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1. ACADEMIC PRESSURE: EXPERIENCES OF SENIOR HIGH STUDENTS PURSUING
DISTANCE EDUCATION
A Research Proposal
Presented to the Faculty
of Mandaue City Comprehensive
National High School
Senior High School Department
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for
Practical Research 1
BY:
Kimberly Faith Cañada Angel Grace Manatad
Archer Damas Ingrid Faith Tuñacao
Kyla Juevesano Sydney Sean Seno
Robelyn Nicolia Lim
Group 1
April 2022
CHAPTER 1
The Rationale of the Study
This school year has been difficult, putting academic pressure on high school
students, particularly seniors who struggle with their academic performance. Durrette
(2020) defines academic pressure as an experience in which a student is burdened by
the demands of time and energy to achieve specific academic goals. In the school year
2021–2022, the present day, we are now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which caused
cities all over the country to be held under lockdown. As a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, educational institutions have closed and instruction has shifted significantly
to distance learning. Academic pressure has increased since the pandemic, and
distance learning was implemented. In different modalities like online and digitized,
there are examinations, assignments, and many other activities that a student has to
shuffle through.

2. Going back to the definition of academic pressure, a student feels pressured by the
overwhelming amount of schoolwork, tests, and deadlines that s/he must comply with,
which causes a lot of stress. A survey in 2019 by the American College Health
Association showed that 51.2 percent of students surveyed felt that their academics
were difficult to handle in the previous year. Researchers have found that two main
factors cause stress, these are external and internal stressors. External stressors are
those that come from an outside source, it could be stressful things that are happening
in your surroundings. This includes worldwide events or being irritated by those people
around you, everyone experiences external stress daily. (Sizelove, 2020).
An example of external stressors is parents who have high expectations for their
children's academics. This enormous pressure placed on the students not only hampers
their growth and learning but also leads to increased stress and anxiety (India Today,
2020). While internal stressors are a type of stress coming from one's self. This type of
stress happens when you struggle to meet your expectations, goals, and visions. More
examples of internal stressors are pessimism, negative self-talk, a deep need to be
perfect, low self-esteem, and unhealthy standards for self (Sizelove, 2020).
The students have experienced several different challenges, including increased stress
and anxiety that have led to the degradation of mental health. The issues have been
further compounded by stringent social distancing measures necessitated due to the
lack of vaccines and high mortality rates (over two million deaths worldwide).
The circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the stress
and anxiety in people (APA 2020; Tandon 2020; Wang et al., 2020), including high
school students. Liang et al. (2020) report a much higher fraction of youth with
psychological issues during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared to prior
pandemics.
In this case, senior high students at Mandaue City Comprehensive National High
School tend to experience difficult situations and challenges in their learning process
while pursuing distance learning education. The students may encounter different
subjects compared to their past grade levels, which means new subjects and teachers
they will meet. The researchers found that, in addition to a lack of access and
experience in technology, senior high school students also face distractions at home like
poor time management, poor sleep schedule, stress, unstable internet connection, and
other environmental distractions. These responsibilities come with time pressure,
exhaustion, high expectations, and financial constraints, all of which can lead to
academic pressure among these students.

3. In Ghana, it has been observed that students have been experiencing stress that
causes them academic pressure after the implementation of distance education
(Christopher et al., 2017). During their studies, it shows that the students are facing
several problems in pursuing distance learning. The students are having a hard time
balancing their schoolwork and their role in the family. Many studies on the relationship
between stress factors among tertiary students and the effects of stress on their
academic performance have been conducted in developed countries such as the United
States and the United Kingdom (Christopher et al., 2017), but little is known about the
causes of stress among students in developing countries such as Ghana.
According to Moore and Keirsly (2012), distance education is a process of planned
teaching and learning that occurs in a different place from the normal learning setting
and requires communication and special corporate organization via technologies. Since
the pandemic started, the government decided to stop conducting face-to-face classes
and implemented distance learning education instead. Meeting deadlines for
assignment submissions, coupled with work and other responsibilities, requires a
significant amount of effort to manage these many tasks (Abdullah & Dan Mohd, 2011;
EsiaDonkoh, 2011). Distance-Learning education students experience academic
pressure, especially when adjusting to new situations in their learning environment.
The researchers have observed that in previous studies, there is a gap when it comes
to the academic pressure that the students face. Rather than focusing on how they
develop pressure, these studies focus on the stress that the students face that is
caused because of pressure. This has led us, as researchers, to aim to determine the
primary factors that lead to academic pressure and how they affect the academic
performance of students. This phenomenological study seeks to determine the lived
experiences of Grade 11 HUMSS students in Mandaue City Comprehensive National
High School and how they deal with academic pressure in distance learning education
for the school year 2021–2022.
Statement of the Problem
This phenomenological study seeks to determine the lived experiences of Grade 11
HUMSS students in Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School and to
discover the factors that cause academic pressure as well as how they deal with
academic pressure in distance learning education for the school year 2021–2022.
Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

