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EFFECTS OF
STRESS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS
ABSTRACT
The main
purpose of this research work was to assess the effects of stress on the
academic performance of students using the Faculty of Education of the
University of Benin as a case study.
The research
questions were tested by administering 100 copies of (16) item questionnaire to
undergraduates of the Faculty of Education, University of Benin.
The data
generated were analyzed using percentages and the findings discussed. The
result of the study revealed that stress does have effects on the academic
performance of students of the University of Benin.
Following
the findings, the researcher puts forth some recommendations which when
faithfully implemented will bring about general improvement with respect to the
focus of this research.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Universities
all over the world are places where learning is sought at its maximum level and
it is the center for academic pursuits. It is necessary to remind ourselves of
the objectives of a university because for a proper chart of the university
course, it is paramount to state the mission of universities. According to
Henderson (1969), re-echoed by Omoregbe (1973), universities are meant to
fulfill the following functions:
· To provide
places for pure culture and learning for learning sake.
· To conduct
research and advance the boundaries of knowledge through outlet like workshops,
conferences, publications, etc.
· To serve
as training schools for the professions.
· To turn
out trained leaders for every walk of life.
· To act as
liaison between the so-called “academic men” and the “good solid practical men”
acquisition of balancing theory and practice, and
· To be the
custodian of intellectual freedom, safe guarding liberty and the unfettered
search for truth.
These
functions indicate the onerous responsibilities resting on the universities’
shoulders. For a university to attain such goals, it has to be properly
equipped and focused to carry out such responsibilities.
Regrettably,
Nigerian universities especially the University of Benin have fallen short of
what these ideals are and they are beset by numerous problems which are
affecting their proper functioning and the student in particular. These
problems include:
i. Provision
of basic infrastructural facilities such as accommodation, power, water and
transportation.
ii. Funding
of university which include payment of lecturers’ salaries, allocation of
part-time jobs for students and scholarship, inflation, deflation and
unemployment of graduate after graduation.
iii.
Parents’ economic status, income of parents as it affects students.
According to
Awe (2000), the problem of Nigerian universities as it affects undergraduate
students have increased over the years with increasing enrolment and poor
funding.
The Faculty
of Education in the University of Benin is not left out of these inadequacies.
The lack of basic infrastructural facilities and parents economic status would
in turn directly affect teaching and learning for the students and this would
reflect on their grade level in school. The lack of these necessities can be a
source of stress to the students. For effective learning to take place, the
right conditions that would be favourable to this memory needs to be set in
places.
Learning and
memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can
enhance learning ability (Kaplan and Sadock, 2000), too much stress can cause
physical and mental health problems (Niemo and Vainiomaki, 1999), reduce
students self esteem (Lenn and Zeppa, 1984; Silver and Glicken, 1990) and may
affect academic achievement.
According to
high school psychology textbook, stress is a particular pattern of disturbing
psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when an environment event
threatens important motives and taxes one’s ability to cope.
The Medical
Review Board, also defined stress as the body’s reaction to change that
requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response.
The term
stress was coined by Han Selye. Hans was born in Vienna in 1901, Early on, in
his second year of medical school (1926), he began developing his now famous
theory on the influence of stress on people’s ability to cope with and adapt
with pressures of injury and diseases. He discovered that patients with a
variety of ailments manifested many similar symptoms, which he ultimately
attributed to their bodies efforts to respond to stress of being ill. He called
this collection of symptoms, this separate stress disease, stress syndrome, or
the general adaptation syndrome (GAS).
Selye
defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon
it. Each demand made on the body is unique in that there is a definite
response. When we are cold, we shiver; when we are hot, we perspire; a great
muscular effort increases the demand upon the heat and vascular system.
However, whatever the specific response, there is also activated non-specific
response which is independent of the cause. For example, the woman who is told
that her husband suddenly died, suffers a terrible mental shock if sometime
later, he walks into the room alive and well, she experience extreme joy. The
specific results of the stress are opposite, but the non-specific effects are
the same.
