Running Head: IMPACT OF STRESS TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 1

The Impact of Stress to the Academic Performance of Senior High School Students of La Union

National High School

Cabanban, Charmagne

Gaa, Eva Marie P.

Gameng, Klarence Jhay G.

Gurion, Darwin

Martinez, Princess Gwyneth F.

Rabang, Cielo Amor F.

Tabucol, Jumel P.

Valencia, Guillerma

La Union National High School

IMPACT OF STRESS TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 2

Introduction

Background of the Study

Stress is generally defined as the body’s nonspecific response or reaction to demands

made on it, or to disturbing events in the environment. It is a process by which one perceives and

copes with environmental threats and challenges. Personal and environmental events that cause

stress are known as stressors. Therefore, stress is simply defined as emotional disturbances or

changes caused by stressors. Stress which promotes and facilitates learning is called eustress or

the good stress. An optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability. On the other hand, stress

which inhibits and suppresses learning is called distress or bad stress, one which should be

prevented and avoided. It is noteworthy that the same stressors may be perceived differently by

different students, depending on their cultural backgrounds, personality traits, experience and

coping skills. (https://www.aseanjournal2010.com.retrieved , January 12, 2017)

Stress is defined as the physical pressure and strain that result from demands or changes

in the environment (Mandler. 1984). Stress arises whenever there is a change in the body that

requires us to readjust.

Stress is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. Its impact is relative to the individual:

what is terribly difficult for one person can make another person feel interested and alive. Stress

can turn out to be a good thing because it keeps the body going, and this, in turn, keeps us

moving toward a new goal. When ‘stress’ is good, leading to something desirable, it is called

eustress.
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On the other side of the coin, the negative effects of stress are great. These include

confusion, inability to make decisions, avoidance of people, as well as, eventually, physical or

psychological illness (S. Cohen, 1980). When stress is ‘bad,’ or overwhelms our ability to cope,

it is called distress (Cohen & Williamson, 1991).

Stress induces feeling of frustration, fear, conflict, pressure, hurt, anger, sadness,

inadequancy, guilt, loneliness or confusion. Learners experience high stress due to academic

commitment, financial pressure and lack of time management skills. These problems can lead to

family conflicts, drug abuse, academic failure, violence and suicide.

Researchers have found that the main sources of stress in the academic environment and

work outside of school, giving presentations, competition with classmates, and academic

overload.

Statement of the Problem

Statement 1: According to the Department of Education’s mission, they are to protect and

promote the right of every Filipino to quality and complete basic education where students learn

in a child-friendly and motivating environment. In order to achieve this, students, as well as

teachers, need to be under less stress for them to function properly and be more effective. In an

environment where stress is less, students will be able to understand deeper and faster, be more

creative and finish tasks faster.

Statement 2: However, due to constant and several demands, students are put under a lot

of stress. In fact, undoubtedly, stress has become the number one reported impediment to
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academic performance, as students now report being stressed out than ever. The New York

University Publication continued its affirmation that, 55% of students claimed their biggest

stressor to be academic in nature. 6 in 10 students report having felt so stressed they couldn’t get

their studies done on one or more occasions. Additionally, many of the emotional and physical

symptoms that occur commonly in the student population, such as headaches, fatigue,

depression, anxiety, and the inability to cope, can be attributed to or exacerbated by stress.

(Dusselier et al 2015, 15-24).

Statement 3: If this situation continues among most students, quality of education will

surely decline as students may submit projects only for compliance that are not done with their

best efforts and excellence. In response to this problem, our study proposes to investigate

stressors experienced by students and its impact on their academic performance.

Scope and Delimitation

This study entitled “The Impact of Stress to the Academic Performance of Senior High

School Students” is deemed to be conducted at La Union National High School-Senior High

School during the second semester of the school year 2019-2020. The respondents will be senior

high school students.

Significance of the Study

The stress experienced by most students prompted the researchers to conduct this study.

The results of this study are of great help to the following:

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Students. They will know further what stress is and its impact on their health, lifestyle

and academic performance. By learning so, they may be able to differentiate eustress from

distress and formulate strategies on how to cope with stress.

Teachers. They will be aware of every student’s situations and give considerations and

guidance on how their students can cope up with stress.

Parents. They will be cognizant of their children’s situations and give their own guidance

as well as their pieces of advice to help their children fight their struggles and cope with stress.

School Administration.

Community. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge giving additional

learning not only to students but also to parents, teachers and etcetera.

METHODS

Research Design

The phenomenological method will be used in this study to investigate the experiences of

students who are under a lot of stress. This methodology was selected because the researchers are

interested in capturing the experiences of students and how they have successfully passed the

stressful struggle through their perspective. According to Creswell (2007), a phenomenological

study “describes the meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a

phenomenon” (p. 57). In other words, it focuses on describing a phenomenon that all the

participants have experienced, such as studying while under a lot of stress.  The strength of the
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phenomenological method is it allows for the examination of “the ways in which people

experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand a phenomenon on their own perspectives.”

This method also provides a rich and complete description of human experiences and meanings

and findings are allowed to emerge, rather than being imposed by an investigator. Investigations

with a phenomenographic orientation thus focus more on explanation of what is experienced and

how it is experienced (i.e. “second-order perspective”).