4. 1. What are the primary factors that cause academic pressure?
2. How does academic pressure affect the student's academic performance as well
as their well-being?
3. What are the common experiences of students in dealing with academic
pressure?
4. How do senior high students manage academic pressure in distance learning
education?
Significance of the Study
This study is beneficial for the following:
Senior high school students. The findings of this study will assist other students in
discovering new ways to cope with academic pressure.
Parents. They will be able to know how to help their kids avoid feeling pressured.
Researchers in the future. This study will benefit future researchers since it will
provide information for them to add some ideas to their study, and it can also be used
as a basis for their research.
Teachers. The findings of this study can assist teachers in identifying what causes
pressure in their students so that they can devise strategies to avoid it.
Scope and Delimitation
The main purpose of this research is to gather information about the real-life
experiences of grade 11 HUMSS students at Mandaue City Comprehensive National
High School. This study mainly focuses on what are the primary factors that cause
academic pressure and how these students deal with academic pressures as they
pursue distance learning education.
This research also includes gathering data, such as their name, section, and chosen
learning modality, but we will keep their personal information confidential. However, this

5. study only chooses a limited number of Grade 11 HUMSS students as we will use a
thematic analysis that is time-consuming. In conducting this research, we will use
research instruments like open-ended questionnaires, online surveys, and observations,
which are the means of gathering data.
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
The relevant literature and studies listed below provide a better foundation for the
development of the study.
2.1. Related Literature
This chapter aims to discuss and analyze existing literature concepts,
methodology, and previous research findings related to the academic pressure that
students face. This chapter will also determine the similarities and differences between
the previous research and our study. The contents presented in this chapter are
relevant and related facts to the current study being conducted.
The Advantages of Academic Pressure to Students' Academic Performance
According to Tucker (2018), competition plays an important role in academic
achievement because it often spurs students to pursue excellence. Those students who
feel pressured are encouraged to do their schoolwork with excellence and comply with
their tasks earlier than the given deadlines. Academic competition is advantageous
when it challenges students to work harder on their studies and helps them get excited
about academic content (Tucker, 2018).
For example, it can be argued that academic pressure not only empowers students in
their career planning but can also be used to help students understand the links
between critical theory and practice. Stress can be managed, and it should not be an
issue for freshmen students as long as they can keep up with their classes and deal
with academic stress and pressures.

6. According to (Rifareal 2020), stress is a “normal part of life,” adding that this could also
be positive in some respects. Citing cases of her patients, Rifareal said that while some
students see distance learning as a source of stress, it also enables them to be better in
their studies. “When we are stressed we are pushed to study hard, para magaling Tayo
sa (so we could be better in) exams and recitations,” she explained.
Echoing DepEd, Rifareal said that one cannot directly link the stress that students
experience during distance learning with the reported deaths.
The Disadvantage of Academic Pressure on Students' Academic Performance
Academic-related stress has been shown to lower academic success, decrease
motivation, and raise the probability of school dropout. According to previous studies,
the longer-term consequences, such as a reduced likelihood of long-term employment,
cost governments billions of dollars every year (Pascoe, Hetrick & Parker, 2019).
As academic demands increase, so must students' desire to take on increasingly
challenging tasks and persevere through the inevitable setbacks that come with
success. Emotional stress is a condition caused by academic pressures placed on
students to achieve school achievement (Oyoo, Mwaura, Kinai & Mutua, 2020).
According to Decillo, Bernabe, Mercane, Tiosan, Torgan & Villanueva (2017), academic
stress is documented to have several negative effects not only on the academic
performance of students but also on their well-being.
According to Decillo, Bernabe, Mercane, Tiosan, Torgan & Villanueva (2017), academic
stress is documented to have several negative effects not only on the academic
performance of students but also on their well-being.
Being pressured academically can result in a lot of problems, like how it can decrease
your motivation for the things that you are doing. Pressure can also affect you mentally.
The Role and Involvement of Parental Guidance in Academic Pressure
The parent-child connection negatively predicts academic pressure and influences it
through the peer relationship, whereas self-esteem regulates the peer-academic
pressure link (Mingyue Liao, Ronghua Ying, & Shike Zhou 2021). Educational
expectations from parents, instructors, friends, and family members, pressure from
parents for academic accomplishment, the current educational and testing system, the
weight of homework, and other factors contribute to academic stress among students
(Dr. Sangma Z.M. et al., 2018). According to Lisa Boonk, Hieronymus J.M. Gijselaers,
HenkRitzen, and SaskiaBrand-Gruwel (2018), parents who have high expectations or

