The Impact of Stress on Student Performance Amongst Final Year Medical Students in Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of stress on student performance amongst final year medical students in Afe Babalola university Ado-Ekiti. The specific objective of carrying out this study is as follows;
- To identify the causes of stress among the final students at the Afe Babalola university.
- To identify the specific areas of stress in the lives of students of the Afe Babalola university.
- To identify techniques to deal with the stress.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Stress is the physical or mental condition induced by various stressors to the students (Ekpenyong, Daniel, & Aribo, 2013). This project is a summary of literature focused on the impact of stress on the academic performance medical students. The main aim of this study is to investigate the impact of stress on the academic performance of final year medical student of Afe Babalola University, and related risk when stress is not handled properly. Additionally, there is discussion of acute and chronic stress, which is linked to the stress period. Academic stressors like academic success, economy, social ties and managing time management is debated in detail. What’s more, this study details how students deal with stress. This study will help medical school students at the Afe Babalola University to understand the effects of stress on their academic performance and to learn how to manage stress. Various techniques to reduce, avoid and manage school stress are recommended for use in practice.
There are a variety of stress meanings and several occurrences which can lead to stress. People claim they are stressed when taking an exam, when facing a stressful job situation, or when experiencing problems in relationships. Stressful situations can be regarded as harmful, dangerous or difficult (Perrewé & Zellars, 1999). It is difficult, with so many factors contributing to stress. The definition of stress is difficult to describe. Hans Selye (1936) proposed the first and most generic definition of stress “as a non- specific response of the organism to any request for change.”
Folkman (1984) suggested stress occurs when people perceive external situational demands to exceed their ability to adapt. “Stress is a state of mind that represents certain biochemical reactions in the human body and is projected by a sense of anxiety, according to Jit (1995); Tension and depression, caused by environmental or internal factors that cannot be met by the person’s resources. Levi (1996) claimed that “stress is triggered by a multitude of demands (stressors), a disparity between what we need and what we can, what our world offers us and what it demands of us.”
Stress happens when the person has a burden that exceeds his or her available assets. If the stress is severe and prolonged, it can reduce academic performance, impede the ability of a student to become involved and contribute to campus life, and increase the likelihood of abuse of substances and other potentially destructive behaviors (Richlin, Klonsky & Hoe 2003). Research by Vermunt and Steensman, (2005) defines stress as the perception of the incongruity between the environmental burden (stressors) and a person’s ability to fulfill them. Researchers typically describe stress as the unpleasant reaction people experience under intense pressure or some other form of strain imposed upon them. Stress occurs when a person faces a situation he recognizes as irresistible and cannot cope with (Khan, Altaf, & Kausar, 2013).
Students are subjected to stress (Smith, Johal, Wadsworth, Smith & Peters 2000) in an advanced educational organization like the University, where the burden imposed on students is based on the time limit and the difficulty of standing out in tests or exams. Research has identified stress symptoms, such as energy loss, high blood pressure, depressed mood, increased desire, focus trouble, impatience, nervousness, and anxiety (Agolla & Ongori, 2009). The Person-Environment model is a valuable model for understanding stress in university students (Misra & McKean, 2000). This model suggests people might view stressful events as demanding or frightening.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out to examine the impact of stress on student performance amongst final year medical students in Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti. Selected final year medical students in Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
This chapter is to analyze the data obtain as responses to the impact of stress on student performance amongst final year medical students in Afe Babalola university Ado-Ekiti.
Primary data collection was based on information obtained from students from the medical students in Afe Babalola university Ado-Ekiti. One- hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were administered to some of the students and we had 100 respondents respectively.
Analysis is done based on the information received from the students and interpreted to know the impact of stress on the academic performance of the medical students in Afe Babalola university Ado-Ekiti.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION
Discussion
The purpose of this study was to discover the impact of stress on the academic performance of final year medical student of Afe Babalola University. The study found that all the respondents have experienced one form of Academic Stress or the other. This shows that academic stress is a common phenomenon among the final year medical student of Afe Babalola University and we observed that it affects students’ academic performance.
The study further found that, students’ not hearing from their family while on campus was the major source of academic stress even though there were other sources such as how often they had enough money on them and enough sleep.
More so, this study examined the relationship between academic stress and academic performance. It found that overwhelming majority of the students affirmed that academic stress affected their academic performance. The findings are in agreement with Linn and Zeppa (1984) who claimed that academic Stress can inhibit and suppress learning.
Finally, the findings concluded that, majority of the respondents argue that having enough time and getting engaged in extracurricular activities like sports and other entertaining hobbies play significant role in helping to deal with stress. Also seeking guidance and counseling or discussing with friend helps a lot. This finding is also in agreement line with Kaplan and Sadock (2000) who claimed that academic stress can be positive thereby enhancing learning.
The research method used to elicit information for the study was questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured to consist of both closed and open-ended type questions which were used to get answers from the respondents. The use of carefully structured questionnaire enabled the collection of large quantities of data and also had a wider coverage at less cost. Few interviews were also conducted, personal observations were also made. However, care was taken in order not to be biased in giving an objective analysis of what was observed.
Conclusion
The study findings concluded that final year medical student of Afe Babalola University experience various degrees of academic stress which affects their academic performance in school. The study established symptoms and signs with which one can be able to identify students under Academic stress. These were; not having enough sleep, feeling tired during the day and occasionally do not feel well.
Further findings from the study indicated that students believe academic stress has a big effect on their performance. Stress leads to absenteeism in class, reduces academic morale of students and also leads to failure in completing assignments on time. Hence, academic stress has an inverse relationship with students’ performance. The more the stress, the less the student will perform at school.
In addition to that, the study indicated that by educating students on how to manage stress, staying focus, having enough rest, exercising a lot and effective time management can help to manage stress in order to enhance students’ academic performance.
Recommendations
Having concluded that academic stress has a negative effect on students’ academic performance; it is also pertinent to make certain recommendations and suggestions to help reduce academic stress on students. Based on the results of the study, the following recommendations have been made:
University authorities should ensure good academic environment for the students and ensure that measures to minimize academic stress are put in place, measures such as: appropriate course load, appropriate lecture hours, proper lighting in lecture halls, proper lecture schedule, non- congested lecture halls, and reduce load on assignment.
Guidance programs such as seminars and public lectures on stress awareness should be organized periodically for students so that they can be adequately equipped with the needed skills to handle issues related to academic stress.
Students should be encouraged to make use of the counseling centers provided by the university to help them build positive perception on academic stress.
Lecturers and educators should focus on intrinsic motivation which will have greater impact on students in achieving high academic performance amidst academic stress.
Finally, Sports competition like football, volleyball, tennis and other social activities like picnics, talent shows etc. should be organized for students in order to release them from distress and enhance their academic performance.
Suggestions for Further Study
The following suggestions are made for further study: Researchers should research more on inter disciplines in order to find out how different programs are perceived by students in terms of their stress levels, future research should use larger sample size from other institutions to validate these findings.
More research should be done to examine the effect of academic stress on university student’s performance as a whole in relation to other universities in order to investigate university activities that induce stress. Also an investigation should be done on the effect of academic stress on students’ health.
Finally, more studies can be carried out using longitudinal method to find the role culture and social class play in academic stress.
References
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