there was a
significant difference in students’ shyness by gender (p<0.001). Therefore, male students
seem to be shyer than female students.

Table 3 Independent Samples t-test Result for Students’ Shyness by Gender

Variable t df p
Shyness 3.894* 198 .000
Note: * p<0.001
To find out any difference in students’ shyness by Grade, descriptive analysis and
independent samples t-test were also made again. The means and standard deviations of
Grade 10 and Grade 11 students and t-test result were reported in Table 4. According to
Table 4, there was no significant difference in students’ shyness by Grade.
Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2 117

Table 4 Independent Samples t test Result for Comparison of Students’ Shyness

by Grade
Mean
Variable Gender Mean Std. Deviation t p
Difference
Grade 10 42.31 6.82
Shyness -0.88 -0.871 0.385
Grade 11 43.19 7.46

To study the loneliness of high school students, descriptive statistics of students’

loneliness, comparison of male and female students’ loneliness and comparison of Grade
10 and Grade 11 students’ loneliness were analyzed.
According to Table 5, the total mean score of students’ loneliness is 82.33 and it is
greater than the theoretical mean, 60. Therefore, it can be said that the students feel
probably alone in their daily life.
Table 5 Descriptive Statistics for Loneliness
Variable N Mean Std. Deviation
Loneliness 200 82.33 10.06

To examine gender differences in students’ loneliness, descriptive analysis was

made. The means and standard deviations of male and female students were reported in
Table 6. Table 6 showed that there was a slight difference in mean scores by gender in
students’ loneliness. Again, to find out difference significantly, independent samples t-
test was used. It was reported in Table 7.
Table 6 Descriptive Statistics for Students’ Loneliness by Gender
Variable Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Mean Difference
Male 100 80.21 10.28
Loneliness -4.24
Female 100 84.45 9.41
According to Table 7, it was found that there was a significant difference in
students’ loneliness by gender (p<0.01). Therefore, female students seem to be lonelier
than male students in their daily livings.
Table 7 Independent Samples t-test Results for Students’ Loneliness by Gender
Variable t df p
Loneliness -3.042* 198 .003
Note: * p<0.01
To explore any difference in students’ loneliness by Grade, descriptive analysis
and independent samples t-test were also made again. The means and standard deviations
of Grade 10 and Grade 11 students and t-test result were reported in Table 8. According
to Table 8, there was no significant difference in students’ loneliness by Grade.
Table 8 Independent Samples t-test Results for Comparison of Students’ Loneliness
by Grade
Mean
Variable Gender Mean Std. Deviation t p
Difference
Grade 10 81.28 10.36
Loneliness -2.1 -1.481 0.140
Grade 11 83.38 9.69
118 Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2

To study the school activities participation of high school students, descriptive

statistics of students’ participations, comparison of male and female students’
participation and comparison of Grade 10 and Grade 11 students’ participation were
analyzed.
According to Table 9, the total mean score for the school activities participations
of students is 32.03 and it is greater than the theoretical mean score, 30. Therefore, it can
be said that the students frequently participated in school activities.
Table 9 Descriptive Statistics for School Activities Participation
Variable N Mean Std. Deviation
School Activities Participation 200 32.03 7.07
To explore the gender difference in the students’ school activities participations,
descriptive analysis and independent samples t-test were also made. The means and
standard deviations of male and female students and t-test result were reported in Table
10. According to Table 10, there was no significant difference in the school activities
participations of students by Gender. Therefore, it can be concluded that male and female
students always participate altogether in school activities.
Table 10 Independent Samples t-test Results for Comparison of Students’ School
Activities Participation by Gender
Std. Mean t p
Variable Gender Mean
Deviation Difference
School Activities Male 32.44 7.76
0.81 0.810 .419
Participation Female 31.63 6.31
To examine any difference in students’ school activities participation by grade,
descriptive analysis was made. The means and standard deviations of Grade 10 and Grade
11 students were reported in Table 11. Table 11 showed that there was a slight difference in
mean scores by grade in students’ school activities participations. Therefore, to find out the
significant difference, independent samples t-test was used. It was reported in Table 12.
Table 11 Descriptive Statistics for Students’ School Activities Participation by
Grade
Mean
Variable Gender N Mean Std. Deviation
Difference
School Activities Grade 10 100 34.64 7.29
5.21
Participation Grade 11 100 29.43 5.79
According to Table 12, it was found that there was a significant difference in
students’ school activities participations by grade (p<0.001). Therefore, it can be said that
Grade 10 students are participated more than Grade 11 students in school activities.
Table 12 Independent Samples t-test Results for Students’ School Activities
Participation by Grade
Variable t df p
School Activities Participation 5.597* 198 0.000
Note: * p<0.001
According to Table 13, shyness and loneliness are significantly intercorrelated
with each other (r=0.219) at α=0.01 level. Moreover, there are moderate negative
correlations between shyness and school activities participation (r=-0.459) and between
Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2 119