7. aspirations for their children's academic achievement and schooling, communication
between parents and children about school, parental encouragement, and learning
support are all parental involvement variables that show promise in terms of their
correlations with academic achievement.
Communication is important to a family. Opening up about your problems in school or
life can help you as well as your parents in dealing with these problems. Even just
encouraging one another can have a big effect on someone's life. The support that you
get from your loved ones, especially your parents, can help you be motivated to do
things. Simple words and actions can make a big change.
Impact of Academic Pressure on Students' Well-being
Academic pressure on young adults has been increasingly high. The pressures of
getting into the right school, obtaining top grades, and securing the best internships—all
in preparation for a great career—harm young people's mental health. It can lead to
depression, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning anxiety. (Newsport Institute, 2021).
It is an experience in which a student is burdened by the demands of time and energy to
achieve specific academic goals. This stress can come from a variety of potential
sources and have a myriad of impacts on students mentally, emotionally, and
academically. It could be self-imposed, family-imposed, or imposed by society. (Pacific
Teen Treatment, 2022).
It's tough enough to get into senior high school, but the demand to maintain high
standards is stronger than ever. Students were already doubtful and concerned before
the pandemic, and the ongoing health crisis has prompted education systems to turn to
distance learning, which has further led to problems. The constant worry and anxiety
that students face may be alleviated if we moved away from our concern with academic
performance and instead focused on feeling satisfied at the moment (Daily Tar Heel,
2021).
In this case, academic pressure has an impact on students' well-being. Academic
pressure on students can lead to different difficulties such as stress, anxiety, family
expectations, and the development of student's capabilities. Research shows that
students who face academic pressure will have poor academic performance.
Additionally, those experiences show how pressure affects the students' well-being
The parent-child connection predicts academic pressure and influences it through the
peer relationship, whereas self-esteem regulates the peer-academic pressure link
(Mingyue Liao, Ronghua Ying, & Shike Zhou 2021). Educational expectations from
parents, instructors, friends, and family members, pressure from parents for academic
accomplishment, the current educational and testing system, the weight of homework,
and other factors contribute to academic stress among students (Dr. Sangma Z.M. et

8. al., 2018). According to Lisa Boonk, Hieronymus J.M. Gijselaers, HenkRitzen, and
SaskiaBrand-Gruwel (2018), parents who have high expectations or aspirations for their
children's academic achievement and schooling, communication between parents and
children about school, parental encouragement, and learning support are all parental
involvement variables that show promise in terms of their correlations with academic
achievement.
Communication is important to a family. Opening up about your problems in
school or life can help you as well as your parents in dealing with these problems. Even
just encouraging one another can have a big effect on someone's life. The support that
you get from your loved ones, especially your parents, can help you be motivated to do
things. Simple words and actions can make a big change.
The Relation/Connection of Academic Pressure in Distance Learning Education
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a major change in communication. Technological
advances played a central role in facilitating this change. This type of communication,
performed through remote applications, is called telecommunications (Mheidly, M.
Fares, & J. Fares, 2020).
Burnout is a syndrome conceived as a result of chronic work stress that has not been
successfully managed. In the last ten years, numerous studies have been published
that deal with stress and burnout in professional and school environments. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, the working environment changed after the implementation of the
lockdown. Corresponding jobs have been shifted to telework and telecommunications.
Also, education has switched to online and distance learning. However, studies
addressing stress and burnout associated with the new telecom surge standard are
lacking (Mheidly, M. Fares, & J. Fares, 2020).
Distance education has had a remarkable effect on the landscape of education since its
advent in the 19th century as correspondence study. It has taken various shapes and
utilized a wide variety of technologies ranging from postal technologies in the 19th
century to virtual reality today (Saykılı, 2018).
Education amidst the pandemic has been proven difficult, especially with online
learning, since a lot of students are struggling with this kind of set-up where the internet
connection is the least of their worries. Students had been facing difficulties adjusting to
distance learning education, which caused them a lot of stress.
Academic pressures can come from various factors, like family expectations, ambitious
goals set by students, or the demands of society in general. Coaches and school

