This document discusses academic stress and coping strategies among grade 12 STEM students at Isulan National High School. It begins with an introduction to academic stress and defines key terms. It then presents the study's objectives and research questions which aim to determine students' level of academic stress, coping strategies, and whether stress levels differ based on student profiles. The conceptual framework outlines the input-process-output approach. The literature review covers foreign and local literature on academic stress, its causes, and effects. It finds academic stress can result from homework, exams, lack of organization and sleep, and more. The study aims to contribute data on academic stress issues and propose an action plan to address student stress levels.

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THE LEVEL OF ACADEMIC STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES AT
GRADE 12 STEM STUDENTS AT ISULAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
A Research Paper
Presented to the
Faculty of Senior High School
Isulan National High School
In Partial Fullfilment
Of the Requirements for
Inquiries, Investigations and Immersions
By
Riza F. Tambalo
May 2022

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CHAPTER 1
PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
School education is a very important part in an individual’s life and is also a turning point
in their academic life. At this stage, the academic performance of a students plays a vital role in
deciding the next stage of their education, which in turn shapes their career. Students nowadays
especially those who are aiming to maintain high grades that will be their gateway to have
scholarshipwhen they enter higher level are having stress and coping with it almost every day. Stress
usually starts when the students feel the pressure among their parents, relatives, friends and even
with classmates. An excessof academic stress duringthis stage can result in adverse effects that are
far-reaching and prolonged.
In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes
bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social
situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the "fight or flight"
response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinology systems. (Shiel, 2018).
Evidence suggests that although academic sources of stress such as grades, assignments,
examinations, long duration of study, and lack of free time have continued to exist during the past
several years,these sourceshave increased and new sources of stress have surfaced (& Archer,1996;
Robotham& Julian,et.al 2006).
When students faced with demands or pressure to cope with this stress, they cognitively
assess their resources, coping skills, and ability how to respond with the demands of their
surrounding (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Coping is the management of demands (Larose & Bernier,
2001).

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Coping is how the person deals effectively with something difficult that he or she encounters
(Macmillan).It is how the person manages his or her life conditions that are stressful.At some extent,
stress and coping are relatively connected with each other. The level of stress is high when coping is
not effective. And when coping is effective, the level of stress is obviously low. Coping has many
purposes and is a function of the person, situation and perception of the situation (Frydenberg,
2008). The effects of stress vary on how it is assessed and the coping strategies used differ between
the persons and are influenced by ethnic,cultural and socioeconomic characteristics (Al-Ayadhi LY,
2005).
Additional stress in certain individuals differ on how poor coping strategies and depends on the
personality types that a person has which leads to a negative pattern of behavior, developing
psychosomatic symptoms, and the academicperformance decreased (Busari, 2011; Busari&Eniola,
2007).
It says that excessive levels of academic stress can result in an increased prevalence of
psychological and physical problems like depression, anxiety, nervousness and stress related
disorders, which in turn can affect their academic results. Anxiety as a disorder is seen in about 8% of
adolescents and children worldwide. Anxiety and stress have a substantial negative effect on their
social, emotional and academic success. Depression is becoming the most common mental health
problem college students suffer these days. It is also a reflection of an individual’s academic
frustration, academic conflict, academic anxiety and academic pressure. The four components of
academic stress usually identifiable in a student are academic frustration, academic conflicts,
academic anxieties and academic pressures.

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Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to determine the level of academic stress and coping strategies of Grade 12
STEM students in Isulan National High School S.Y 2021-2022 basis for an action plan.
Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of students respondents in terms of:
1.1Age
1.2Sex/Gender
1.3Grade/Section Level
1.4Birth Order
2. What is the level of academic stressof studentsrespondents in terms of:
2.1Pressuresto perform
2.2Workload
2.3Academic self-perception
2.4Time restraints
3. What are the coping strategies of students respondentsin addressing their level of
academicstress?
4. Is there a significant difference in the level of academicstressof the student’srespondents
when their profile is considered?
5. What action plan can be proposed to address the level of academic stress of student’s?