loneliness and activities participation (r=-0.430) at α=0.01 level. Therefore, it can be said
that the higher the shyness and loneliness, the lower the school activities participation.
Table 13 Intercorrelation of Shyness, Loneliness and School Activities Participation
Activities
Variables Shyness Loneliness
Participation
Shyness 1 0.219** -0.459**
Loneliness 1 -0.430**
Activities Participation 1
Note: ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Discussion and Conclusion

It is reasonable to speculate that some specific genetic factors increase
vulnerability to both shyness and loneliness. Furthermore, it can be said that if students
are unsocial in their daily activities, they feel lonelier and face with loneliness. If students
are to be social individuals, they should be educated to be social so that they do not feel
lonely themselves because they participate actively in social organizations and activities
(Deniz, Hamarta & Arı, 2005). In this regard, it can be said that shy students tend to be
lonelier than their peers.
Some pointers for winning over shyness are as follows:
 Exhibit a genuine interest in the person to whom you are talking. Help them open up;
encourage them to speak about themselves, their likes and dislikes, their opinions and
experiences. Keep in mind any funny anecdote or interesting information them come
up with.
 Recount those anecdotes at another social gathering.
 Make the extra effort to help people feel comfortable. Once people start feeling
comfortable with you, they will automatically take you into their trusted circle.
 Shift your attention on the event you are attending, do not be over-conscious about
your shyness and drawbacks. Relax and star enjoying yourself and you will se your
discomfiture melts away (Spitzberg & Canary, 1985).
Meanwhile, there are many ways to overcome loneliness.
 Connect with friends and family – staying in contact with beloved ones can prevent
loneliness and isolation.
 Get out and about – if you can, regularly getting out for social functions, exercise,
visiting friends or simply doing your shopping can help to overcome loneliness.
 Look after yourself – sometimes when you’re feeling down, you might forget to take
care of yourself. Remember to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
 Get involved in your community – older people who are involved in educational or
social activities are less likely to feel lonely. You might want to try a new hobby, join a
club or learn a new skill.
 Volunteer – helping others is a great way to get out and about, meet new people and
give something back to your community.
 Consider getting a pet – pets are the wonderful companions and can provide comfort
and support during times of stress, ill-health or isolation (Jones, Rose & Russell,
1990).
According to the findings and literatures, the following suggestions would be given.
1) The teachers should use pair works and group works in teaching-learning process so
that students’ shyness can be reduced.
120 Sagaing University of Education Research Journal 2019, Vol.10, No.2

2) Moreover, the teachers should encourage every student to participate in easy tasks and
games so that students’ loneliness can be eliminated.
3) If a teacher wants to ask questions to students who have high shyness and loneliness
level, he/she should be asked easy questions and then should be praised for their idea
or answers than being scolded or punished.
4) The teacher should arrange and encourage both male and female students to cooperate
in class works and school works altogether.
To sum up, this research hopes that parents and teachers will be able to get the idea
how to prevent and preserve their children’s shyness and loneliness in daily life.

Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to offer respectful gratitude to Dr. Saw Pyone Naing (Rector, Sagaing University of
Education) and Dr. Myat Myat Thaw (Pro-Rector, Sagaing University of Education) who allowed me to do
this study. Afterward, I am also grateful to Dr. Khin Hnin Nwe (Associate Professor & Head of
Department), my teachers and colleagues from Department of Educational Psychology in Sagaing
University of Education for their valuable guidance, precious advices and helps for this study. I would like
to include a special thank to Daw Kyi Kyi Sein (Lecturer & Head, Department of English, Sagaing
University of Education) and I really appreciate her insightful comments and valuable editing towards this
paper. Lastly, I wish to express my warmest gratitude to the students who warmly participated in collecting
the data for this study.

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