THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 11

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES STUDENTS OF NOTRE DAME BAGO CITY

CAMPUS

A Thesis Presented to the Basic Education of Notre Dame of Bago City

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Senior High School

Amar, Florence P.

Amantil, John Prats

Escamos, Mark Rodrigo

Francisco, Aubrey

Julian, Angel Peñacuba

Magno, Stephanie Marie Delrio

Pamaybay, Maja Angelica

Rafols, Elvin John

Rementas, Earl Johana Mae

Sabobo, Earl John

Villarin, Juvy

Yubara, Althia C.

April 2023
 ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the many stress-related factors and how they
impact academic performance in Notre Dame high school students. It also aims to fill in
knowledge gaps on the subject so that high school students may integrate different strategies to
cope or control stress when they are overwhelmed.

The word stress brings about the thoughts of depression, anxiety and other potentially
life-threatening conditions in the mind of an individual. Everyone experiences stress at some
point in their lives, and it is a necessary component of a student's life because it negatively
affects their physical and emotional health as well as their academic performance. Students
experience stress due to a variety of circumstances. Relationships with friends and family, tests
and deadlines, ineffective time management, social media, financial instability, ideas about a
potential future profession, depression, and a host of other issues are among them. With the
intense competition in educational settings, it is essential for students to be able to manage the
stress of their academic obligations by using their coping mechanisms. The majority of kids
struggle to handle stress. To escape the harsh reality, people turn to other behavioral patterns like
drunkenness, smoking and drug misuse, such as marijuana. This eventually causes school
absences and a rise in school dropouts. Stress is considered to be the root of many issues
affecting young people, and its effects can be just as harmful as suicide. As a result, it's critical
that all stakeholders—parents, guardians, educators, students, and the nation at large—join
forces to make sure that students receive encouraging information so they can manage their
stress levels responsibly.

Keywords:
Stress; Depression; Anxiety; Academic performance; Coping
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Stress is a major source of problems that students face during their education when they

are struggling to achieve academic outcomes for their future life (Lee & Graham, 2001).

Academic pressure is one of the factors that causes students to fail. Sharma, Parasar and Mahto

(2017) define stress as the mental response and action by hormonal signaling, the perception of

danger triggers an automatic response system, known as response to fight or flee. Generally,

stress refers to two things, the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the

body's response to it, on the other, which involves multiple systems, from muscle breakdown to

memory. Stress demands high expectations of oneself, which causes a feeling of tension and

pressure (Goedert, Cuenda, Craxton, Jakes & Cohen 1997). Certain tensions set us in motion

and are good for us without any tension. Many say that our lives would be boring and possibly

meaningless (Wilson,2007). However, when stress undermines our psychological and physical

health, it is bad. Students are subject to different types of stressors, such as pressure from

academics with the obligation to succeed, an uncertain future and difficulties integrating into the

system. Students also face social, emotional, physical and family problems that can affect their

ability to learn and their academic performance (Rogers & Yassin,2003). Too much stress can

cause physical and mental health problems, low student self-esteem, and can also affect students’

academic performance (Niemi & Vainiomaki,1999).

This study focuses more on the harm than good stress does to students in relation to their

academic performance at school. It is common for students, individually or in groups, to interact

with their environment, these experiences in one way or another affect their academic

performance (Chemers, Hu & Garcia 2001). Stress has generated a lot of interest in recent years.
It has been of great concern to members of the academic world and other researchers. For most

people, stress is bad and should be avoided, but this position is not always true. According to

Yates (1979), stress in sufficient quantity is a necessary ingredient for anyone whose life will

show vitality. Stress must be managed, not simply avoided. Therefore, this study is designed to

analyze the effect of stress on students’ academic performance using the Grade 11 HUMSS as a

case study. Ivancevish (1980) pointed out that to say that stress causes performance degradation

is rather simplistic as to the starting position. Therefore, there must be an optimal level of stress

tolerated to achieve performance. This point of view makes stress a complex concept which

does not lead to a simple definition. Mc-Garth (1776) defined stress in terms of conditions

necessary for it in the following way: it is a potential for stress when it is perceived that the

environmental situation presents a demand which threatens to exceed capacities of the person.

The same is true of the harmful effects on their well-being, their health and even the care of their

students. Some negative effects of stress are increased absenteeism, heart disease, late classes

and poor health.

Stress can have both positive and negative consequences for the individual. Optimal

stress can lead to maximum efficiency, create satisfaction, a feeling of well-being and

accomplishment, and another reward for success (Mensah, Fosu, & Oteng, 2017). On the other

hand, excessive stress at school can lead to loss of appetite for reading, poor performance and

reduced mental and physical health. Stress is caused by certain factors (stressors) that exist inside

and outside the school environment (Zautra, 2006). These stressors can be identified as intra-

individual, inter-individual, institutional and extra-institutional stressors. Gibson, Ivancevich and

Donnelly (1995) defined stress as an adaptive response mediated by individual differences and

psychological processes, which is a consequence of any external physical (environmental)

action, request or action. However, some common factors have been identified as sources of

related academic stress. Some of these factors include conference overload, long conference

hours, poor time management, student financial difficulties and many more. Students’ academic

performance is a key characteristic of education (Rono 2013). It is considered to be the center

around which the entire education system evolves. Some factors influencing high academic

achievement include daily hours of study, parents' economic status and good learning facilities

(Singh, Malik & Singh (2016). Students face challenges in their studies due to the ineffective

use of these factors to improve academic performance. In this sense, this study seeks to discover

the negative impact of stress on student achievement, the relationship between school stress and

students’ achievement, and finally, to recommend strategies for managing stress at Notre Dame

of Bago City, the reason being that complex results on how academic stress relates to students’

performance can be provided effectively.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the Effects of Academic Stress on Academic Performance

of Grade 11 Humanities and Social Sciences Students of Notre Dame of Bago City, for school

year 2022-2023. It also includes different factors that cause stress among Grade 11 HUMSS

students and their various ways of handling it.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Age,

b. Sex,

c. Community Origin?
 2. What are the effects of stress in academic performance of the Grade 11 HUMSS students of Notre

Dame Bago City Campus?