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Conceptual Framework
The researcher conceptualized an Input-Process-Output systemwhich served as the direction of
the research and it is represented in figure 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows the relationshipamong the I- P- O system of the research study. The system
starts with the INPUT which contains the data obtained from the profile of the respondents in terms
of age, sex, grade level at birth order.
The PROCESS shows how the input will be processed through survey questionnaires. The data
that will be gathered will be treated using statistics for presentation, analysis and interpretation of
data.
Lastly, the OUTPUT shows the end result of the study which are the action plan address the
level of academic stress of grade 12 STEM students.

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Significance of the Study
The study aimed to contribute empirical data on the issues of academic stress and coping
strategies of selected grade 12 STEM students respondents school year 2021-2022.
The result of this study would be beneficial to the following:
Curriculum Planner. This study may be a good basis towards the curriculum planner to them to be
able to plan for interventionsof the problem.
Principal. This study may be of great helptowards the planning of the school in achieving the best
performance of the students.
Teacher. This study will give idea to the teacherson how they will give interventions in case if there
will be the same problem
Parents. This study will give idea to the parents on how they will be part of the solution towards the
performance of their children.
Community. The findings of the study will give idea to the community on how to solve or give
solution towards the problem.
Future Researchers. This study may serve as basis and as inputs if and when there will be other
researcher to do the same research.

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Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study is concentrated on 20 grade 12 STEM students of Isulan National High School
year 2021-2022. The study primarily focused on determining the level of academic stress of STEM
students respondents in different components such as pressure to perform workload, academic self-
perception and time restraints and also focuses on coping strategies of respondents and proposed
for an action plan.
Definition of Terms
Stress - is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can
be external (from the environment, psychological,or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a
medical procedure).
Coping- is how the person deals effectively with something difficult that he or she encounters
(Macmillan).
Coping Strategies – refers to the specific efforts, both behavioural and psychological, that people
employ towards stressful events.
Academic stress- is defined as a student's psychological state resulting from continuous social and
self-imposed pressure in a school environment that depletes the student's psychological reserves.

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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
The literature and studies cited in this chapter tackle the different concept,
understanding, and ideas related to study of academic stressto students experiencing from the past
up to the present. This chapter serves as the researchers guide in developing the study.
Foreign Literature
According to Park, (2003) the word “coping” has two connotations in stress
literature.It has been used to denote the way of dealing with stress or effort to master conditions of
harm, threat, or challenge when a routine or automatic response is not readily available Coping
refers to mastering conditions that tax or exceed adaptive resources.
Lazarus,(2015) stated emphasized the key role of cognitive process in coping activities and the
importance of coping in determination of quality and intensity of emotional reactions to stress.
According to him we are constantly self-regulating our emotional reaction in various ways. We either
postpone unpleasant situation, or change the threatening conditionsor simply detach ourselvesfrom
unpleasant situations. Therefore, Lazarus emphasizes that the individual actively considers t he
situation and the unforeseenenvironmental conditions which manipulate the individual’s behavior
coping strategy refers to a technique of coping adopted in a specific context. Over a period of time the
individual develops a specific coping style. This refers to the manner in which an individual respond
to any stressful event.
Thakkar (2018) believesthat school education is a very important part in an individual’s life
and is also a turning point in their academic life. In our fast pacing and highly competitive world,
students face various academicproblems including exam stress, disinterest in attending classes and
the inability to understand a subject. Academicstress involves mental distress regarding anticipated
academic challenges or failure or even the fear of the possibility of academic failure. Academic
stressors show themselvesin many aspects in the students’ environment: at school, home, in their

