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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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