1

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

People who have social anxiety- also known as social phobia- experience

persistent feelings of fear when exposed to social situations. They may feel

anxious about being judged, humiliated or embarrassed publicly as a result of this

fear; they tend to avoid these situations entirely. This condition has a profound

effect on peoples lives since it affects various aspects such as academics,

profession related success and interpersonal relationships. Students with social

anxiety face an uphill task during their schooling years since schools are primarily

designed to be highly interactive environments that foster teamwork among

students by fostering discussions between teachers and pupils alike daily. Even

the idea of raising ones hand in class or presenting information could have

potential risks associated with it for someone dealing with this disorder because

they might feel overwhelmed by the situation. Over time the effects could lead to

poor grades in school due to avoiding interactions which then lead students down

a path towards a lack of self esteem alongside feelings of loneliness.

In the years spanning from 2017 to 2020, research conducted in the

Philippines has shown us just how prevalent social anxiety is among Filipino

students, and the most common type of anxiety disorder prevalent among Filipino

University Students is Social Anxiety Disorder as discovered by Briones and his

 2

Co-authors in their research conducted in 2018. In the same vein as noted in a

research carried out by Serrano et al (2017), Filipino high school learners

experienced poorer grades academically when they experienced increased social

anxiety alongside their mounting academic pressures.

Filipino students' academic accomplishments are hindered by social anxiety,

which presents a notable challenge. Additionally, social anxiety can hinder healthy

relations beyond the school environment such as with friends and family members

both restricting a person's overall growth. Participating in extracurricular activities

or building new friendships can be notably difficult for students who struggle with

social anxiety symptoms. Thus, one may feel cut off and by themselves, fostering

heightened feelings of anxiety.

The goal of this study is to tackle the prevalent issue of social anxiety

amongst Grade-10 students in Mactan National Highschool (MNHS) and how we

through identification and aid. It is essential for schools to tackle social anxiety,

given its adverse effects on students' personal and academic growth.

As stated in the prompt, researchers are proposing a range of resources to

aid those struggling with social anxiety in school settings. These resources come

in different forms such as counseling services and peer support groups.

Additionally, accommodations will also be made to reduce class participation

requirements and offer alternative assignments for learners with these challenges.

It is important to foster an empathetic classroom environment that supports the

development of social skills in students suffering from anxiety. The process

 3

involves accommodating their learning styles while providing them with

opportunities to grow safely.

The aim of this research is to analyze the prevalence and effects of social

anxiety on Grade 10 students from Mactan National High School. In pursuit of this

objective, the comprehensive study will investigate two interrelated factors - social

anxiety and academic stress. The main focus here is to explore how they influence

poor academic performance among students. Moreover, the study aims to

examine how these factors can trigger negative emotions such as loneliness or

symptoms related to depression or anxiety in affected learners. It’s critical that

schools take note of these findings so that they can call action upon it.

The respondents for this study are Grade 10 students at Mactan National

High School, and the study is conceptualized within the framework of drawing

observations and realities, notably in the Social Anxiety experienced in the

classroom.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Theory of Mind (ToM) (Nikolić and colleagues 2019)

Showed that the ability to read mental states from the eye region was

related concurrently and negatively to self-reported social anxiety in a sample of

adolescents. The conduct of others in terms of their mental states has

demonstrated both normative alterations and variations in each child's ToM

 4

development during the course of middle Hughes (2016) opened the door to the

investigation of social factors by focusing on childhood. very few Studies on this

subject are promising and demonstrate a strong correlation between person-

concomitant disparities in children's peer connections and ToM (Slaughter, Imuta,

Longitudinally (Banerjee, Watling, & Caputi, 2011) and transversely (Peterson,

Henry, 2015). However, The mechanisms behind the developmental connection

have not been investigated in any studies yet. between kids' middle school peer

interactions and individual variances in ToM.Students grappling with social anxiety

frequently encounter difficulties discerning other's thoughts and emotions due to

low emotional intelligence levels. This issue exacerbates situational stressors

leading to greater instances on uneasiness when interacting socially. Accordingly,

assessing how Social Anxiety Disorder influences individuals' ability to

comprehend Theory of Mind proves imperative in aiding coping mechanisms

among teenagers suffering from SAD symptoms. Improving awareness about

other people's feelings offers a way for socially anxious students to mitigate

negative reactions on interpersonal exchanges while enhancing self-awareness

regarding personal behavior around others.