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peer relations and even in their neighborhood. Excessive levels of academicstress can result in
an increased prevalence of psychological and physical problems like depression, anxiety, nervousness
and stress related disorders, which in turn can affect their academic results.Anxiety as a disorder is
seen in about 8% of adolescents and children worldwide . Anxiety and stress have a substantial
negative effect on their social, emotional and academic success. Depression is becoming the most
common mental health problem college students suffer these days. It is also a reflection of an
individual’s academicfrustration, academic conflict, academic anxiety and academic pressure. The
four components of academic stress usually identifiable in a student are academic frustration,
academic conflicts, academic anxieties and academic pressures.
One of the causes of academicstress in student is adjustment problem. Most of the students
face many problems in the academiclife like learning problem, educational problems, occupational
problems, financial problems that is why they cannot adjust in anywhere. Furthermore, report
suggests that teenagersalwaysface problems in adjusting with various stresses. Due to adjustment
problem people are becoming dependent and studentsare starting to shift their needs and desires to
other and have less passion about education.
Furthermore, Busari (2012) How does homework actually affect students?” it was mentioned
that though homework is important part of engaging students outside the classroom, it still a source
of academic stress because it can affect students’ health, social life and grades. The hours logged in
class, and the hours logged on schoolwork can lead to students feeling overwhelmed and
unmotivated. Navigating the line between developing learning skills and feeling frustrated can be
tricky. Moreover, studentswho spend too much time on homework are not always able to meet other
needs,like being physically and socially active. Ultimately, the amount of homework a student has
an impact a lot more than his or her grades.
Amponsah,M. and H.O. Owolabi, (2011).Aside from homework and other academic
requirements, relation to faculty membersadds to the stress of the students. It was demonstrated in

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a number of studies that parental pressures and teachers’ expectations were associated with stress
around the time of examinations or about choosing particular academic study or a future career.
According to Agolla, J. E. &Ongori, H. (2009) test stressdoesn’t just affect struggling students
but also high achieversbecause they wanted to do well on tests.Aside from this, Students with poor
organizational skills tend to experience more stress in school. This is usually because they aren’t
properly prepared with the tools or the understanding needed to learn. If those organization skills
don’t improve they may continue to fall behind, leading to more stress and frustration about school.
Furthermore, as childrenprogress from elementary to high school, the amount and difficulty level of
schoolwork increases—and studentswithout good time management skills can experience even more
stress.That’s why Students with busy schedules can quickly become overwhelmed because they are
left with no free time to relax.
With the busy schedule and lack of organization skill, these could lead to sleep deprivation.
Not getting enough sleepmakes it difficult for students to concentrate and learn effectively. This can
result to feelings of stress in a child since he or she isn’t able to perform well in class or on
assignments. In fact, studies have shown that students who don’t get the required 8-10 hours of
sleep each night are more likely to feel stressed than students who do.
There are also children who lack self-confidence,thus, the thought of getting called on in class
and speaking in front of their classmates can be terrifying. This can be particularly true if the child
struggles to keep up in a subject or area (common examples are math and reading). Also, as
students’ progress through school and start taking more advanced classes, the increased difficulty
can cause stress for students. This is very common for teens entering their high school years. As
classes get harder, it’s important to address challenges early so your child can catch up before he or
she falls too far behind.
As academic stress takes toll in students, their parents, teachers and the community as whole
must take action to alleviate the condition they are undergoing.

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Local Literature
Calaguas (2011) Stress affects people from all walks of life regardless of age, gender, civil
status, political affiliation, religious belief, economic statusand profession. It affects decision-makers
such as the politician, the manager, the priest or pastor, the employee, the housewife, the student,
the out-of-school youths, the driver, and even the jobless. Stress is found everywhere, that is, at
home, with friends, in the office, in school, in the classroom. It is just around the corner. It simply
cannot be avoided because it is part of being human. In fact, a lot of people experience stress every
day. It could be brought about by many factors. The causes and levels of stress vary from one person
to the other. No person is free from stress, regardless of how privileged, reasonable, clever, and
intelligent he may be. Every person will be challenged at times by frustrations, losses, changes and
conflicts.
Marisol Medina (2013) said on her article that according to a new study led by Harvard, Princeton
and Warwick University scientists, financial hardship may directly influence a person’s cognitive
ability. The study connectspoverty to low cognitive ability and concludesthat financial stress affects
a poor individual’s IQ more than a well-off individual’s. Valentina Lee, Assistant Professor of
Psychology at FIU, on the other hand, studies stressand its effects. She has postulated that financial
stress is a significant stressor,not only among students but also working professionals. It has similar
psychological, physical, and behavioral strains to that of many other commonly studied stressors
such as workload or conflict at work
Ellison (1990) considered stress as a biochemical response by the body to a threatening
situation. The school is one place where a lot of people converge on a regular basis. It is a fact that
when people come together,stress is bound to happen. The Administration may be stressed with the
low turn-out of enrolment or the need to generate more funds to finance important capital outlays.
The causes of stress for teachers vary, such as lack of preparation, family and financial problems,

