University of Luzon

College of Education
Dagupan City

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Rationale

Stress has become a part of student’s academic life due to various

internal and external factors placed upon their shoulders. Adolescents

are particularly vulnerable to the problems or issues related with

academic stress as transitions occur at an individual and social level.

(Reddy, et. al. 2018) According to the study by Kadappatti and

Vijayalaxmi (2012), Academic stress among college students has been a

subject of interest for several years. When stress is perceived negatively

or becomes excessive, it can affect both health and academic

performance and college students experience high stress due to various

stressors. In the same study, high aspiration, poor study habits, more

study problems, change in the medium of instruction, and low socio-

economic conditions are the factors responsible for academic stress that

become stressors among the selected respondents of the study.

Stress is defined as the disruption of the body’s homeostasis or a

state of disharmony in response to a real or perceived threat or

challenge. “Stressor” is a threatening and challenging situation. Stress

occurs when pressure exceeds its perceived ability to cope. Stress is the

body’s reaction to a change that needs a physical, mental, or emotional

adjustment or response. (Kumar and Bhukar, 2012)

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University of Luzon Senior High School published a study stating

that due to negative impact of stress on student’s life, such as ineffective

studies, poor academic performance and the general health status,

putting effective measures in place is pertinent to their academic success

and general life. (Bautista, B.M et al, 2017)

Harvard School of Medicine has published many papers and

articles touting exercise as a remedy to stress and anxiety. People who

exercise experience behavioral changes that are boosted by chemical

production within the brain. It works this way- Exercise, in general,

lowers adrenaline and cortisol — stress hormones that trigger the body

to go into a “flight or fight” mode. Exercise stimulates the production of

endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are responsible for the relaxed and

positive outlook people have after completing a rigorous exercise routine

or achieving their running goals (also called “runner’s high”). Some of the

benefits of exercise are that it loosens the muscles, encourages deep

breathing, and improves blood circulation. These directly combat the

physical symptoms of stress, like painful back muscles, a clenched jaw,

taut facial muscles, dry mouth, and tense posture. According to Harvard

researchers, putting the body in a state of relaxation through exercise

can send calming signals to the mind. This approach can break the

stress cycle and improve mental fitness.

[Link]

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Physical Education is known as “education through the physical”.

It aims to develop the student’s physical competence and knowledge and

understanding of movement and safety, and their ability to use these to

participate in a variety of activities linked to the development of an active

and healthy lifestyle. Additionally, it helps students build their self-

assurance and generic abilities, particularly those related collaboration,

communication, creativity, critical thinking, and aesthetic appreciation.

These lay of solid foundation for student’s lifelong and all-encompassing

learning, together with the nurturing of positive values and attitudes in

Physical Education. ([Link]

development/kla/physical-education/[Link])

According to this study, Greater time spend in Physical Education

improves academic performance. This provide an evidence that Physical

Education Programs needs to increase time. Cutting PE class time

actually has a negative effect on student’s performance on standardized

tests, therefore only making worse for those students. (

[Link]

on-academic-achievement/ )

According to Snelling et al., (2015) Physical Education and activity

have positive effects when it comes to student’s academic performance. It

provides an opportunity for students to be active during their school

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days. It also builds a social interaction among peers and teaches a

fundamental skill like team building.

Physical Activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by

skeletal muscles that needs energy expenditure. It refers to any or all

movement including during leisure, for transport to urge to and from

places, or as a part of a person’s work. (World Health Organization, 2020)

The term physical activity is not up to exercise, in fact, both have variety

of common elements. Exercise could be a subcategory of physical activity

that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposefully focused on

improvement or maintenance of 1 or more components of physical

fitness. (International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health,

2016)

Exercise is performed for various reasons, including increasing

growth and development, preventing aging, strengthening muscles and

the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or

maintenance, and enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical activity

boosts the immune system and helps prevent "diseases of affluence" like

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. It may also help prevent

stress and depression, increase the quality of sleep and act as a non-

pharmaceutical sleep aid to treat diseases such as insomnia, help

promote or maintain positive self-esteem, improve mental state, maintain

steady digestion, and treat constipation and gas, regulate fertility health,

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and augment an individual's attractiveness or body image, which is

linked with higher levels of self-esteem.

