Review of Related Literature

Challenges Faced by STEM Students

STEM students often find themselves in a more competitive environment because they are

held to a higher academic expectation. According to Rask (2010), pursuing a STEM program can

be expensive in terms of one's motivation and future career prospects. STEM education is highly

sought after in DepEd's senior high school due to its increased demand under the K- 12

curriculum. This curriculum has made more students competitive, particularly in science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics, by introducing advanced concepts and topics.

However, Students in challenging degree programs often experience various difficulties. These

challenges include significant academic pressure, higher expectations for being independent and

mature. These challenges have been pointed out by Bozick (2007) and Schrader and Brown

(2008).

Students encounter competition especially in STEM courses. Moreover many STEM professors

are not quick to adapt their teaching methods to be more focused on the needs of the students (

Gasiewski et al., 2012).

Parental Pressure

Parents and schools place excessive pressure on students to achieve high grades, which

discourages them even more. Students also often lack guidance and support from both parents

and schools. (C. Subramani & S. Kadhiravan 2017).

In recent years, students have been facing more academic pressure due to exams, assignments,

and various other activities they need to manage. But It's not just the schoolwork; teachers and

parents also add to the pressure by expecting high grades from students. (Jain G. & Singhai M.,

2018). Studies have found that when parents pressure their kids too hard, it can have a bad

impact on how well they do in school (Hoferichter & Raufelder, 2019).

As previously mentioned, students in STEM fields often face challenges and struggles due to the

high expectations placed on them by their parents. According to (Sangma et al. 2018), STEM

students often encounter significant challenges stemming from the pressures imposed on them by

their parents. Parents have specific beliefs and rules that they expect their children to adhere to.

A significant number of STEM students encounter a lot of societal and parental pressure. These

expectations may push them towards choosing a particular profession, entering medical school,

or pursuing a specific academic path (Kamal, 2022).

Several research studies indicate that the expectations parents have for their children have the

most significant influence on how well students perform in STEM subjects. These studies were

conducted by Codjoe (2007), Fan and Chen (2001), Hill and Tyson (2009), Hong and Ho (2005),

and Lee and Bowen (2006).

Another study conducted by (Rogayan et al., 2021), participants mentioned that they found it

challenging to deal with the high expectations placed on them by their teachers and family

members. This suggests that the expectations from their families can create pressure for the

students, which they see as a challenge while studying STEM. While (Deb et al., 2015) found
that around two-thirds of the students mentioned that they experienced pressure from their

parents to excel academically. It indicates that students experiencing significant parental pressure

often feel anxious during assessments, negatively impacting their overall performance (Manisha

Nagpal, Chetan Sinha, 2016).

Peer pressure

Aside from parental pressure, Students also face peer pressure at school due to the

competitive nature of STEM fields. Peer pressure is the anxiety people experience when they go

along with what their friends do because they're afraid of being left out or rejected. When

individuals perceive greater risks, they experience greater negative peer pressure and are more

likely to become resistant to learning, which in turn affects their learning behaviors (Lin Xu et

al., 2023). Peer pressure can significantly impact a student's academic performance in school. It's

about how their friends influence them, either positively or negatively (Moldes, 2019).

Peer pressure among STEM students refers to the impact that friends have on each other, leading

to changes in their thoughts and emotions. As mentioned before, this influence from peers can be

either positive or negative, affecting how STEM students behave and make choices.

(Gebresilase et al., 2023)

Procrastination among STEM students

STEM students may encounter difficulties and challenges when they engage in

procrastination as well. Certainly, most individuals procrastinate, or delay engagement with a

task, from time to time (Smith et al., 2014).

Of all the forms of procrastination, academic procrastination is the most prevalent. This form of

procrastination is characterized by the habit of frequently delaying academic tasks. (Moonaghi &

Beydokhti, 2017).

In a study conducted by (Alih et al., 2021) Students are generally conscious of the consequences

of academic procrastination from the start. Despite understanding how delaying academic tasks

can result in lower grades, they still prioritize short-term enjoyment and satisfaction from

unimportant activities. However, STEM students revealed that procrastination had an effect on

their learning productivity and academic performance, which also causes them to feel pressured.

Another reason why STEM students face struggles and challenges is because of their gadget

dependency which directly affects procrastination levels of students (Garcia et al., 2022). When

students in STEM fields have academic and work responsibilities, distractions such as social

media and video games can lead to either productivity issues or procrastination (Alvarado et al.,

2021). This also explains that both male and female STEM students have equal levels of

procrastination towards their school activities. ( Deemer et al., 2014)