Academic Stress and Coping Style: Narratives of Private School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajahs.v4i4.5706Keywords:
Academic Stress, Explanatory Sequential Design, High School Students, Santa Lucia Catholic School, IncAbstract
This study determined the dominant academic stress and coping styles of junior and senior high school students of Santa Lucia Catholic School, Inc., during the School Year 2023–2024. The students’ profiles include grade level, age, sex, gender preference, birth order, parents’ educational attainment and occupation, and study hours per day. Through the explanatory sequential research method, the study involved 154 students identified through stratified random sampling who answered the dominant academic stress. Of these, 75 students answered the coping styles questionnaire, and 10 were selected for interviews related to active coping style. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings showed that most respondents were 13-year-old, Grade Eight, female, male as their preferred gender orientation, eldest child, college-graduate parents working as skilled workers, and studied less than an hour per day. Among academic stress, study habits and exams were the most dominant, while academic attitude was low. Active coping is very high, while passive coping is moderate. Qualitative results highlighted three main coping styles: concentration efforts, self-study, and behavior. Recommendations include implementing proposed programs to address academic stress and improve coping styles and expanding future research such as parenting practices, time management, and student lifestyle.
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