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absentee and, sub-par students, among others. Students also experience their own stressors. The
common causes of their stressinclude their academicsubjects, 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.
Blona (2015) claims 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 se xual
concerns.Being in college can also put financial stress on the students and their families. These
situations can leave them with trembling hands, tense muscles, migraine, headache, and multiple
other symptoms of stress. These can contribute to a host of chronic diseases ranging from
hypertension to peptic ulcers that can predispose them to premature disability and even death.
Stressors are demands made by the internal or external environment that upset the balance of a
person, thus affecting the physical and psychological well-being of the person and thus would require
appropriate action if one is to restore that balance. At one point stress was considered to be a
transactional phenomenon dependent on the meaning of the stimulus to the perceiver. Thus, 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.
The Leyte Normal University (LNU) is a state university in the Philippines.The university has twenty
(20) of its academic programs accredited by the AACCUP. It was proclaimed by the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) as Center of Excellence for Teacher Education. As a leading state
university, it was identified as the CHED Program Cluster Implementer for Social Science and
Graduate School Research. It has also been tapped as the Department of Education Center of
Training. To maintain its academicstanding,LNU aims to attain its mission and vision by upgrading
and maintaining its standards as Center of Excellence (COE), and provide an environment conducive
to serious study and research as well as tolerance, openness, and respect for ideas and opinion of
others (Student Handbook, 2001). To achieve these, LNU would time and again review and upgrade

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its curriculum and require dedication, focus, and the adaption of new teaching strategies from its
professors. The students are likewise expected to exert their best effort and perform above their own
expectations to survive university life as the academicrequirements,projects and other assignments
are so numerous and at times almost impossible to accomplish. All these can cause stress on a
student. This study attempted to determine the causes of stress,the effectsof stress, and the stress
coping mechanisms of students in the Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, particularly those
taking-up Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT).This sought to answer the profile of
the student respondents in termsof gender, age, skills/talents, civil status, weekly allowance, and
location of house where they reside.It also tested assumptions that there is disparity in the causes of
stress, the effects of stress, and the stress coping mechanisms between the male and female
Information Technology students. Data gathered from this study will form part of the data base of the
university. These will provide guidance counsellors, teachers, and class advisers a better
understanding of students and guide them to respond accordingly when problems with students
occur.
Based on the study of Mazo (2015) entitled, “Causes, Effects of Stress, and the Coping
Mechanismof the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Students in A Philippine University”
this study sought to determine the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the stress coping
mechanisms of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students in the Leyte Normal
University,Tacloban City. It tested some assumptions using the descriptive survey method with 51
respondents. Thesis writing/research and school requirements/projects were the most common
causes of stress. Sleepless nights and irritable/moody feeling were the common effects of stress.
There was disparity on the causesand effects of stress between the male and female respondents.
The use of computer and praying to God were the common stress coping mechanisms. There was an
observed disparity between the male and female responses.
Duque (2017) cited common effects of stress. These are insomnia, headaches, backaches,
constipation, diarrhea,high blood pressure,heart disease, depression and alcohol, tobacco or drug

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use. He suggested doing the following: 1) After seeing the doctor, share your treatment plan with
people close to you. Talk with friends and relatives and explain what you are going through; 2) If your
doctor prescribed medication take it exactly the way it is prescribed. Do not stop taking your
medication until you doctor tells you to stop doing so; 3) Keep all follow-up appointments with your
doctor; 4) Remember that it may take some time to start feeling better; 5) If you experience side
effectsfrom any medication,tell your doctor; and 6) Seek professional counselling.If your methods of
coping stressare not contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it is time to find
healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require
change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. Whendeciding which option to
choose, it is helpful to think of the four A’s: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Since everyone has unique
response to stress,there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for
everyone or in every situation,so experiment withdifferent techniques and strategies.Focus on what
makes you feel calm and in control. Based on the study entitled “Stressors and Stress Responses of
Filipino College students” Dyet.al. (2015), the study determined the stressors and stress responses of
Filipino college students in relation to sex, course and academic classification. There were 258
respondentsfor the study. Of the respondents, 68% were females and 32% were males. According to
their degree, 42% belonged to the soft sciencesand 58% to the hard sciences. In terms of academic
classification, 10% were freshmen, 36% sophomores, 33% juniors and 21% seniors. The top five
overall stressors of the respondents were academic difficulty of subject matter, workload due to
subjects, time management because of subjects, responsibilitiesdue to being on one's own, and time
management because of both subjects and INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE
RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD ISSN – 2455-0620 Volume - 3, Issue - 7, July - 2017
Available online on – WWW.IJIRMF.COMPage 56 organizations. The most frequently occurring stress
responses were affective stress responses followed by cognitive responses. For both male and female
respondents, the top stressors were academics, workload due to subjects and time management
concerns. Overall, the males reacted to stress through affective responses and females through

