“ACADEMIC STRESS AND COPING MECHANISM OF BSTM STUDENTS OF CAPSU

SIGMA”

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Academic stress is a mental distress regarding some apprehended frustration associated with
academic failure. Academic stress is commonly experienced by college students. There are
many stressors within academic life such as academic demands and achievements from parents, a
personal inclination for academic self-actualization, amount of assignments, conflict with a
classmate and final writing assignments (thesis), and so on.
According to Kadapatti and Vijayalaxmi (2012) academic stress is the product of a
combination of academic-related demands that exceed the adaptive resources available to an
individual. It is widely recognized that the academic achievement and academic ability of a
student depends on both internal and external factors such as proper study habits, intellect, self
and parent educational aspiration, instruction medium, and so on. If these situations are not
conducive for learning. They may lead to academic stress. Academic stress can also refer as the
stressful emotional circumstances that occur due to parents, educators, peers and family
members' educational demands, parents’ demand for academic achievement, present system of
education and evaluation, homework burden and others. Several researchers had studied the
sources of academic stress among students with different age group and courses. Researchers
have identified stressors such as having too many assignments, competitions with other students,
failures and poor relationships with other students or lecturers. Academic problems have been
reported to be most common source of stress for students (Sarita & Sonia, 2015). Sun and Aziz
(2015) also mentioned that academic issues are the most common stressors among health care
students, and this can range from wanting to have high grades in class tests and exams, inability
to manage time, numerous class assignments and tests followed by getting a low grade than
expected.
Abasimi et al, 2015; Kaneko & Momino, 2015. Academic stress is the response that came
with too many demands and tasks that must be undertaken by students. Students in the academic
life will face the problem of social, emotional, physical and family that can interfere with
learning and academic performance. Student response to the stressor will vary. Some students
may be frustrated, while others see a stressor as a challenge to be able to try harder. Students in
transition from their late teens to the early adulthood. The physiological and hormonal changes,
resulting in emotionally unstable students in dealing with problems, so that students tend to be
more susceptible to stress. Stress experienced by students, requiring them to seek ways or using
coping strategies in order to survive or to face problems.

Coping is defined as an individual’s capacity to face and adapt to stressful situations, an

ability that allows people to react to behavior, thoughts and emotion caused by such events
(Hirsch et al, 2015). Coping has been viewed as a stabilizing factor that may assist individual in
psychosocial adaptation during stressful events and influence an individual experience of stress.
Strategies or coping mechanism used by individuals to help protect against feelings of
helplessness and anxiety. However, sometimes a coping mechanism that individuals distorted
and no longer able to help in the face of a stressor (Kumar,& Bhukar, 2013; Bamuhair et al,
2015)
The purpose of this study is to determine the source of the cause of academic stress of
BSTM students and how the strategy or coping mechanism they use. Although in some countries
the existing previous research on academic stress, but there are differences in sociodemographic
background and the curriculum or teaching methods used at each institution
This study was hence done to assess academic stress, to find out its determinants, to
assess other sources of stress and to explore the various coping styles adopted by medical
students to deal with academic stress.
 Theoretical Framework

Since stress is one of the most interesting, broad and mysterious subjects, its study not
only limited to what happens to the body during a stressful situation, but also to what occurs in
the psyche of an individual. The personal impact of a stressor also depends on ones coping
resources and strategies. Coping resources are the personal and contextual attributes individual
draw upon when dealing with a challenge. Previous research indicates that self-reported stress is
associated with the presentation of anxious states and lower well-being. Ongoing stress also
precipitates the development of more serious mental health issues such as anxiety and
depression. In 2002-2003, Hanson and Austin and Weare & Gray propose that education settings
can work to improve student academic related stress through the provision of programs to
decrease stress and increase stress management and coping.

According to Lauren Ragland stress is part of being human, and it can help motivate
people to get things done. You may feel down or anxious and that’s normal too for a while.
Talking to your doctor if you feel down or anxious for more than several weeks or if it starts to
interfere with your home or work life. Therapy, medication, and other strategies can help. In the
meantime, there are things you can learn to manage stress before it gets to be too much. Exercise,
to start with physical activity can help improve your sleep and better sleep means better stress
management. People who exercise also tend to feel less anxious and more positive about
themselves. Diet, the benefits of eating health food extend beyond your waist line to your mental
health. A healthy diet can lessen the effects of stress, build your immune system, level your
mood, and lower your blood pressure. Sleep, a common side effect of stress is that you may
struggle to fall asleep. Lack of sleep can also add to your stress level and cause a cycle of stress
and sleeplessness, better sleep habits can help. Relaxation techniques can also help such as yoga,
meditation, deep breathing, and bio feedback, connecting with people, behavior , laugh therapy,
and talk therapy, (medically reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD.)
 Statement of the Problem

1. What are the academic stress of BSTM students?

2. What are the coping mechanism of BSTM students?
3. What is the difference between genders in terms of academic stress?
4. What is the difference between genders in terms of coping mechanism?
5. Is there a significant relationship between stress and coping mechanism of BSTM
students of Capsu Sigma?