([Link] 2022)

Human and animal research indicates that being physically active

improves the way the body handles stress due to changes within the

hormone responses, which exercise affects neurotransmitters within the

brain such as dopamine and serotonin that affect mood and behaviors.

Additionally, to the possible physiological mechanisms, there is also the

possibility that exercise is a time-out or break from one’s stressors. A

study that tested the time-out hypothesis used a protocol that had

participants exercise but did not allow a break from stress during the

exercise session. Participants were college-aged women who reported

that studying was their biggest stressor. Self-report of stress and anxiety

symptoms was assessed with a standard questionnaire before and after

four conditions over 4 days. The conditions were quiet rest, study,

exercise, and studying while exercising. These conditions were

counterbalanced across participants, and every condition was 40

minutes in duration. The “exercise only” condition had the greatest

calming effect. When participants were not given a break from their

stressors in the “studying while exercising” condition, exercise did not

have the identical calming effect. In addition to understanding how

exercise can help manage stress and therefore the types of exercise to

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recommend for stress management, it is important to understand

common barriers which may affect exercise participation in high-stress

clients. Lack of time is the most typically reported exercise barrier for

people normally. A lack of motivation, fatigue, poor sleep habits, and

poor dietary habits are factors related to stress which will negatively

impact exercise compliance and adherence. Common exercise barriers

and stress-related health problems should be taken into consideration

when developing an exercise prescription for high-stress individuals.

([Link]

According to Harvard School of Medicine, Stretching keeps the

muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and that we need that flexibility to

maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten

and become tight. Stretching is considered a very low-intensity exercise,

making stretching similar temperament to a broad, varied population,

and including inactive people. It is often recommended to improve

flexibility and optimize movement efficiency (Powers and Howley, 2012).

Furthermore, Acute Stretching is known to have a beneficial effect on

mood states (Nagamatu and Kai, 2014; Sudo, Ando, and Nagamatu,

2015) It may improve mood and cognitive performance, it helps people

feel calmer and more focused on tasks. Even individuals with low levels

of physical activity can experience these improvements from stretching.

(Medical News Today, March 2022)

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A study from The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Science

proved the intervention program in the form of 2 minutes’ additional

stretching exercise program introduced immediately after the warming

section during a 30 minutes’ games session was able to improve the

flexibility level among preschooler boys. In another study, they

recommend a solution for optimizing the flexibility an increase in the

physical education classes in the curricula of universities, but also make

the younger generations aware of the need for exercise and stretching

during leisure time activities as ways to ensure a state of wellbeing and

to achieve good fitness. (Mocanu and Dobrescu, 2021)

Stretching activates nervous system receptors that reduce the

release of stress chemicals. It can enhance your posture and boost your

flexibility, range of motion, and blood flow. Stretching also help your

mind. Our brain can slow down as a result of fatigue, stress, and

anxiety, which can make a person respond more harshly, think more

slowly, and have trouble making decisions, and with stretching, it can

help you overcome these challenges and provide the boost you need.

([Link] )

Furthermore, A publication by the University of New York

(Retrieved March 14, 2016) justified the notion that, extreme levels of

stress can hinder studies effectiveness and lead to poor academic

performance and attrition. It goes on to affirm that, students who

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experienced stressful life events also reported worse health outcomes and

reduced quality of life. According to Harvard researchers, putting the

body in a state of relaxation through exercise can send calming signals to

the mind. This approach can break the stress cycle and improve mental

fitness. ([Link] In addition, Acute

Stretching is known to have a beneficial effect on mood states (Nagamatu

and Kai, 2014; Sudo, Ando, and Nagamatu, 2015) It may improve mood

and cognitive performance, it helps people feel calmer and more focused

on tasks. Even individuals with low levels of physical activity can

experience these improvements from stretching. (Medical News Today,

March 2022)

Additionally, colleges and universities are potentially important

settings to promote full body stretching in minimizing the stress of the

students. Stretching can be an effective strategy for preventing and

relieving stress. One way that it does so is by lengthening the muscles to

alleviate tension. ([Link]

2022)

Moreover, many researchers are interested to study stress but only

a few types of research were conducted on the relationship between full

body stretching and the stress level of college students. Thus, providing a

basis for developing a new positive approach to students’ life, thereby,

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ensuring total wellness among students and the study desires to help the

students to utilize full body stretching to minimize their stress.