3. What are the most commonly identified stressors among senior high students?

4. What are the effective strategies and techniques of the students in order to cope with their stress?

Purpose of Research

The researchers chose the study to know the key stressors that affect the academic

performance of Grade 11 HUMSS students as well as its effects. The research was undertaken to

identify also the different ways to relieve stress because people vary in dealing with it and to

come up with a solution regarding the problem.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focuses on the Effects of Stress on Academic Performance of Grade 11

Humanities and Social Sciences Students of Notre Dame Bago City Campus.

A total of 100 students responded to the survey questionnaires. Participants of the study

were randomly chosen through convenience sampling technique. Other variables not mentioned

in the study are not included. The respondents of the study are composed of 25 Grade 11

HUMSS-A, 25 Grade 11 HUMSS-B, 25 Grade 11 HUMSS-C and 25 Grade 11 HUMSS-D

students.

Significance of the Study

Research study has significance to the people and society. The findings of this present

study would be a great contribution to the vast knowledge about the effects of academic stress on

the academic performance of the respondents. Henceforth, the study could be significant to the

following:

Students. The study would be instrumental for them to get ideas regarding
 the techniques or strategies in coping with stress. They will be motivated to

continue working hard in school for their development.

Teachers. They will be aware of the effects of stress to their students so

that they could adjust to help students in having lesser stress experience.

School Admin. This may serve as their guide for provision of programs

that would help students cope with stress in their respective courses or programs.

Curriculum Evaluator. The study will help them know what curriculum

would be done to lessen the stress experienced by the Grade 11 HUMSS

students of Notre Dame Bago City Campus.

Theoretical Framework

Several studies have found an association between academic stress and low academic

performance (Linn & Zeppa, 1984; Rayle & Chung, 2007; Wilks, 2008). Felsten & Wilcox,

(1992b) and Blumberg & Flaherty (1985) found an important adverse association between

college students' stress levels and their academic success. Struthers et al., (2000) also indicated

that lower course grades were correlated with academic distress. Owing to tests, tasks, time

pressure, grade pressure, and confusion, students experience academic distress. To sum up, this

tension has a negative impact on the academic performance of students.

Proposed by scientist Hans Selye (1907-1982) his General Adaptation Syndrome

(GAS) model in showing the three phases what the alleged effects of stress has on the body and

describe the body’s short-term and long-term reactions to stress. Selye, known as the “father of

stress research”, developed the theory that stress is a major cause of disease because chronic
stress causes long-term chemical changes. He observed that the body would respond to any

external biological source of stress with a predictable biological pattern in an attempt to restore

the body’s internal homeostasis. Selye conducted an experiment that describes the findings of a

series of experiments on rats where he identified the three distinct stages of GAS. The first stage

which occurs shortly after the stressful event is the alarm reaction stage and that is followed by

the resistance stage where the body resists the impact of stressful stimulus during the body’s

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) hence if the stress continues, the exhaustion stage occurs

where the body fails to cope with the distressing stimulus. The researchers take use of Hans

Selye’s

theory of General Adaptation Syndrome to explain how the body respond to stress. And since it

is found out that college life is more stressful than other school levels because of constant

demands on students to adjust and change, the theory would be beneficial to the researchers in

distinguishing the solution to the problem easily by first knowing the three stages explained

above.
Figure 1. The Conceptual Framework of the Study

Input Process Output

This study aims to

 Survey Determined the
understand  Interviews Effects of Stress on
 Evaluation the Academic
the effects of stress on Performance of
Grade 11 HUMSS
the academic Students in the
Notre Dame of
performance of
Bago City
Grade 11 HUMSS

students of Notre Dame

of Bago City

and find out where does

it rooted.
 FEEDBACK

The figure above presents the input which consist of the demographic profile of the

respondents. Process includes the use of interviews and survey questionnaires; while the output

presents the programs that would help the Grade 11 HUMSS students of Notre Dame to cope up

with stress affecting their academic performance.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined conceptually and operationally as used in this study,

which are as follows:

Adrenaline. A substance that is released in the body of a person who is feeling a strong

emotion (such as excitement, fear or anger) and that causes the heart to beat faster and gives the

person more energy. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). It plays an essential role in keeping the body's

internal environment in proper balance, a condition called homeostasis.

Cortisol. A steroid hormone produces by the adrenal cortex, that regulates carbohydrate

metabolism, maintains blood pressure, and is released in response to stress (The American

Heritage Medical Dictionary, 2007)

Eustress. It is a good stress that motivates you to continue working. (BrockUniversity,

2010)
 General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). It was proposed by Hungarian endocrinologist

Hans Selye to describe an organism's physiological response to perceived stressful events in the

environment. (Klein D.E. 2006)

Homeostasis. Is the ability to maintain a constant internal environment in response to

environmental changes. (Regina Bailey, Biology Expert)

Stress. It is the body's way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. (Segal J.,

Smith M., Segal R., Robinson L., 2016)

Stressors. Something that makes you worried or anxious: a source of stress. (Merriam-

Webster Dictionary)