9. administrators can also encourage students to succeed. Regardless of the source of the
academic pressure, the results can be detrimental to the well-being on multiple levels.
Academic pressure can lead to depression, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning
anxiety (Newport Institute, 2021).
Students have been away from the physical campus for more than a year and are
continuing their education online. The many challenges they face through e-learning,
coupled with the prevailing uncertainty, have increased the stress between them.
Prolonged stress not only affects academic performance but also mental and physical
health, as it has been shown that stress is one of the main causes of various physical
and mental disorders. As e-learning seems to be emerging as a new normal, students
need proper attention, help, and support from their families and institutions. Institutions
should review their online courses and program delivery mechanisms, methods, and
practices to ensure that students are not being overly stressed (Malik & Javed, 2021).
2.2 Related Studies
The following studies will provide an overview of the existing studies that exist across
the fields of study encompassed by this research. It will evaluate and investigate the
experiences of students who have been subjected to academic pressure as well as
students who are pursuing distance learning education. Included in the review are
related and relevant studies that illuminate the serious recurring problems in connection
to academic pressure.
The Factors That Cause Academic Pressure Among Senior High Students
According to Durrette (2020), "academic pressure" is formally defined as an experience
in which a student is overwhelmed by the demands of time and energy to achieve
specific academic goals. A student feels pressured by the overwhelming amount of
schoolwork, tests, and deadlines that he or she must comply with, which causes a lot of
stress. In a survey by the American College Health Association (2019), they found that
51.2 percent of students surveyed felt that their academics were difficult to handle in the
previous year. Researchers have found that there are two types of factors that cause
stress among students: external and internal stressors.
External stressors are those that come from an outside source. These are stressful
things that happen in your surroundings. From worldwide events to small car accidents,
everyone experiences external stress daily. (Sizelove, 2020). One example of external
factors is the parents who have high hopes for the academic excellence of their
children.

10. According to India Today (2020), students are constantly pushed to the edge by their
parents to build a bright future and succeed in life. However, the enormous pressure
placed on the students not only hampers their growth and learning but also leads to
increased stress and anxiety.
Internal stressors are a type of stress that comes from the students themselves. When
you struggle to meet your expectations, goals, and visions, internal stress results. More
examples of internal stressors are pessimism, negative self-talk, a deep need to be
perfect, low self-esteem, and unhealthy standards for self.
Relationship Between Academic Pressure and Academic Stress
Academic stress includes mental distress regarding academic challenges, failure, or
even an awareness of the possibility of academic failure (Thakkar, 2018). Academic
stress is seen in the daily activities, schoolwork, and tests that the students face.
According to Thakkar (2018), excessive levels of academic stress may also lead to a
higher prevalence of psychological disorders. So how are academic stress and
academic pressure related? How are they different?
Academic Pressure is defined by the Pacific Teen Treatment (2022) as "an experience
in which a student is burdened by the demands of time and energy to achieve specific
academic goals". Academic Stress is a form of stress that is caused by overwhelming
pressure to complete school work with excellence as well as compete with other
students.
These pressures mainly come from peer and parental expectations and fear. Fear of
failure and disgrace. Stress is a common problem that affects everyone at one point in
life or the other and can be influenced by our lifestyles too. Students face many types of
stress such as exam anxiety, passing schoolwork on time, test performance, boring
classrooms, overwork, wrong answers in class, poor attendance, noisy classroom,
being late for class, lack of free time, fear of mistakes, and lack of good teachers. Stress
directly affects student performance and creates an imbalance in their normal and
healthy daily lives. Therefore, it sometimes leads to unnatural acts such as suicide,
home robbery, classroom indiscipline, not attending regular classes, criminal behavior,
abnormal behavior, misconduct, joining a bad peer group, etc. In this situation, students
need social support to cope with this to overcome academic stress (Bhargava, 2020).
Impacts of Academic Pressure on Academic Performance