Conceptual Framework

According to Giana Zarra, nowadays, stress and anxiety are at an

all-time high. Due to this noteworthy rise, physical education teachers

are beginning to incorporate the idea of Physical activity into their

curriculum with the hopes of easing some of this stress and anxiety.

Adding Physical activity into health and physical education curriculums

would allow students to find a sense of well-being, happiness,

composure, and overall relaxation. Many physical education teachers

have realized that in order to obtain optimal performance from their

students, they must first be at ease in their minds. Simple ways physical

educators have incorporated this method is through practices of Full

Body Stretching. Adding these techniques into the curriculum not only

helps students in managing stress, but it allows them to become a better

version of themselves and to have a more successful school day across

the board.

([Link]

87?journalCode=ujrd20 )

The bodily-kinesthetic learning style is one of nine types of

learning styles defined in Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple

Intelligences. Bodily-kinesthetic learning style or intelligence refers to the

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ability of individual to process information physically through hand and

body movement, control, and expression. It is also known as the physical

learning style or tactile-kinesthetic learning style. This supports our

study that with the use of full body stretching will positively reduce

stress in the lives of most students and helped them to forget their

stressors, have more ability to manage school responsibilities, and

handle daily stressors.

Full Body Stretching can help lower your overall stress levels and

improve your quality of life, both mentally and physically. Exercising

regularly can have a positive effect on your mood by relieving the tension,

anxiety, anger, and mild depression that often go hand-in-hand with

stress (Madell et al., 2020). Stretching can help improve flexibility and

range of motion in your joints. Improved flexibility may improve your

performance in physical activities, decrease your risk of injuries, help

your joints move through their full range of motion, and enable your

muscles to work most effectively.

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Howard

Gardner and challenges the educational system that assumes that

everyone can learn the same way which universal testing is a valid

appraisal of learning. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences indicates

that everyone has some level of 9 intelligences, but that most people have

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a dominant intelligence that impacts the way they learn and interacts

with people and their environment.

This study anchored on CHED Memorandum Order No. 40 series

of 2021 – Guidelines on the Implementation of Flexible Learning for

Tertiary Physical Education: Physical Activity Towards Health and

Fitness (PATHFIT) Courses. It is stated in the CHED order that every

learner is predisposed to be active if the environment encourages

participation. Through PE, the learners will be helped in caring for their

own as well as their family’s health and positively influence other.

DEPENDENT VARIABLE
INDEPENDENT
VARIABLE

Level of Stress before and Effectiveness of Full Body

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

Figure 1 presents the Paradigm of the study. It consists of two

variables, the Level of Stress before and after the Experiment as the

Independent Variable and the Effectiveness of Full Body Stretching in

Minimizing Stress among Students as Dependent Variable.

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Statement of the Problem:

This study aims to examine the extent level of stress in utilizing

the full body stretching activity among Grade 11 Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students in University of Luzon

Senior High School in order to develop total wellness among students.

Specifically, this investigation will answer the following question:

1. What is the level of stress the control and experimental

groups of students before and after the experiment?

2. What is the significance of the difference between the level of

stress of the control and experimental groups in the following:

a. before the experiment;

b. after the experiment;

c. Pretest / Post-test of the Control Group;

d. Pre-test / Post-test of the Experimental Group;

e. Mean Difference?

Hypotheses

The hypotheses employed in this study, tested at 0.01 level of

significance as stated in its null form:

1. There is no significant difference that exist between the level of

stress of 2 groups of students before the experiment.

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2. There is no significant difference that exist between the level of

stress of control group and experimental group after the experiment.

3. There is no significant difference that exist between the level of

stress of control group before and after the experiment.

4. There is no significant difference that exist between the level of

stress of experimental group before and after the experiment.

5. There is no significant difference that exist between the level of

stress of mean level of stress of control and experimental group.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on minimizing the level of stress in Grade 11

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in University

of Luzon Senior High School by the help of Full Body Stretching as the

intervention.

This study covers and based on the Most Essential Learning

Competency (MELC’s) provided by Department of Education (DepEd), the

learning competency is “Describes the role of physical activity

assessments in managing one’s stress (PEH11FH-IIf-5)” under the 2 nd

Quarter of Physical Education and Health 11.

