Academic Stress: Coping Strategies of Students in Luna Extension High School in the New

Normal

Review of Related Literature

The New Normal

The recent COVID-19 epidemic, which began in China and has nearly infected every country on
the planet, is one of the most recent public health problems of worldwide significance. This
disease is caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, formerly known as 2019-nCoV) and has
drawn worldwide interest due to the increasing number of infections and the need to eradicate
the disease and flatten the infection curve (Guo et al., 2020). Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19),
is a pandemic that has afflicted millions of people around the world, but research on how it
affects children is still being collected. Although all health care systems treat children with
COVID19 infection in the same way they treat adults, many recent studies have found that
children (under the age of 18) account for 1–5% of all infected cases, with 25% having a pre-
existing chronic medical illness and 8% requiring intensive care admission (Castagnoli et al.,
2020, Gudbjartsson, 2020, Götzinger et al., 2020).

The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on schools and institutions across the country.
According to UNESCO, over 188 nations had enacted statewide school and university closures
as of April 10, 2020, affecting over 91 percent of the world's student population with more than
28 million learners in the Philippines (UNESCO, 2020). Several countries' responses, such as
community lockdown and community quarantine, have pushed students and teachers to study
and work from home, resulting in the development of online learning platforms (Crawford et al.,
2020).

In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd) has systems and procedures to manage
the COVID-19-related educational issues and concerns. The DepEd National Office issued
DepEd Order Number 12, Series of 2020 (D.O. 12, S. 2020) on June 9, 2020, titled "Adoption of
the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan for School Year 2020-2021 in Light of the
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency." The D.O. 12, S. 2020 is a set of education initiatives
designed to address the COVID-19 pandemic's basic educational issues. Furthermore, in support
of the President of the Republic of the Philippines' declaration not to have face-to-face lessons
until it is safe to do so, the DepEd is committed to providing numerous alternative learning
modalities to replace traditional face-to-face classrooms (D.O. 12, S. 2020).

Academic Stress

Stress refers to any challenges or threats that constitutes to a person’s thought or welfare. It can
be experienced anywhere, both at home and at school. Academic stress affects students the
greatest since they are exposed to a variety of stressors, such as academic pressure and the need
to succeed (Noson & Shastri, 2016). The reason why we need to be more aware about the
indirect and related psychosocial and mental health implications of school closures, isolation,
and lack of peer connection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Mitigating the effects of the
COVID-19, 2020).

Studying was the sole task students were required to complete, and studying was never seen as
burdensome. The expectations that parents had for their children proved to be stressful, as these
expectations evolved into bigger responsibilities that these individuals could no longer bear.
According to data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau, one student commits suicide
every hour (Saha,2017).

The long-term negative consequences of home confinement following school closure were
examined by Xie et al and others. Excessive use of electronic devices, disrupted sleep patterns,
bad meals leading to obesity, and low stamina were all mentioned as negative consequences on
children's physical and mental well-being. Children's exposure to quarantine and other forms of
seclusion after previous catastrophes has been linked to an elevated risk of long-term post-
traumatic stress disorder (Xie et al., 2019).

Coping Strategies
Coping or managing stress is seen as a stabilizing viewpoint that may aid a person's psychosocial
adjustment throughout a stressful event (Ahmadi et al, 2018).
NEW NORMAL REFERENCES
Guo, Y.-R., Cao, Q.-D., Hong, Z.-S., Tan, Y.-Y., Chen, S.-D., Jin, H.-J., … Yan, Y. (2020). The
origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak -
an update on the status. Military Medical Research, 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-
00240-0
Castagnoli et al., 2020
Castagnoli R, Votto M, Licari A, et al. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. JAMA Pediatr.
Published online April 22, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1467.

Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Jurgen, R., Malkawi, B. H., Glowatz, M., Burton, R.,
Magni, P., & Lam, S. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries’ higher education intra-period digital
pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 3.
https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7

Department of Education (2020a). Adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan for
School Year 2020-2021 in the Light of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Retrieved from
(https://www.deped.gov.ph/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/DO_s2020_012.pdf)

ACADEMIC STRESS REFERENCES

Mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and nutrition of school
children.https://www.unicef.org/documents/mitigating-effects-covid-19-pandemic-food-and-
nutrition-school-children. (Assessed Oct31, 2020).

Xie X, Xue Q, Zhou Y, et al. Mental Health Status Among Children in Home Confinement
During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Hubei Province, China. JAMA Pediatr.
Published online April 24, 2020. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/ jamapediatrics.2020.1619.

Saha D. Every hour one student commits suicide in India. Hindustan Times. Retrieved from.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/every-hour-one-student-commits-suicide-in-
india/story-7UFFhSs6h1HNgrNO60FZ2O.html. 2017.
COPING STRATEGIES
coping_up_with_stress_of_the_new_normal.pdf (depedbataan.com)