11. According to IGI Global (2017), Academic Performance is measured by the final grade
earned in the course. Academic performance is one of the most important
considerations among college students. Academic performance can be illustrated by the
grade point average (G.P.A). Academic Performance plays a vital role in the
achievement of students. However, academic pressure is crucial to the academic
performance of a student since it can positively and negatively affect one's productivity.
The distinction between junior and senior students was obvious. Stress has an impact
on one's capacity to learn well and manage time. Studying regularly is vital since it
relieves academic pressure and allows students to achieve their objectives.
Pacsoe, Hetrick & Parker (2019), stated that students who are in secondary and tertiary
education face a wide range of ongoing stressors that are related to academic
demands. Previous research has shown that academic-related stress can reduce
academic achievement, minimize motivation, and increase the risk of school dropout.
Longer-term effects, including a reduced likelihood of sustainable employment, cost
governments billions of dollars each year (Malik & Javed, 2021).
Impacts of Academic Pressure on Academic Performance
Wikipedia (2022) defines academic performance as, "the extent to which a student,
teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals." Academic
performance can be illustrated by the grade point average (G.P.A). Academic
Performance plays a vital role in the achievement of students.
Pacsoe, Hetrick & Parker (2019), stated that students who are in secondary and tertiary
education face a wide range of ongoing stressors that are related to academic
demands. Previous research has shown that academic-related stress can reduce
academic achievement, minimize motivation, and increase the risk of school dropout.
Longer-term effects, including a reduced likelihood of sustainable employment, cost
governments billions of dollars each year (Malik & Javed, 2021).
In the academic setting, stress plays an important role in the student's academic
performance. When students are overwhelmed by stress, it can affect their ability to
focus and study on and off campus. Because stress affects thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors, the impact of stress on academic performance plays an important role in
learning both on and off-campus (S. Pompilus & A. Pompilus, 2021).
Academic pressure is crucial to the academic performance of a student since it can
positively and negatively affect one's productivity.

12. Reasons on Why Students choose HUMSS as a Strand
The increasing cases of COVID-19 have resulted in the closure of educational
institutions. This led schools to implement distance learning education thus offering
hardware and software copies of modules to students to facilitate effective distance
learning. But this has led students in secondary and tertiary education to face great
challenges while pursuing distance education amidst the pandemic.
Our specific target participants for this study are Grade 11 HUMSS students facing
academic pressure while pursuing distance learning education.
Humanities and Social Science or HUMSS is a senior high school strand that seeks to
prepare students who aim to take journalism, communication arts, liberal arts,
education, and other social science-related courses in college. The HUMSS strand
revolves around improving a student's reading, writing, and speaking skills, because if
you haven't noticed, people who choose this strand, aspire to become members of a
society that deals with many people (Apolinar, 2019).
A study conducted by Carlao in 2019 shows that 35 out of 43 HUMSS students at Camp
Vicente Lim Integrated School have become open-minded to different religions, and 3.)
Students became good listeners, which gathered a total of 29. This survey shows that
the HUMSS strand helps students improve their socializing skills (Carlao, 2019).
Another study conducted by Margana, Barce, Ellama, Jetajobe, Soriso & Mirasol in
2020 shows how the HUMSS strand helps students develop their self-esteem. The
researchers discovered that HUMSS is beneficial in developing self-esteem based on a
survey questionnaire related to academic achievement with 3.96% encouraging
students to attend classes. Extracurricular activities accounted for 3.95%, which helped
students build their confidence in participating in sports and clubs at school.
Interpersonal skills had 3.66% where students can confidently express appropriate
feelings towards others (Margana, Barce, Ellama, Jetajobe, Soriso & Mirasol, 2020).
Through developing students' self-esteem they will be more confident thus gaining more
experience and knowledge that will help their development.
The two studies stated above give an idea of why students choose HUMSS as a strand
based on their future has chosen courses in college and the benefits that the strand
offers such as improving communication skills, reading skills, developing self-esteem,
and essential skills that will prepare them for higher education and even work.