Significance of the Study

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The outcome of this study will provide a basis for developing a new

positive approach to students’ life, thereby, ensuring total wellness

among students. Also, the study desires to help the students utilize full

body stretching to minimize their stress.

The result of the study will be useful for the following;

School Administrators. The results of this study could be a guide

to the school administrators to address and come up with new

interventions to minimize or lessen the stress being experienced by the

students.

Teachers. The result of this study may hopefully give the teachers

a clear picture of what intervention they can do to help minimize the

stress of the students and take it into consideration. The study aims to

help the teachers especially Physical Education teachers to develop and

conceptualize new physical activities for them to help the students

minimize their stress.

Guidance Councilors. The data of the study can help them to

know the stress level of students and the result of this study can

hopefully give them intervention to lessen or minimize the stress of the

students. They can use this research as the basis to have a program in

coping or in minimizing the stress.

Curriculum Planner. The result of this study could help them see

and understand the situation, will be able to add full body stretching as

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their exercise in the class, revise the curriculum to lessen the workload

or subjects that can give stress to the students.

Future Researchers. This study may help to secure related

information and may serve as their reference which may help contribute

ideas for the development of the students having a similar topic in their

research.

Definition of Terms

Full Body Stretching in Minimizing Stress Among Grade 11

Students. This refers to the approach used by the researchers to

determine if the full body stretching helps in minimizing the stress

among the students of Bachelor of Physical Education.

Level of Stress of Control Group and Experimental Group. This

pertains to the degree of result of the perceived stress scale.

Control Group and Experimental Group. This pertains to the

group of students that are not influenced by the experiment and

students that are exposed to the interventions prepared for the research.

Pre-test and Post-test. This refers to a set of questions given to

the groups which determines the current situation of the variables before

the experiment and a set of questionnaires which assesses the results of

the given exercise plan.

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Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter reviews the relevant literature and studies in order to

assist the researcher in establishing the full body stretching in

minimizing the stress.

Conceptual Literature

This chapter discusses ideas, construction, principles, and models

from books, journals, and electronic resources.

Stress among Students

“Studying today is not about learning, it’s about passing.” Studying

alone nowadays is reported as one of the sources of stress. Some

students receive pressure from their parents, some students experience

overtime in class, some schools implements 6-day classes. According to

the study, students have experience this kind of stresses, the tiredness is

not just a simple problem, they have said of they are not living life

normally. (Stacey Joyner, 2011) Instead of focusing at their career, they

more focus on their studies even if it is being a burden to them.

Nowadays, students go through stress in colleges at different levels.

Stress is the physical or mental disturbance caused to students due to

various stressors. This study is a conceptual or literature review study

based on stress among college students. The purpose of this study is to

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make college students understand the stress increases among them and

the causes of stress and also the solutions for coping up with stress.

Initially, the terms “eustress” means positive and “distress” means

negative stresses are discussed in detail in the present study. Also the

acute and chronic stress is mentioned which relates to time period of

stress. The stressors are namely academic performance, finance, social

relationships, time management are discussed in detail. Also how the

college students should cope up with their stress is detailed in this

study. This study will help college students to understand and find out

their stressors and will teach how to deal with the stress. Various

techniques are recommended for use in practice to reduce, avoid and

manage the stress. The present approach is built on the existing theory

to distribute new construction that will help to explain the stressors in

college students and in reducing their stress.

[Link]

307475322_A_Conceptual_Framework_on_Stress_among_Undergraduate

_students_-_A_Literature_Review

Students in secondary and tertiary education settings face a wide

range of ongoing normative stressors, which can be defined as normal

day to day hassles such as ongoing academic demands. Accordingly,

secondary/high school (defined here as junior/lower secondary

education and senior/upper secondary education)] (UNESCO, 2012) and

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tertiary (defined here as post-secondary education) (UNESCO, 2012)

students commonly self-report experiencing ongoing stress relating to

their education, which we refer to as academic-related stress, such as

pressure to achieve high marks and concerns about receiving poor

grades.

Physical Activity among Students

Stress can spiral out of control. The quantity or type of things

going on may make the body feel worn out and burdened if under stress.