This pioneer
in stress research, Professor Hans Selye has gathered together tens of
thousands of pieces of medical study which describe the body’s reaction to just
about every conceivable type of stress. He describes this bank account of
nervous energy thus: It is as though at birth, each individual inherited a
certain amount of adaptation energy. The magnitude of which is determine by his
genetic background. There is just so much of it and we must budget accordingly
(The stress of life, page 15).
Agunlana
(1990) has said, that stress is that which man experience when is under
pressure and feel unable to cope. Stress can be associated with personal goals.
Stressful period of life such as judging the demand of college with the
responsibility of job, a family or both has impact on an individual’s academic
achievement.
Stressors
abound in our everyday life as would condition and unsatisfactory living
continues to be a problem especially in a challenging academic environment like
our Nigerian universities. With all the multiplied blessings of civilized
westernized, urbanized living comes stress and almost everyone suffers from it
at some time (A guide to family Health, page 24). Basically, stress is the
result of an internal or external disturbance, which threatens the homeostasis
of the human system. All humans whether at work or outside work environment
develop stress when life or well-being is threatened or when they are faced
with such discomforting factors such as induced intense heat, cold, pain biotic
stress vectors, etc (Gherman, 1981).
Many factors
have been identified as being the sources of stress in the university
environment. Some of these are:
1. Aspiring
to achieve more academic status
2.
Examination Anxiety
3.
Inadequate sleep or rest
4. Poor
dieting
5. Over
schedule stress caused as a result of poor management of time.
Knowing all
these as a fundamental to a favourable academic performance of university
students, who are important to our economic development, one way to protect our
investment is to help them stay healthy; hence the study of the effects of
stress on the academic performance of students.
Statement of
Problem
University
students have many obstacles to overcome in order to achieve optimal academic
performance. A number of researches have been done looking at the correlation
of many stress factors that university students experience and the effects of
stress on their GPA. However, a review of literature indicates that not much
have been prioritized on the stress-related research. Moreover, a majority of
the investigation has taken place in the United States of America and the
emphasis was placed more on the students in the medical field.
However,
there is not much research conducted to examine these particular findings in
our local universities and Nigerian university particularly in the University
of Benin.
Therefore,
it is timely to conduct research to examine this particular issue as findings
from the present study would benefit various parties in the university
especially the students and the Academic Affair Department in planning and
conducting necessary programmes for the students so that stress-related factors
could be reduced and better academic performance could be achieved by the
students.
Research
Questions
1. Are the
University of Benin students under stress?
2. Does
stress affect academic performance of students?
3. What are
the common causes of stress for the university of Benin students
4. How does
stress affect the health of the University of Benin students?
Purpose of
the Study
The study
attempts to find out the effects of stress on the academic performance of
students of the University of Benin. Also, if there is a correlation between
stress, academic performance and the health of students.
Significance
of the Study
The finding
of this study, after it has well been disseminated will create an awareness on
what stress is, its causes and its effect on academic performance of students.
Delimitation
This study
is delimited to the University of Benin undergraduate students only. The
respondents would be randomly selected with questionnaire for the students.
Limitation
There are
some number of factors that might affect the findings of this research. Some of
which are:
1. Students
may not be honest with response to questionnaire.
2. Students
are currently on vacation and that would result to limited response.
3.
Difficulties in sourcing relevant materials.
4. Low level
of enlightenment on subject area on the part of the respondent which may result
to low quality response.
Definition
of Terms
For the
purpose of clarity, the following terms are used in this essay are defined as
follows:
1.
Stressors: These are chemical or biological agent, environmental condition,
external stimulus or an event that causes stress to an organism.
2. Mental
Health: According to WHO, it is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is
defined as a state of well-being, in which every individual realizes his or her
own potentials, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully and is able to make contribution to his or her
community.
3. Stress
Syndrome: These are groups of symptoms or characteristic of stress. It could be
a psychological disorder or an abnormal condition.
4. Academic
Performance: It refers to how students deal with their studies and how they
cope or accomplish different task given them by their teachers.
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