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cognitive responses. Students enrolled in the hard and soft sciences both considered academics,
workload due to subjects and time management concerns as their top stressors. Those in the soft
sciences reacted with cognitive stress responses while those in the hard sciences reacted with
affective stress responses. Generally,all students, regardless of their academic classification pointed
out that academics, workload due to subjects, and time management were their main stressors. They
all reacted to stresswith affective stressresponses.These patterns can be monitored to maintain the
psychological and physical well-being of adolescent students.
FOREIGN STUDIES
According to Yashwant Kumar Nagle and Usha Sharma (2018), the academic stress in India
has increased drastically over a period of time due to parental expectation and competitive
environment among students. Heavy syllabus, parents’ expectation and cut throat competition
among students led them to mental health issueslike depression,anxiety and suicide.The education
structure of India is workbook oriented that majorly focuses on cramming of lessons which requires
studying for long hours and regular study every day. This intricate schedule of studying from
morning till evening leaves less or no scope for socialization and recreation. The national daily Times
of India reported that remarkable spike in the incidence of suicide among teenagers across the
country have given a reason to worry. A psychiatrist reports that the reason behind the suicide could
be the unnecessary academic pressure which children face from school, peers, parents and
themselves. The other reason could be immeasurable pursuit to get the child admitted in renowned
educational institute and getting best score is the criterion that is pertaining over the years.
According to psychologist Folkman, S. (2011) the situations can be both positive and negative;
it requires adjustment and this could also be stressful. The concept of stress can be divided into
‘Eustress (Positive stress) and Distress (Negative Stress). Both stress types can be taxing to a person’s
resourcesand coping skills though distress will probably do more harm to an individual. Similarly,
children and adolescentscan experience variety of stressors ranging from appalling or shocking life

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events,unfortunate hassles and tension. These are the vital factors affecting young people’s well -
being and mental health.
Snehlata (2017) indicates that the reasons for stress during adolescence are because of
disturbed family dynamics, peer pressure, inability to cope with studies, drug abuse, and lack of
competence.The involvement of adolescentsin gettinginstant gratification of needs has led to lot of
stress in them and in their relationships with family and peers. The students coming from joint
familieshave slightly higher mean of academic anxiety score than their counterparts coming from
nuclear familiesbut this difference is not significant statistically. IQ and demographic factors are not
key factor in academic stress among high school students. In order to overcome deviant behaviors,
the parents play a constructive role in channelizing energies of the adolescents.Proper care should to
be taken in helping to take the right decisions which may affect their future. Anxiety reduction and
time management in conjunction with leisure activities may be an effective strategy for reducing
academicstress in college students. Students should have the aspiration/expectation about their
study, not beyond their capacities and abilities, Students need also proper counseling while selecting
their courses at intermediate level. The parents should also consider the child’s interest and aptitude
and not impose on selecting the courses. The family environment should be congenial and the
learning process should be made pleasurable and parents should avoid making it as a stressful event
for adolescents.Author concludes that supportive and stimulating atmosphere is very necessary for
the student to progress in their academic life and for reaching their aim or goal.
Dalia Bedewy and Adel Gabriel (2015), stresslevelsmay escalate to significant proportions in
some students,to present with symptoms of anxiety especially during tests and examination periods.
In a number of studies, authors found that the most frequently reported factors contributing to
stress and anxiety around the examination periods were extensive course loads, lack of physical
exercise, and long duration of exams, reported by the students (Harikiran et al., 2012; Hashmat et
al., 2008; Sansgiry and Sail, 2006; Shah et al., 2010). The perception of extensive course load and