Significance of the Study

This study is focused on the academic stress and coping mechanism of the
Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management students of Capiz State University Sigma
Satellite College. The results of this study may be beneficial to the following:

Curriculum Planners . The findings will help them properly plan the offering of the
different subjects that will not become stressors to students.
Future Researchers . Results will be useful for them in the course of their future studies
on the same issues utilizing other variables.
Guidance Councilors . The results will serve as baseline data to institute and facilitate
improved services and provide supportive environment to student needing guidance.
Parents . This study will provide in-depth information to parents that will help them
provide supportive home environment that will be helpful in improving academic
performance of these students.
School Administrators . By knowing the different stressors of these students, they will
be prepared to provide a well-balanced academic environment conducive for better
learning, with the focus on the students personal needs .
Tourism Students . The findings will provide students proper awareness on the different
stressors they are facing. This will also inform them how they could be able to cope with
the stress.
Future Researchers . This study would be beneficial as this would serve as a basis for
their own study and provide useful information that they may use.
 Conceptual Framework
This study presents the dependent and independent variables applied in the current study.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Academic Stress

Age, Sex and Year Level And

Coping Mechanism

The illustration shows the dependent and independent variables in this study.
Figure 1.Schematic diagram showing the relationship of Age, Sex and Year Level to Academic
Stress and Coping Mechanism of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management of Capiz State
University Sigma Satellite College.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study was conducted at Capiz State University Sigma Satellite College, it was
limited only to Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management students who presently enrolled
from first year to fourth year during the first semester school year 2022-2023.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined for clarify of this study

Academic Stress It is the tension, biological, and psychological relating to the amount of works
and pressure given by the academic life as perceived by the students.

Coping Mechanism are the strategies people often use in the face of stress/or trauma to help
manage painful or difficult emotions. Coping mechanism can help people adjust to stressful
events while helping them maintain their emotional well-being.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter aims to present through summary of the recognized facts and information
related studies regarding reviews academic stress and coping mechanism that will guide the
researchers throughout the course of the study.

Reddy et al. (2018) in their study concludes that stream wise difference in stress does
exist in students. It is important to deal with stress at personal, social and institutional level.
Remedies such as feedback, yoga, life skills training, mindfulness, meditation and psychotherapy
have been found useful to deal with stress. To identify the main reason of stress is the key to deal
with it. Professionals can develop tailor made strategies to deal with stress. The integrated well-
being of the students is important not only for the individual but for the institute as well.

Dimitrov (2017) in his study claimed that stress can be addressed by ensuring that the
students give utmost importance to their welfare. Food, exercise, work, recreation are some of
the areas to focus on. He also concluded that the education system is more to do with the
academic qualifications and does not contribute enough to the holistic development of students.

Subramani and Kadhiravan (2017) revealed the link between academic stress and mental
health among students. He endorsed that academic stress and mental health are correlated and
that students are cramped with the academic structure. Parents and schools pressurize the
students way too much for the higher grades that disheartens the students, further to add on there
is not enough support from the parents and school in terms of guidance. The students are
mentally healthy when they perform constructively in the academic forums. They also
propounded that students from private schools are more pressurized as compared to students
from government schools due to the excess of homework and other academic related
assignments. Significant difference in mental health of students from private and government
schools was found. He asserted that students from private schools have a different nurturing and
vast exposure as compared to government school students who belong to poor socio economic
background and lack of exposure. This is one of the reasons for the escalation of stress.

Sharma et al. (2016) in their study stated the use of various methods to curb stress. Doing
one physical exercise on daily basis can address the concern of stress. One can also adopt to
various time management tools and get involved with leisure activities which can benefit
students. Also, it was suggested that colleges should have a conducive ambience to curtail the
stress. Change in the style of delivery from teachers end and providing mentors can bring fresh
air to the teaching style.
.

According to Stressors and Coping Strategies; The case of teacher education students at
University of Ghana Amponsah (2019). This study revealed that resident student is more
prayerful and easily get help and advice from lectures or teaching assistants but deeply averse
with substance abuse such as using tobacco, alcohol, drug to feel better compared with their non-
resident counterparts. It was recommended that the Department of Teacher Education should
establish a counseling Centre too assign academic counselors to learners and organize frequent
stress management program for them.

In this study coping strategies and self-efficacy and university students. A person –
centered approach, department of psychology, university of a coruña, spain friere et al (2020),
also revealed that daily academic life, students are exposed to wide range of potentially stressful
situation which could negatively affect their academic achievement in their health. Among the
factors that could be weakened by academic stress, attentions has been paid to expectations of
self-efficacy, which are considered one of the most important determinants of students
engagement , persistence, and academic success. From a proactive perspective , research on
academic stress has emphasize the importance of coping strategies in preventing harmful
consequences. In recent years , there has been growing interest in discovering the extent to which
individuals are able to combined different coping strategies and adaptive consequences this
flexibility entails. However, studies using this person-centered approach are still scarce in the
academic context.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, time and place of the study, respondents of the
study, research instruments, data gathering procedure, and statistical tools used in the study.

Research Design

The method to be used in this study is descriptive method. It will be a great help for the
researchers as well as for the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management to find out what are
the academic stress and coping mechanism.

Time and Place of the Study

This study was conducted at Capiz State University Sigma Satellite College.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were the students of Tourism Management Department of
Capiz State University Sigma Satellite College. Fifty-eight (58) students from first year, Ninety-
nine (99) students from second year, Thirty-five (35) students from third year, and Thirty (30)
students from fourth year who were officially enrolled during first semester school year 2022-
2023.

Research Instruments

The instrument to be used in this study is the academic stress and coping mechanism
scale Questionnaire. It will be used to gather the needed data and information to answer the
problem.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers will gather data from the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management
students from first year to fourth year of Capiz State University Sigma Satellite College. The
researchers will prepare a letter of request to the Department of Tourism to allow them to
conduct the study. Upon securing the approval, the researchers will distribute the questionnaire
about the academic stress and coping mechanism to the selected students of BSTM. Then to
complete the data, the researchers will get the General weighted Average (GWA) of the same
selected respondents. After the respondents answered all the questions the researchers will
collect the questionnaire and all the data and information gathered will be encoded in MS Excel.