Stress frequently interferes with sleep cycles and causes feeling

exhausted when waking up, only to repeat the stressful pattern from the

previous day. Fortunately, taking advantage of all the benefits of

stretching that provides for the body, may lessen the stress in daily life

and regain the sense of well-being. It is to feel stressed at some point,

which can lead to tension or headaches. Stretching can help get the

blood pumping throughout the body and relieve the symptoms of these

headaches as well as improve circulation to promote proper body

functions throughout the system.

Creating a habit of working out and actively engaging in physical

activity has been proven to reduce fatigue, improve cognitive functioning,

and improve alertness. These three attributes are some of the most

common symptoms of stress. Physical activity can help to combat stress

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by giving a positive outlet to not only relieve that stress once it's been

built up for quite some time, but it can also give an opportunity to

combat the stress as it's building up in life.

([Link]

stress-at-home August 2020)

Psychosocial factors, like chronic mental stress and mood, are

important predictors of longevity and well-being. specifically, depression

is independently related to the disorder and all-cause mortality and is

usually comorbid with chronic diseases that may worsen their associated

health outcomes. Regular exercise is believed to be related to stress

reduction and better mood, which can partly mediate associations

between depression, stress, and health outcomes. The underlying

mechanisms for the positive effects of exercise on well-being remain

poorly understood. during this overview, we examine epidemiological

evidence for an association between physical activity and mental state.

We then describe the exercise withdrawal paradigm as an experimental

protocol to check mechanisms linking exercise, mood, and stress.

particularly, we are going to discuss the potential role of the

inflammatory response as a central mechanism.

(Psychoneuroimmunology, 2012. Volume 934)

([Link] )

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Related Literature

This part of review literature provides the cited literature and

studies that tackle the different concepts, understanding, ideas, and

conclusions related to the study of minimizing the level of stress of the

students, which serves as the researchers’ guide in developing the

research. Those that were also included in this chapter helps the

researchers in familiarizing information that are relevant to the present

study.

Stress

According to Sharp and Barney (2016) stress can be defined as

“environmental events or chronic conditions that objectively threaten the

physical and/or psychological health and well-being of individuals of a

particular age in a particular society” (Sharp & Barney, 2016).

In contrast to the stress that every student experiences, students

who are members of racial minorities frequently experience stress due to

their race. The definition of race-related stress is "race-related

interactions between people or groups and their environments that result

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from racism's dynamics and that "cost or exhaust available individual

and communal resources or pose a threat to wellbeing." Due to pressures

like group conformity, discrimination, and stereotype confirmation, there

is an increased chance of minority students having higher stress levels.

Educators primarily view stress as a common and recurrent

phenomenon in the educational discourse of university students

(Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). It poses a real challenge to achieve the

desired outcome. By definition, stress is a state when external demands

exceed one’s resources resulting in degrading effects on emotional,

behavioral, mental, and physiological levels. In an academic context,

specifically among undergraduate students, some of the leading stressors

are deadlines, peer pressure, and the demand to succeed (Beiter et al.,

2015)

According to Clark (2013) Stress is necessary to challenge students

to learn. Approaches are needed that reduce the negative aspects of

stress which lessen students' learning and performance. The key to

reducing distress is providing students with a feeling of control over their

education, information about what to expect, and feedback regarding

what can be done to improve their performance. Stress is inevitable and

unfortunately, it produces headache, neck crick and causes many health

problems that include depression, anxiety, heart disease and stroke

(Clark, 2013)

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According to World Health Organization (2021) in 2017, the two

most common mental health conditions, anxiety and depression,

accounted for over 800 000 years of life lived with disability in the

Philippines, leading not only to vast human suffering but also to

economic losses due to the impact on the workforce productivity.

Reported suicide rates in the Philippines have been increasing over the

past several decades, particularly among college students, with the latest

estimate (in 2015) indicating 17% of young people aged 13–15 had

attempted suicide.

This report provides an assessment of the current mental health

situation in the country including challenges and opportunities for

development of the mental health system and economic evidence for the

attributable and avertable burdens of a number of leading mental,

neurological and substance use conditions (psychosis, bipolar disorder,

depression, anxiety disorders, epilepsy and alcohol use disorders).

Intervention costs, health gains and economic benefits were estimated for

these six conditions and their treatment as well as for three population-

based prevention interventions: universal and indicated school-based

interventions for preventing depression and suicide and a nationwide

regulatory ban on highly hazardous pesticides to prevent suicide. These

interventions will have co-benefits for the development agenda,

contributing to many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) other

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than target 3.4, “to reduce by 2030 by one third premature mortality

from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and promote mental health and

well-being”.

Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you

can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain

health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones

and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities. WHO

defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal

muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all

movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from

places, or as part of a person’s work. Both moderate- and vigorous-

intensity physical activity improve health.

Physical activity has long been known to have positive effects on

health, including the improvement of physical condition and the

prevention of disease, and doctors frequently counsel their patients to

lead active lifestyles. The ability of exercise to reduce stress is another

reason why it is believed to be crucial for preserving mental health.

According to studies, it significantly improves overall cognitive function,

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alertness and focus, and reduces weariness. If stress has made it difficult

for you to concentrate or have much energy, this can be extremely

helpful. The remainder of the body is impacted by stress because of the

brain's extensive network of nerve connections. So, it seems sense that if

your body feels better, your mind would follow suit. Exercise and other

physical activity trigger the release of endorphins, which function as

natural painkillers, enhance sleep quality, and lower stress levels. Your

body can manufacture endorphins as a result of deep breathing,

acupuncture, massage therapy, and other practices. According to

common knowledge, a low- to moderate-intensity workout makes you feel

energized and healthy.

There is a strong belief that regular physical activity is linked to

improvement of brain function and cognition, which favorably affects

academic achievement in addition to the favorable effects of physical and

mental health. Exercise is thought to improve cognition through a

number of mechanisms, including increased blood and oxygen flow to

the brain, elevated norepinephrine and endorphin levels, which reduce

stress and improve mood, and elevated growth factors, which support the

formation of new nerve cells and synaptic plasticity.

In addition to these hypothesized physiological impacts, consistent

engagement in sport-related activities may enhance students' classroom

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behavior and increase their likelihood of paying closer attention to the

academic material covered in these courses.

According to the study of Rengasamy (2012), intervention

programs such as Physical Activities program that is conducted during

Physical Education sessions indicate positive effect on the component of

flexibility among secondary schools’ students and in primary schools

located in urban areas.

The health benefits of physical activity and exercise are clear;

virtually everyone can benefit from becoming more physically active.

Most international guidelines recommend a goal of 150 min/week of

moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

To improve their health, students should engage in daily physical

activity at intensities ranging from moderate to vigorous for at least 30

minutes, according to the World Health Organization (2018).

Additionally, physical activity seems to improve mental health in addition

to helping with physical health. Stress affects everyone to some extent,

however some people more so than others. Muscle tension brought on by

stress can lead to the tightening of the muscles, which in turn can cause

discomfort and chronic.

([Link]

) ([Link] )

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Today, studying is reportedly one of the sources of stress because

it is not about learning but about passing. Some student are under

parental pressure, some students work overtime in class, and some

schools have 6-day classes. According to the survey, students report

dealing with this kind of stress, and many claim that their fatigue

prevents them from going about their daily lives properly. Even if it is a

strain for them, they place more emphasis on their academics than on

their careers. The goal of this study is to help college students

understand why their stress levels are rising, what contributes to it, and

how to deal with it. The present study begins with a thorough discussion

of the terms "eustress," which refers to positive stresses, and "distress,"

which refers to negative stresses. Additionally, the terms acute and

chronic stress are stated in relation to the length of the stress. It is

advised to employ a variety of approaches in practice to lessen, avoid,

and manage the stress. The current strategy is based on the theory

already in place and distributes fresh construction to help explain the

difficulties that college students experience and help them cope with

their stress.

In contrast to the stress that every student experiences, students

who are members of racial minorities frequently experience stress due to

their race. " The definition of race-related stress is "race-related

interactions between people or groups and their environments that result

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from racism's dynamics and that "cost or exhaust available individual

and communal resources or pose a threat to wellbeing." Due to pressures

like group conformity, discrimination, and stereotype confirmation, there

is an increased chance of minority students having higher stress levels.

Educators primarily view stress as a common and recurrent

phenomenon in the educational discourse of university student

According to Clark Stress is necessary to challenge students to learn.

Approaches are needed that reduce the negative aspects of stress which

lessen students' learning and performance. The key to reducing distress

is providing students with a feeling of control over their education,

information about what to expect, and feedback regarding what can be

done to improve their performance.