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long duration of examinations were found to be the most important sources of test anxiety in a
number of research studies.
It was demonstrated in a number of studies that parental pressuresand teachers’ expectations
were associated withstress around the time of examinations or about choosing particular academic
study or a future career.For example, studentswho joined dentistry due to parental pressure, with
associated fear of facing parents after failure,described greater stress than those who joined of their
accord (Acharya, 2003; Tangade et al., 2011).
Other sources whichare commonly related to students’ academicself-perceptionsinvolve such
scores especially those related to their personality characteristics, intelligence, their past academic
achievements, and other academic environmental and psychosocial sources. J.H. Humphrey,
D.A.Yow and W.W. Bowden. (2010) reported that negative cognitions related to examinations, when
such studentsunderestimate their own abilities, or overestimation of the consequences related to
their failure, are often accompanied by higher anxiety levels and poor performance.
The results of her study support past research that found female college students reported
feeling more stressthan male students (May, R. W. and S.P. Casazza. 2012) Sex differenceshave also
been found in the use of coping strategies.Literature review searchesreveal female studentsreported
greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies including expressing feelings, seeking emotional
support, denial, acceptance, and positive reframing than male students.
The result of the study conducted by Okoro is similar to María Guadalupe Acosta-Gómez, et al
(2018) as the researchers found out that women experience more stress than men in high school,
which is consistent with research indicating that women tend to express higher levels of stress and
anxiety than men, as well as more happiness, which may mean that women tend to feel and express
feelings with more intensity than men.
Aside from this, stress levels varied by year, with first and third year students re porting
significantly less stress than the second year students. This may be attributable to the heavier course

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load and more difficult subjects (such as math, chemistry, and physics) that second year students
take, but it may also reflect the career-oriented choicessecond year students must make at the end
of the school year, including decisions about which subjects they will take the next year.
Psychologists who work with these boys and girls say that the second year studentsspend more time
seeking vocational guidance and career advice than the other students.
In addition, the studentsin this study reported that exams were their greatest source of stress,
which may indicate that students need help to improve their study skills and they may also need
additional vocational guidance, as making career choices was the second greatest source of stress in
this study. Finally, the finding that family problems were the third most important source of stress
for our students raises concerns about the social context of their home lives. This is of concern
because children from families that are in conflict, aggressive, negligent, or simply cold toward one
another have a greater risk of developing nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disease, and
emotional dysfunctions in establishing new social relationships.
As for the coping mechanism, it was found out that negative coping styles were used more
frequentlythan positive styles. The three principal responses to stress were 1) listening to music, 2)
talking with a friend about the problem, and 3) exercising. Massone and González reported that
coping with stress through avoidance and recreational activities (having fun or relaxing) was typical
of high school students, but not college students. College students were more likely to use logical
analysis and problem solving to confront stressful situations,and in the present study, we found that
the use of positive coping styles increased with the students’ age and year in high school.

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Local Studies
Milanes (2010) studentsare the most essential elements in any educational institution. They
are considered as the core of learning process. Their performance plays an important role in
determining academicachievementswhich are associated to what people value. If stude nts achieve
their set academicstandards and successfully attained high degree of education, the probability of
being employed in the future is high. This academic performance also reflects the quality graduates
who will become great leaders and manpower for the country’s economic and social development.
Hence, having good academic standing is essential. School equips them with the necessary
knowledge, abilities,and values to deal with specificchallenges they will be facing throughout their
lives. Aside from learning academics,students are allowed to progress in other aspects and develop
essential skills such as collaboration, good manner and unity through different extra –curricular
activities. But in dealing with different challenge and demands to perform well in academics,
students may feel stressful because of their inability to perform all demands.
Stress is inevitable in any condition and situation. Person who is wealthy,powerful, attractive
or happy also experience stress. However, stressmay take differentlydependingon the situation and
how one perceives stress. In education, stress may happen when a student is taking a difficult or
long examination,experience an accident, waits in a queue during a day on which everything goes
wrong. Stress is perceived as negative in different aspects: emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and
psychological process that occurs as a person tries to cope or deal with stressors. Reactions to
stressors depend upon the ability of a person to cope with various instances and situations.
According to Associated Press/MTVsurvey (2009), school is the most frequently mentioned
source of students’ stress from 13-17 years old. A child may be studying always but if not studying
effectively, all the time spent with books might actually be causing more stress. A high school is
might be away of building up a tolerance for stress because of too much homework, testing, and
pressure from peers.