13. Theoretical Background
It can be seen from the research literature and studies that students' academic pressure
has a significant influence on their academic performance. Therefore, as the study's
background, two theories are employed.
The theoretical underpinning of this study is supported by the E-learning Theory.
E-learning theory is based on cognitive science principles that show how the use and
design of educational technologies can improve effective learning (David, 2015; Wang,
2012). The theory was developed from a set of principles created based on the
cognitive load theory (Sweller, Van Merrinboer, & Paas, 2019). According to David
(2015), the cognitive load theory is "the amount of mental effort associated with working
memory" (n.p.) during a task and can be categorized into effort-related, intrinsic, and
external. Because working memory has a limited capacity and the brain becomes
overloaded when students are presented with too much information, leading to
inefficient learning, it is important to balance these three types of load to promote
learning efficiency (Clark, Nguyen, and Sweller, 2005). This theory shows that while
students face academic pressure while pursuing distance learning education, they also
face the hardships of the new way of learning— e-learning. E-learning such as online
learning and digitized learning has brought stress to students since they are not familiar
with this setup, and not all students have devices for e-learning nor the knowledge to
use that kind of technology. In this school year, the stress caused by e-learning has
caused students to feel pressured in their academics.
Another theory that supports our study is the Yerkes-Dodson law or the Inverted
U-Model of Arousal.
The Yerkes-Dodson Law (YDL) is a conceptualization of the relationship between
arousal/stress and optimal performance (White, 2021). People typically perform
excellently when they are under exactly the right amount of pressure. Performance
might fail if there is too much or too little pressure. Following the Yerkes-Dodson law, a
student's performance level will follow a standard in response to the amount of pressure
imposed. As stress continues to increase past this point, performance falls, representing
the distress or burnout that comes from excessive stress (White, 2021). This YDL is
referenced in pressure and performance literature (Furuya et al., 2021; Lo et al., 2019;
Saylik et al., 2018). The increased focus on academic performance in students might
produce a pressured environment, with stress and expectations, as well as family
responsibilities, as undesirable consequences. The given law could help explain why
participants under academic pressure perform. To put things in perspective, if

14. participants are expecting to fail, they are most likely to have poor academic
performance.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Relationship - The connection between two variables is referred to as. When we talk
about relationship types, we can refer to them in one of two ways: the nature of the
connection or the pattern of the relationship.
Distance Learning - is a type of education in which teachers and students are
physically separated during the instruction and learning process.
Academic Performance - Operationally, this refers to the academic performance of
Grade 11 HUMSS students and it is measured by the final grade earned in the course.
Academic Pressure - this is an experience in which Grade 11 HUMSS students are
burdened by the demands of time and energy to achieve specific academic goals.
Academic Stress - involves mental distress that the Grade 11 HUMSS students face
regarding anticipated academic challenges or failure or even an awareness of the
possibility of academic failure.
Chapter 3
Methodology
This chapter covers the research methods that will be used to respond to the problem
statement in Chapter 1, which is about the real-life experiences of senior high school
students facing academic pressures while pursuing distance learning. It explains the
different approaches and methods for locating the required information for the analysis,
as well as the evaluation of the data that the researchers have gathered. It includes the
research design, research locale, research sample/participant, research instruments,
data collection procedure, and data analysis.
Research Design
This study employs a qualitative research method to determine the experiences of
students who are facing academic pressure. The research design used is a
phenomenology design. Personal experience can be better understood through
phenomenological study. It examines long-held ideas to give insights into individual

15. behaviors and motivations (HARAPPA, 2021). This design focuses on the subjective
experiences of the respondents under academic pressure while pursuing distance
learning education. Researchers can therefore inquire if any students experience
academic pressure. The respondents will be Grade 11 Humss students who are
experiencing academic pressure.
This research design is the most appropriate to use in this study because the
researchers focus on studying the real-life experiences of their respondents when they
experience academic pressure. The researchers aim to study their respondents' lives
during their experience with distance learning education and academic pressure.
The study intends to use an online semi-structured interview as their research
methodology since it allows them to focus on certain areas or questions they want to
ask the participants.
Thus, this study seeks to elicit the experiences of academic pressure on students' lives.
With this method, the researchers will be able to classify the similarities and differences
between the answers of each respondent.
Research Locale
The research locale discusses the place or setting of the study, which will be conducted
at the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School. It is a public secondary
comprehensive school that has two campuses, the main and the annex. They are
located in Mandaue City's Barangays Centro and Looc. Travel between campuses is
accessible through the skywalk, which was completed on April 3, 2016. The school was
founded on February 25, 1986. There are an estimated number of over 5,000 students
per year in the MCCNHS.
In the current school year, 2021–2022, MCCNHS is one of the educational institutions
that has shifted to distance learning education as a result of the pandemic. The school
provides printed, digitalized, and online learning modalities in junior high school, while
there are only digitalized and online learning modalities in senior high school.
The researchers chose this location to conduct this study since the MCCNHS is where
the researchers are currently attending school. This location provides us with the
necessary data for our study. In the current situation, where we should still practice the
safety health protocols because of the pandemic, we were only able to conduct an
online interview with our participants.
Research Participants