Being physically active can improve your brain health, help

manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and

muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities. WHO defines

physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles

that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement

including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or

as part of a person’s work. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity

physical activity improve health.

Physical activity has long been known to have positive effects on

health, including the improvement of physical condition and the

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prevention of disease, and doctors frequently counsel their patients to

lead active lifestyles. The ability of exercise to reduce stress is another

reason why it is believed to be crucial for preserving mental health. There

is a strong belief that regular physical activity is linked to improvement

of brain function and cognition, which favorably affects academic

achievement in addition to the favorable effects of physical and mental

health. Most international guidelines recommend a goal of 150 min/week

of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

To improve their health, students should engage in daily

physical activity at intensities ranging from moderate to vigorous for at

least 30 minutes, according to the World Health Organization.

Additionally, physical activity seems to improve mental health in addition

to helping with physical health. Muscle tension brought on by stress can

lead to the tightening of the muscles, which in turn can cause discomfort

and chronic.

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Dagupan City

Chapter III

RESEARCH DESIGN

This chapter presents the discussion of the research method,

research subjects, materials, research instruments, data gathering

procedure and the statistical treatment used in this study.

Research Method to be Used

This study will be utilizing a true experimental research design.

Campbell and Stanley (1963) wrote about the significance of "Achieving

Pre-experimental Equation of Groups through Randomization." It should

be noted that the students in the research described here were not

randomly assigned to the treatments, and thus any post-treatment

differences might have been contaminated by pretreatment differences.

The research will be conducting with a scientific approach using two sets

of variables. The first set is the control group which acts as the constant

variable where they are going to do their daily routine in their house or in

the school and which the researchers used to measure its difference from

the second set is the experimental group where they were exposed in the

full body stretching as the intervention in minimizing the student’s

stress.

True experimental design is a statistical approach to establishing a

significance of the difference between different variables. This is one of

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the most accurate forms of research designs which provides substantial

backing to support the existence of relationships.

Locale of the Study

The researchers believe that upon conducting the study at the

University of Luzon, Perez Boulevard, Dagupan City, Region1, they will

be able to get a plentitude of significant data and information for the

conclusion of the research.

This study will be administered at the aforementioned locale of the

study. The University of Luzon is the first Autonomous University in

entire Region 1 and is recognized as one of the prestigious higher

educational institutions which provides excellence and quality education

by bringing in relevant paradigms in teaching.

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Figure 2. Site map of the University of Luzon

Figure 3. Façade of University of Luzon

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College of Education
Dagupan City

The Participants

The researchers will be using Cluster Sampling under Probability

Sampling. Cluster sampling will be used because all students of the

Grade 11 Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) will

be included. The participants of this study will be the Grade 11 STEM-A

students as the control group and the Grade 11 STEM-B students as the

experimental group. The Grade 11 STEM-B students will undergo a Full

Body Stretching before and after their class for one week. On the other

hand, the Grade 11 STEM-A students will be doing their usual routine in

class without the intervention.

The Grade 11 Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

students were chosen because the researchers believe that they are

experiencing a lot stress due to school works, compliance for

requirements, and academic pressure.

Additionally, the researchers will do this research at the University

of Luzon with accordance of the Senior High School Department together

with the College of Education in the 2nd Semester of the Academic Year

2022-2023. This study is focused on the Grade 11 STEM students to

manage their stress resulting to their lack of focus and attention in their

academics.

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To manage their own stress, the researchers will utilize the Full

Body Stretching as intervention that will help them to relieve the stress

before and after their class.

Instrumentation

The researchers created a table of specification as the foundation

for developing a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale for both pre-test and

post-test that will be answered by the two groups from Grade 11 STEM

students. After the pre-test of the two groups, the Experimental Group

will be undergoing a Full Body Stretching Plan.

The Full Body Stretching Plan will be given to the Experimental

Group and will perform for 7 days to determine the effectivity this

intervention in minimizing the stress level of the students.

Items number 1, 2, 3, and 10 that are parallel questions in pre and

post-test, under the category of Receiving, analyzes in being aware or

sensitive to something and being willing to listen or pay attention. Items

number 4, 7, and 9, under the category of Responding, showing

commitment to respond in some measure to the idea or phenomenon.