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In the educational field, the common sources of stress that may lead to fear and anxiety
among students are high expectations of parents, teachers, or even friends, academic pressure,
competition among classmates,physical set-up, limited opportunities, and ambitions (Nakalema and
Senyonga, 2013). Students in their high school level are the ones who are going through the
transitional phase which is an intermediate of childhood and adulthood. Peer relationstake on much
more importance during adolescence. It was found that most teens go through stress because of peer
pressure.The words “popularity” and clique” are frequently associated with this time in life. Being
accepted into desired social circles and keeping up with the “popular kids” is of high priority for many
adolescents to be accepted.
According to Klarisse Espiritu-Santo, people who experience a high level of stress for a long
time and who cope poorly with this stress may become irritable, sociallywithdrawn, and emotionally
unstable. They may also have difficulty concentrating and solving problems. Some people under
intense and prolonged stress may start to suffer from extreme anxiety, depression or other severe
emotional problems.
Sanchez, (2018) said that a person who is stressed typically less anxious thoughts difficulty
concentrating or remembering. Stress can also change outward behaviors. Teeth clenching, hand
wringing, pacing, nail biting, and heavy breathing are common signs of stress. People also feel
physically different whenthey are stress. Butterflies in the stomach,cold hands and feet, dry mouth
and increase heart rate are all physiological effects of stress that we associate with the emotions of
anxiety.
Students who experience mental and physical health problems are then at greater risk for poor
academic performance, thus increasing academic stress and perpetuating a cycle of stress,
maladaptive coping, and compromised health(Haines, Norris, &Kashy, 1996). Literature has shown
that there is a strong relationship between stress and the students’ performance (Ross, Neibling,
Heckert,1999). Normally, stress is caused by environmental and internal demands that need to be

21. 21
managed in order to cope with the situation. These environmental and internal demands may be
unique to each individual.
Research has shown that academic workload has been one of the major sources of high school
students’ stress. Chiang (1995) proposed that school is one of the main sources of stress among
adolescents. Such stress comes from too much homework, unsatisfactory academic performance,
preparation for tests, lack of interest in a particular subject,and teacher’s punishment. The working
hours, workload, lack of resources to carry out their job, and the low level of reward were most
frequently identified as stressors (Tiwari and Balani, 2013).
The academic workload requires that students face a series of peak periods such as finals,
there is a relatively constant underlying pressure to complete an upcoming assignment” (Hudd,
Dumlao, Erdmann, Murray, Phan, Soukas, &Yokozuka, 2000). “Woking hours and workload were
identified to be the powerful source of stress” (Tiwali and Balani 2013).
According to the theory of Gibson, Ivangerichand Donnely on stress and work, they said that
for most employed individuals,work is more than a 40 hour a week commitment. Even in the actual
work time 40 hours, most individuals spent 10 or more hours a day of work- related activities when
hours for travel time. Preparations for work, lunchtime, and so on are added in.
Not only a lot of time spent on work-related activities but many individuals find a substantial
portion of their satisfaction and identity in their work. Consequently, work and non-work activities
are interdependent. The distinction betweenstresses at work spill over into a person’s activities. As a
consequence of stressors experienced at work, the individual may come home irritable, short
tempered, and fatigued and argue with the spouse. The resulting marital conflict may be a source of
subsequent stress that in turn negatively affects job performance thus stress away from work are
interrelated. (Tompong 2004)

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CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter of the study presents the research design and procedures, the respondents,
the population and sampling technique, the data gatheringinstrument and the statistical tools that
were used in the study.
Research Design
To attain the objectivesof the study, the researcher used the descriptive method of
research. According to Zuelta (2003) descriptive method is devoted to the gathering of information
about prevailing conditionsor situations for the purpose of description and interpretation. It is used
over a broad range to obtain information concerning the currents status of the phenomena to
describe what existswith respect to variables or conditions in a situation. It has been widely
employed in various studies for several reasons: providing the value of facts; focusing attention on
most important things to be reported; and meeting the existing daily problems in life. Costales (2003)
defined surveys as a method used to gather information from a group of individuals. Survey research
can be viewed as a form of highly structured interview with great versatility in the social sciences
including education.The greatest benefit of the survey method is its ability to collect substantial data
from many individuals within a very confined period of time
Locale of the Study
This study is conducted at Isulan National High School, located at Capitol East , KalawagII
, Isulan , Sultan Kudarat. I was chosen it as the locale of my study since it is my school. I hoped that
this study will helptheir management be more productive and innovative in motivating of students.

