Literature Review

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, students have been struggling and coping with a lot of
difficulties in many aspects of their lives. Mazo (2015) observed that students’ struggles are found
everywhere, that is, at home, with friends, in school, in the classroom. It is just around the corner. It
simply cannot be avoided because it is part of a student’s life. In fact, a lot of students experience
struggles every day. It could be brought about by many factors. The causes and levels of struggles vary
from one person to the other. No person is free from it, regardless of how privileged, reasonable, clever,
and intelligent he may be. Every student will be challenged at times by frustrations, failures, losses,
changes and conflicts.

The common causes of students’ struggles include their academic subjects, requirements and projects,
oral and written examinations, announced or unannounced quizzes and graded recitations, finances,
issues with parents or guardians, love life, their professors and instructors, and many more (Salvacion,
2004).

Blona (2005) also claimed that students experience stress since some are trying to cope up with the
demands of adapting to a new living environment, new peers, academic pressure, and sexual concerns.

In the study of Kwaah and Essilfie (2017) where they studied the stress and coping strategies of students
who were taking distance education at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, results showed that
academic workload, high frequency of examinations, financial problems, and family problems were the
major causes of stress among the students.

Another results of a study about the causes of students’ stress revealed that different factors cause
stress among students. These factors included: relationship factors, environmental factors, academic
factors, and personal factors. With respect to relationship factors, working with new people was the
main cause of stress for students. In the case of environmental factors, worries about the future was the
main factor causing stress among students, whereas class workload was the main element of stress with
regard to the academic factors. In the category of personal factors, financial problems caused most
stress to students (Essel & Owusu, 2017).

Rogers and Yassin (2003, in Guevarra & Cimanes, 2017) said that it is important for students to develop
different coping strategies in order to encounter and manage stressful conditions. If not handled well,
the stressors that originated from financial problems, sleep deprivation, societal activities and many
more can affect student’s ability to perform.

Kumar and Bhukar (2012, in Perino et al., 2016) stated that inadequate adaptations may lead to
psychological problems that would cause abnormalities toward one’s behavior. Although students are
aware of stress and became their routines in life, it could still affect the future of students if they are
much exposed to major stress when one did not effectively cope nor address properly the stress that
would result to pressure.
Stress is not an ordinary thing that may be set aside and ignored. Giving utmost attention to it from the
very start of the symptoms is necessary and taking proper action is a must to avoid its worst effects
(Mazo, 2015). Essel and Owusu (2017) added that students’ struggles can, however, be managed
through the introduction of a stress management course and engaging in extracurricular activities.

All the studies mentioned above proved that students go through a lot of struggles in their lives. Some
are school-related while others are not, but all these struggles affect their performance and how they
perceived themselves. With the present situation that the entire world is experiencing given the Covid-
19 pandemic and the shift from traditional face-to-face learning to distance education, we can safely
conclude that the students are going through struggles right now. If these struggles are not mitigated,
students may resort to negative solutions such suicide, depression, anxiety, or addiction. Therefore, the
need to acquire effective coping mechanisms is imperative.

Coping strategy or coping mechanism refers to ways to handle stressful and troublesome
circumstances. Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman scientifically defined coping as the sum of cognitive
and behavioral effort, which are constantly changing, that aim to handle particular demands, whether
internal or external, that are viewed as demanding (Guevarra & Cimanes, 2017).

According to the Coping Theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), coping is the constantly changing
efforts, both cognitive and behavioral, of a person to manage external and internal demands that are
considered as taxing or exceeding the resources of a person. It is the conscious and unconscious efforts
that a person puts in a situation to solve problems and reduce stress. The theory further posits that
coping is highly individualized and dependent on the personality patterns and perceptuaal experiences
of a person. Lazarus and Folkman’s model stated that successful coping mechanisms depend on the
emotional functions related to the problem. Lazarus classified these eight emotional functions as: self
control; confrontation; social support; emotional distancing; escape and avoidance; radical acceptance;
positive reappraisal; and strategic problem-solving.

The study of Kwaah and Essilfie (2017) disclosed that students used multiple strategies, mainly
praying/meditating, self-distracting activities such as watching TV and listening to music to cope with
stress. Other important stress coping strategies were emotional and instrumental support from family,
friends and lecturers.

On the other hand, the different stress coping mechanism of Senior High School students of Parañaque
National High School in Baclaran are use of instrumental social support, mental disengagement, use of
emotional social support, planning and active coping. Students must know themselves even more
especially in dealing with the stress they are experiencing (Guevarra & Cimanes, 2017).

In the study of Hearon (2015) where she studied the stress and coping strategies of High School students
in Accelerated Academic Curricula and its relationships students’ success, results showed that the
students who employed time and task management, sleep, and deterioration to cope were more likely
to experience higher academic achievement, while those who coped by seeking academic support,
skipping school, engaging in social and creative diversions, using substances, reducing effort on
schoolwork, and handling problems alone were less likely to be academically successful. Additionally,
those who used cognitive reappraisal, turning to family, and social and athletic diversions were more
likely to experience high life satisfaction, while those relying on creative diversions, reduce effort on
schoolwork, handle problems alone, and deterioration were less likely to have high life satisfaction.

The identification of functional and dysfunctional adolescent coping strategies may facilitate the
prevention and intervention of mental health concerns in youth, as coping contributes to the extent to
which psychopathological symptoms develop from stress. It is necessary to explore the extent to which
high-achieving students employ different types of coping strategies in response to their intense
academic demands, as research has demonstrated that students’ use of specific coping behaviors has
meaningful associations with academic and mental health outcomes (Hearon, 2015).

Considering the importance of effective coping mechanisms, Perino et al. (2016) recommended that
teachers can guide and monitor their students properly in order to give an immediate action and help to
students who are facing different kinds of stresses. One way to help their students is by giving them
motivation to face their struggles in life optimistically. Schools can also conduct and provide school-
based seminar for the students. This seminar shall include the practices and coping mechanisms in order
students to be aware and prepared for the possible stress they are going to encounter.

This idea was backed by Guevarra and Cimanes (2017) who also recommended that teachers play in part
in helping students cope with their struggles. They further stated that the teachers may serve as the
stress coping mechanism of the students. So, they must be open for their students by giving them advice
on what is right thing to do. Schools can also help the students by creating programs and activities for
the students that will enhance their coping strategies when dealing with the stress.

Although the students in this time of the pandemic are in their homes continuing their education, it does
not mean that they are out of the teachers’ responsibility. Despite the distance, the teachers can still
extend their sympathy and concern by helping the students effectively cope with the struggles they are
experiencing as they are trying to survive the demands of the new normal in education. Since the
pandemic is still raging havoc in the country, it is high time that a study about the struggles of the
students in the distance learning and how they are coping is conducted so that an intervention may be
crafted to alleviate these struggles.