Items number 5, 6, and 8, in the category of Valuing, showing

willingness to be perceived as valuing or favoring certain ideas. With the

total of 10 items for both pre-test and post-test that are based on

Affective Domain.

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To test the validity of the full body stretching plan, the researchers

will Physical Education teachers to integrate the plan prepared by the

researchers.

Data Gathering Procedure

To carry out the data collection process, the researchers will

employ a cluster sampling strategy to carry out the data collection

process in order to get the data required for the study.

The researcher will ask a permission from the dean of the

University of Luzon Senior High School Department and the respective

adviser of the Grade 11 STEM students. During the duration of the

experiment, the STEM 11-B will be subjected to simulation as an

intervention to minimize the stress level of the students. On the other

hand, simulation will not be shown to the STEM 11-A students.

Furthermore, to determine the average performance of the

students, the researchers will provide Full Body Stretching Plan that

contains full body stretching activities for the experimental group only.

The Perceived Stress Scale will be given to both the control group and the

experimental group as their pre-test first. For one week, the plan will be

implemented to the experimental group and will performed before and

after the class. After one week, the researcher will give the same Perceive

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Dagupan City

Stress Scale to the students as the post-test. The simulation's efficiency

in the experimental group will be determined by the post-test.

Additionally, the researchers will use Powerpoint presentations in

delivering the lesson about the effectivity of full body stretching in

minimizing the stress of the students. A lecture method with a Full Body

Stretching Plan will be presented to the experimental group. The control

group, on the other hand, will exclusively be exposed to lecture

approaches only. The researchers will discuss the effectiveness of full-

body stretching in minimizing the stress of the students via Powerpoint

presentations.

To compare the performance of the two groups of students from

STEM 11-B (Experimental group) and STEM 11-A (Control Group) after

the experiment, the researchers will administer the post-test of both

groups. For experimental group that will be doing the plan before and

after the class discussion, it will serve as the intervention in determining

the level of stress of the students. Additionally, the control group will

proceed to the traditional or usual way during the class. In order to

compare the results of the two groups, the data will be analyzing by the

researchers in order to determine the increase and extend participation

of the participants in utilizing and integrating the Full Body Stretching

Plan in decreasing the stress level of the Grade 11 STEM students.

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Approval from the Senior

Conducted Experiment

Experimental
group exposed
Control Group
during the
utilized the
duration of
traditional way
experiment
if teaching.
with Full Body
Stretching Plan

Administer Post-test to the

Figure 4. Diagrammatic Flow of the Data Gathering Procedure

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Dagupan City

Statistical Treatment of Data

The following statistical techniques will be using by the

researchers to review and interpret the study's data.

For problem no. 1, descriptive statistics (mean, median, variance,

standard deviation, kurtosis, and skewness) will be using by the

researcher to describe the level of stress of the Grade 11 STEM students

during the pre-test and post-test.

For problem no. 2, the researchers will employ the independent

and paired t-tests to analyze the substantial discrepancy between the

two groups of Grade 11 STEM.

The researchers performed all statistical calculations using the

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.

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Dagupan City

TABLE OF SPECIFICATION

Categories/
LEARNING Level of Item Total
%
COMPETENCY Affective Number Number
Domain
“Describes the
Receiving 1, 2, 3, 10 4 40%
role of physical
activity Responding 4, 7, 9 3 30%

assessments in
Valuing 5, 6, 8 3 30%
managing one’s
stress
(PEH11FH-IIf- TOTAL 10 100%

5)”

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College of Education
Dagupan City

PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE

Direction: Put a check (✔) on the corresponding number from 5-1

5 4 2
3 1
Very Fairly Almost
Sometimes Never
Often Often Never
1. In the last 7 days, how
often have you been
upset because of
something that
happened unexpectedly?
2. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt that
you are unable to
control the important
things in your life?
3. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt
nervous and stressed?
4. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt
confident about your
ability to handle your
personal problems?
5. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt that
things were going your
way?
6. In the last 7 days, how
often have you found
that you could not cope
with all the things that
you had to do?
7. In the last 7 days, how
often have you been able
to control irritations in
your life?
8. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt that
you were on top of
things?
9. In the last 7 days, how
often have you been
angered because of
things that happened
that were outside of your
control?
10. In the last 7 days, how
often have you felt
difficulties were piling
up so high that you

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Dagupan City

could not overcome

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