16. This study's participants were identified through non-probability sampling, specifically
purposive sampling.
Purposive sampling is a type of non-probability sampling in which you make a
conscious decision about what to include in the sample and select participants
accordingly (Qualtrics, 2022). It is a non-random technique that does not require
underlying theories or a predetermined number of participants. Simply put, the
researcher determines what needs to be known and then seeks out people who can
and are willing to provide the information based on their knowledge or experience.
Since the study is about the lived experiences of MCCNHS senior high school students
facing academic pressure while pursuing distance learning education, participants will
be specifically Grade 11 HUMSS students who are experiencing academic pressure
while pursuing distance learning education.
This study involves 5–10 participants, who will be chosen from Mandaue City
Comprehensive Senior High School Grade 11 HUMSS students. We specifically chose
HUMSS students since there are different subjects that the students face compared to
other strands that they may find difficult.
This study uses the phenomenological approach. This indicates that the researchers'
efforts will be focused on the participants to obtain data on the subject. The participants
were subjected to academic pressure and were able to cope with it. As a result, the
respondents met the study's criterion for explaining, comprehending, and seeing the
meanings of human life experiences.
Research Instrument/s
Research is normally built through an analytical, systematic process, and research
instruments are the tools you use to gather and organize data so that it may be
transformed into meaningful knowledge. Since the pandemic is still ongoing, the
researchers would not be able to conduct face-to-face interviews. By using an online
interview, researchers have the opportunity to understand the experiences of students
who are facing academic pressures while pursuing distance learning education. With
this, the researchers can get a better understanding of the students' ways of
overcoming their situations. The researchers have the chance to meet the respondent
through Google Meet or Zoom since it will be an online interview.
In conducting this online interview, the researchers will be using a semi-structured
questionnaire. In this case, the researcher will base the questions they will ask on a
questionnaire. The questionnaire was created to gather a wide variety of information

17. about the participant and served as the foundation for interview follow-up questions.
The questionnaire was also created to allow for fast and clear responses. In this study,
semi-structured interviews were chosen as the preferred approach since they allow for a
more in-depth evaluation of the students' perspectives and opinions regarding their
academic pressure. The contents of the instrument are mainly prepared with the
purpose of extracting the respondents' thoughts, experiences, and insights on their
real-life experiences facing academic pressure while pursuing distance learning
education.
Therefore, all of the interviews were conducted in private and with confidentiality in
concern of the participant's personal information and identities. Furthermore, all of the
interviews were audio-recorded so that the researcher could afterward transcribe
everything that was said without disrupting the flow of conversation or the chain of
thought of either participant.
Data-Gathering Procedure
Bhandari (2020) states that a systematic procedure of obtaining observations or
measurements is known as data collection. Data gathering assists researchers in
obtaining the necessary information for the study that will be conducted.
COVID-19 is still surging in our country and in the specific location where the study will
be conducted. It may affect the researchers' work. The first thing that the researchers
conclude is to ensure the safety of our participants and researchers. We must follow the
given health and safety protocols to avoid getting infected. The researchers will need to
notify the participants that they would be doing an online interview since they are not
permitted to visit the location stated in the research locale.
The data gathering serves as the foundation for estimating accuracy. A good data
gathering technique is required to guarantee that the accuracy estimate is credible. A
prediction is only as good as the facts it is based on. As a result, ensuring the quality of
the data collection is critical (Arijit Chaudhuri et al., 2016). Data gathering is just as
important as research since poor data collection methods have a negative influence on
study outcomes. The procedure for performing the research is as follows:
Sending transmittal letters. To secure full assistance in the successful implementation
of the study, a letter of request will be sent to the principal of Mandaue City
Comprehensive National High School asking permission to conduct the study regarding
the experiences of senior high students facing academic pressure while pursuing
academic pressure. Consent will be obtained through a form issued by the researchers