Participants

This study will be conducted at La Union National High School-Senior High School, City

Schools Division of San Fernando, La Union during the school year 2019-2020. The respondents

of this study will be the Grades 11 and 12 students of La Union National High School who were

enrolled during the second semester of the school year 2019-2020.

Purposive sampling will be adopted for this study which is “a method of sampling where

the researcher deliberately chooses who to include in the study based on their ability to provide

necessary data” (Parahoo, 1997, p. 232). The rationale for choosing this approach was that the

researcher was seeking effects and knowledge about the students’ opinion of stress that affects

their academic performances, which the participants would provide by virtue of their

experience.  Likewise, in qualitative research, the exact number of participants cannot be

specified before the study is conducted although as a rule of thumb

for phenomenological studies, Creswell (1998) recommends 5 – 25 and Morse (1994) suggests at

least six. The number of participants is informed by the extent to which the research question
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has been addressed (Marshall, 1996; McLeod, 2002). A non-probability, purposive sampling

technique was selected, since participants were required to meet a pre-determined criteria

(McDermott & Sarvela, 1999). This involves identifying and selecting individuals or groups of

individuals that are especially knowledgeable about or experienced with the topic (Cresswell &

Plano Clark, 2011). In addition to knowledge and experience, Bernard (2002) and Spradley

(1979) note the importance of availability and willingness to participate, and the ability to

communicate experiences and opinions in an articulate, expressive and reflective manner. When

data reaches a point of saturation, i.e. when new themes stop emerging, the researcher can

conclude that there is no need for more interviews (Hutchinson & Wilson, 1991; Marshall, 1996;

Orbele, 2002). The number of participants interviewed in this study is therefore not

predetermined but will be determined by the information gained during the various interviews.

Interviews will be conducted until the data reach an acceptable saturation point and the

researcher judges that the research question could be answered adequately.

Data Gathering Tool and Procedure

For this study, in-depth interview will be the primary method of data gathering. It is a key

qualitative data collection method for social research. It is mainly useful in cases where there is a

need to attain highly personalized data, as well as in cases where there are opportunities for

probing to get underlying factors (Gray, 2004). Potter (1996) argues that interviews are valuable

tools for collecting data in qualitative research. The main advantage of interviews stems from

their capability to offer a complete description and analysis of a research subject, without
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limiting the scope of the research and the nature of the participant’s responses (Collis & Hussey,

2003). A one-on-one interview method allows the researcher to interact with the participants and

to observe non-verbal cues during the interview process. Interviews are thus useful for gaining

insight and context into a topic. They can provide information to which the interviewee was

previously privy to. In this study, an unstructured interview method was used to allow for an

open, in-depth discussion of the research topic. Denzin and Lincoln (2005) argue that

unstructured interviews allow the researcher to understand the complexity of the situation

without imposing any prior categorization. Through choosing interview as a method of data

collection, the researcher hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the participants’ constructions

through dialogue and through the language they use in constructing the different discourses. The

interview method allows the researcher to seek clarity and probe for deeper understanding. As a

result, the reporting and analysis of data is reflective of the views of the participants. The

questions will be designed using the English language as most of the target population are fluent

with the said language. A cover letter which will explain the purpose of the study, the means of

responding to the queries, the aim of the research as well as the security of the information will

encourage high response among the study participants.

As for such data collection, the conversation between the participants and the researcher

will be recorded pending the approval of the interviewee. The interviews as well as the focus

group discussions will be conducted in the classrooms of the participants and the researchers will

ask them their most convenient time to avoid any distraction. Lastly, the researchers need to
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establish trust and rapport with the participants to make it easier for the participants to share their

own experiences without fear of being judged (Stanley, 1990).

Trustworthiness

In order to ensure trustworthiness, validity, consistency and credibility of the data, the

researcher will invite the participants. In this case, the Grade 11 and12 students of La Union

National High School Senior High School and make them realize and reflect on their situations

related to the topic and let them describe in detail a particular instance within these categories.

This will also ensure that views and concepts are well grounded and well-supported throughout

the thesis as what Polkinghome (2005) suggests.

The researcher will ensure the credibility of this study properly observing the collection

of data especially during interviews. Everything will be based on factual data that are to be

obtained directly from the participants. Tape and recording will also be used to preserve and

ensure the consistency of all the data to be collected. The intention of the researcher is to provide

the final result to the participants for the final validation. This is supported by Sandelowski

(2006) which stated that the extent to which a study is judged as credible is by having clear

presentation of essential descriptive information and the mutual understanding or agreement of

readers to the description. Furthermore, credibility is characterized by the recognition of the truth

of the findings by the participants ad expert practitioners within the discipline. Validating the

final results rests within the recognition by the participants, not of their full story but the

presence of the phenomenon as described as their experiences. When the essence of the reality of
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the phenomenon is captured, then anyone who has experiences in writing research papers will

recognize it as their own story.

Ethical Considerations

In this research, ethical guidelines will be considered. Thus, it will focus on the

perception of senior high school students; careful measures will be taken to protect the privacy

and confidentiality of the participants. Fontana and Frey (2010) pointed out that great care must

be taken to ensure that each participant has been provided with informed consent, the right to

privacy, and protection from physical, emotional or any other kinds of harm. The researcher,

then, will assure the participants that the information they will share will be treated with at most

confidentiality. Furthermore, the participants will also be persuaded in agreement that any

expression, perceptions, or feelings are valuable as long as they are accurate.

Data Management