23. 23
Respondents of the Study
This study was considered 20 Grade 12 STEM students in Isulan National High School in
the Division of Sultan Kudarat , Municipality of Isulan academicYear 2021-2022 as the respondents
of the study.
TABLE 1
Population and Sample of the Respondents
Sese
Selection
Total Number of
S Total Number of
Students
tudents
Number of
Respon Number of
Respondents
dents
STEM 10 10
STEM 10 10
TOTAL 20 20
Population and Sampling Technique
A sample of 20 students was selected from the population of employing a simple random
sampling through odd numbers. In random sampling, every member of the population has an equal
probability to be chosen to participate in the research and the results would yield a representative
sample. The researcher looked at the lists of studentsin 2 sectionof Grade 12 STEM and chose the
odd numbers. Students who fall under the odd numbers will serve as respondents.

24. 24
Research Instrument
This study utilized a survey questionnaire as the data gathering instrument. The researcher
drafted a survey- questionnaire based on readingsand personal observations on leadershipstyles
and management competence of head teachers.A draft of the questionnaire was presented to the
adviser for corrections and suggestions.The questionnaire was validated by experts before the actual
survey was conducted. It has four parts, the first parts deals with the personal profile of the
respondents(age,gender, grade level,birth order,). The second part deals with the level of academic
stress of students respondents.The third part deals with the level of coping strategiesof students
respondentsin addressing their level of academicstress. The last part deals with the significant
difference in the level of academic stress of the students respondents when their profile is considered
and action plan can be proposed to address the level of academicstressof students.
Data Gathering Procedures
After the validation of the questionnaire, the researcher obtained permissiona letter of
request was given to the school head to conduct the study and administer the questionnaire to the
target respondents.Upon the approval of the school head, the researcher started the distributionof
the questionnaire to the respondents and retrieved them after accomplishment.This was done
personally by the researcher to ensure complete retrieval of questionnaires. After that, the researcher
carefully tabulated,tallied, analyzed and interpreted the results using statistical tools.

25. 25
Statistical Treatmentof Data
The following statistical tools were employed in the analysis of the data gathered:
Frequency Distribution and Percentage
The frequency distributionand percentage were used to describe and to treat the data of
teacher- respondents’ profilesin terms of age, sex, and grade level and birth order.
Formula:
f
P = x 100
N
Where:
P= Percentage
f= frequency of responses
N= number of respondents
Weighted Mean (Wm)
The weighted mean was used to describe and to treat the data on the leadershipstyles and
their competence in supervisory functions to the teachers.
Formula:
∑fx

26. 26
Wm=
n
Where:
Wm= Weighted mean
∑ fx= summation of the product of the weight given to each response
n= number of respondent
Chi-square
This was used to compare the actual frequencies of the responses with the expected frequencies to
determine the level of academic stress of students and when the profile is considered in Isulan
National High School , Isulan, Sultan Kudarat : Basis for an action plan.
Formula:
(f (a)- f (e))
= Σ ------------------
F (e)
Where:
= Chi-square
f (a) = Actual frequency of number of observation in a cell
f (e)= Expected frequency or number or observation in a cell
Σ=”Summation “the difference are Cumulative

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Scale Arbitrary Values
The five- point liker scale was used to determine the assessment of the level of academic stress
of students- respondents of the respondents as to the following:
Range of Values
Degree of
Responses
Verbal
Interpretation Descriptive Rating
4.5 -5 5 VERY HIGH STRONGLY AGREE
3.5-4.49 4 HIGH AGREE
2.5 -3.49 3 MODERATE UNDECIDED
1.5 -2.49 2 LOW DISAGREE
1.0-1.49 1 VERY LOW STRONGLY DISAGREE

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t