18. before the online interview. Obtaining consent from the participant will be sought again
throughout the interview as a final scan. With the participant's permission, the interviews
will be conducted through Zoom, recorded, and transcribed because of the situation
right now. The researchers will employ an audio recorder, a video recorder, and
note-taking to collect important data.
Conducting a pre-survey. Students were given an orientation about the study and
were asked to identify those who experience academic pressure. From that, we could
narrow down the respondents and know that they are experiencing academic pressure.
Giving Questionnaires. The prepared questions will be asked first, followed by
additional study-related questions during the data gathering procedure. The researchers
will have enough relevant data from the follow-up inquiries. In this research study, the
data gathering technique used is the questionnaire. The researchers will be giving out
questionnaires to the respondents for them to answer a series of questions regarding
their experiences of facing academic pressure while pursuing distance learning.
Researchers require a variety of information from participants to provide high-quality
results.
Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. The information gathered will be
analyzed. To acquire a deeper grasp of the concept as a whole, data is evaluated. The
researchers will appreciate the participants for answering the questions honestly after
the interview.
Reporting of findings and conclusions. Based on the obtained results, a summary of
findings will be presented, conclusions will be drawn, and recommendations will be
made.
Analysis of Data
"Data analysis is the process of collecting, modeling, and analyzing data to extract
insights that support decision-making. There are several methods and techniques to
perform analysis depending on the industry and the aim of the investigation. ", (Calzon,
2022). With the help of data analysis, we can establish our goals and objectives based
on the facts and insights that we have analyzed.
According to Caulfield (2020), (TA) is an accessible, flexible, and increasingly popular
method of qualitative data analysis. Learning this method provides the qualitative
researcher with a solid foundation in the skills required to investigate other approaches

19. to qualitative data analysis. Thematic analysis in qualitative research allows the
researchers to make sense of the collected experiences of the participants.
Thematic analysis is used to analyze chunks of data like observations, interviews, and
related literature and studies. In using thematic analysis we try to uncover themes from
the data. The researchers explore similarities and relationships between the data we
have collected.
In the year 2006, Braun and Clarke crafted six phases in the TA approach. The first step
is to familiarize the data and this involves recording interview sessions with our
participants and translating and transcribing the data. The next step is generating codes
from the given transcribed data. Codes in qualitative research are ideas from the
participants' responses that the researchers find interesting and relevant to our study.
The process of coding includes two ways, semantic level, and interpretative or latent
level. The semantic level is more on the description of the participants' answers. While
the latent level is coding by going beyond the descriptive level of the data and providing
an interpretation of the participant's responses. The researchers will use a semantic
level to summarize the portion of the data that we have collected from the participants
that we find relevant to our analysis.
After coding the data the researchers can now proceed to the next step which is the
third step, which is finding major recurring ideas from the collected data. This involves
grouping the generated codes into potential themes. In this step, the researchers
identify potential themes that are relevant and related to our study. Once the potential
themes have been identified the researchers will now move to the fourth step which is
reviewing the identified themes. Now that the identified themes have been analyzed and
reviewed, the fifth step starts which is naming and defining themes. This step involves
crafting a thematic map that shows the relationship between the themes to each other.
Lastly, the researchers proceed to the sixth step which is making the report, this
involves interpreting the themes to produce a report, such as a journal article or a
dissertation.
Researcher’s Reflexivity
Triangulation refers to the use of multiple methods or data sources in qualitative
research to develop a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon which is the
lived experiences of senior high students experiencing academic pressure while
pursuing distance learning education. This is used to increase the validity or quality of
our study. This also helps us in gathering the needed data for our research. This

20. involves using different approaches to the analysis of the same data such as the
inductive and deductive approaches. Inductive means drawing findings and concepts
out of the data while deductive means using data to test existing theories and concepts.
Ethical Considerations
In this study, full consent to the information was obtained by the researchers.
Individually, potential participants were approached and informed about the study's goal
as well as the data collection process. Since we are currently in a pandemic, the
researcher will reach the participants through Zoom meetings. Each informant's privacy
is always protected. The researcher will conduct the research with care and respect for
the details and information provided by the participants. The informants are informed
about the study's benefits and are given the option to withdraw from it if they so desire.
Lastly, member validation was used to ensure that the analysis was accurate.