The social identity theory (Hewitt, Liebowitz, & Foa 2018)

Another important distinction is that social psychology, in particular, The social

identity hypothesis had an impact on how people's perceptions of their social

 5

selves, including Social identities) have been investigated in the sense that they

are significant regarding a wide variety of intragroup and nomena. In that instance,

social identity theorists have looked at the connection between one's self-

perception and other types of social behavior, including group polarization, crowd

behavior, conformity, and so forth. On the other hand, developmentally focused

work has typically aimed to describe forming self-perceptions as a goal in

themselves or as a result of other activities specific socialization encounters, while

there are exceptions. Group members may encounter several forms of identity

threats, according to the social identity theory. When the group's perceived

capability is undervalued, group standing is threatened. Members of groups may

also encounter numerous social identity threats, one of which occurs when the

morality of their organization is questioned. The latter type of threat is occasionally

felt by individuals who cannot be held personally responsible for the actions of their

community. For example, people of one nation may suffer guilt or shame about

crimes p erpetrated by their nation long before they were ever born.Social identity

is included in our research for our theoratical background considering that many

students dont know how to communicate with other people. We include this theory

because we want to know why some students are experiencing this and why is this

important.Social identity is perspective of one self of how they can see themself to

other group of people whether they belong to the group or not, of how they can

socialize with other people. Thats why when it comes to groupings in classroom for

activities, they don't approach their groupmates for their opinions because they are
 6

afraid to be jugded and they start to overthink, thats why they dont socialize with

other people because that how they see themself.

The Attentional Control Theory (Cameron & Ruthland ,2020)

According to the attentional control theory, anxiety increases a person's

propensity to become distracted by threat stimuli that are prioritized by stimulus-

driven attention. This is especially true regarding inhibition. In M.W., a fourth

subject was presented. According to Eysenck's prior research, the hypothesis also

makes the premise that nervous people could exert more effort to make up for

attentional disruption. Although it was established too recently to be specifically

tested outside of the ongoing work of Eysenck and his colleagues, it successfully

combines most of the existing anxiety research. These authors also emphasize

that the hypothesis is primarily focused on the effects of anxiety on attention and

working memory, which is in line with a cognitive patterning perspective. Other

anxiety-related performance correlations include. Students with attentional control

will/can experience things like being pressured infront because of the attention

they get, they might do less than they can due to the attetion they cant handle, it

occurs in events such-as:public speaking, reporting, broadcasting, and most of all

groupings.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

 7

This study seeks to provide insight into the prevalence and effects of social anxiety

on Grade 10 scholars enrolled at Mactan National High School (MNHS). The

specific goals are:

1) To determine how widespread Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is among grade 10

MNHS learners

2) Examine whether SAD has an impact on these students academic success

levels

3) Investigate if there exists a correlation between SAD and academic stress

4) Explore potential causes of negative emotions such as anxiety, loneliness and

depression in students who have SAD

5) Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions such as assigned counselors, peer

support groups and other accommodations for supporting those with social anxiety

disorder

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is beneficial for the following:

Academic Performance:

The objective of the study is to explore the relationship between social

anxiety and academic stress with regard to their impact on students' grades.
 8

Research can give us a glimpse of possible interventions as well as support

structures which may aid students with social anxiety to triumph over it while

improving their academic performance through recognition of factors hindering

achievement.

Personal Growth and Well-being:

Social anxiety negatively impacts both the academic performance of

students and their personal growth and overall wellbeing. In acknowledging social

anxiety's adverse effects on students' emotional well-being and interpersonal

connections, the study confirms its recognition. Understanding these effects and

creating an inclusive environment that supports personal growth is essential in

developing appropriate interventions for students with social anxiety.

Empathetic classroom environment:

According to research findings, creating an empathetic classroom

environment that addresses the educational needs of students with social anxiety

is paramount. Helping teachers and school administrators identify strategies such

as counseling services along with resources like peer support groups or alternative

assignments will allow them to create a safe space for students where they can

develop socially while thriving academically according to the study.

 9

Awareness and Action:

The call for attention and action regarding the prevalence and impact of

social anxiety among Filipino students is emphasized by previous research, and

this study emphasizes the importance of recognizing how social anxiety affects

Grade 10 students' lives in Mactan National High School. The implementation of

effective support systems and targeted interventions for addressing social anxiety

can be supported by utilizing these findings as a foundation.