ACADEMIC STRESS

I Pre-reading

Task 1 In your groups, discuss the following questions:

1. How are the terms 'stressor' and ‘stress’ related?

2. How would you define academic stress and how does it differ from other types of
stress?
3. Based on your experiences, what are the most common stressors among university
students?
4. How do you usually cope with academic stress?

II Reading

Task 1 Read the following research article on the sources of stress among college students
and compare your answers from the pre-reading task with the information from the text.

STRESSORS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Introduction

College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress due to the
transitional nature of college life. They need to adjust to being away from home for the first
time, maintain a high level of academic achievement, and adjust to a new social environment.
College students, regardless of year in school, often deal with pressures concerning finding a
job or a potential life partner. These stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves.
Instead, stress results from the interaction between stressors and the individual's perception
and reaction to them. The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's
ability to effectively cope with stressful situations. If stress is not dealt with effectively,
feelings of loneliness and nervousness, as well as sleeplessness and excessive worrying may
result. It is important that stress intervention programs be designed to help college students
dealing with stress. However, in order to design an effective intervention, the stressors
specific to college students must be determined.

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The dynamic relationship between the person and environment in stress perception and
reaction is particularly magnified in college students. The problems and situations
encountered by college students may differ from those encountered by their nonstudent peers.
The environment in which college students live is quite different. While jobs outside of the
university setting involve their own sources of stress, such as evaluation by superiors and
striving for goals, the continuous evaluation that college students are subjected to, such as
weekly tests and papers, is one which is not often seen by non-students. The pressure to earn
good grades and to earn a degree is very high. Additional potential sources of stress include
excessive homework, unclear assignments, and uncomfortable classrooms. Furthermore,
relations with faculty members and time pressures may also be sources of stress.
Relationships with family and friends, eating and sleeping habits, and loneliness may affect
some students adversely.

Aims

While many specific events and situations have been implicated as stressors for college
students, more research is needed to investigate the nature of these stressors for college
students, as well as which stressors are most prevalent in college students lives. It is unclear
whether most stressors result from interpersonal relationships or academics. In addition,
research is needed to examine whether these stressors are mostly daily hassles or major live
events. The aim of this study was to determine what sources of stress are the most prevalent
among college students, and to examine the nature of these stressors.

Method

Participants

Participants were 100 undergraduate students (20 males, 80 females) at a mid-sized

Midwestern university.

Materials and Procedure

The Student Stress Survey was created for this study based on the Student Stress Scale (Insel,
& Roth, 1985), the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (Taylor, 1953), and other potential sources
of stress that were identified in previous research. The survey consisted of 40 items that were
divided into 4 categories of potential sources of stress: six items representing interpersonal

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sources of stress, 16 items representing intrapersonal sources of stress, eight items
representing academic sources of stress, and 10 items representing environmental sources of
stress. Respondents checked each item they had experienced during the current school year.

Results and Discussion

The distribution of responses was as follows: 38% of the stressors were intrapersonal, 28%
environmental, 19% interpersonal, and 15% academic. The number of responses to each item
can be found in Table 1 below.

Table 1 Number of College Students Reporting the Most Common Sources of Stress

Category

Interpersonal
Change in social activities 71
Roommate conflict 61
Work with people you don't know 57
Fight with boyfriend/girlfriend 41
New boyfriend/girlfriend 36
Trouble with parents 21

Intrapersonal
Change in sleeping habits 89
Change in eating habits 74
New responsibilities 73
Financial difficulties 71
Held a job 65
Spoke in public 60

Academic
Increased class workload 73
Lower grade than anticipated 68
Change of Major 24
Search for graduate school/job 21
Missed too many classes 21
Anticipation of graduation 20

Note. (a) n = 100

In our sample, intrapersonal sources of stress were the most common source of stress. The
five most frequently stressors were, in order: change in sleeping habits (89%),
vacations/breaks (82%), change in eating habits (74%), new responsibilities (73%), and
increased class workload (73%). The five least frequently reported stressors were; death of a
friend (6%), severe injury (5%), transferred schools (3%), engagement/marriage (2%), and
divorce between parents (1%).
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Conclusions and recommendations

This study represents a first step in understanding sources of stress for college students. We
identified which sources of stress occur in the lives of these students. Additionally, research
should expand on these findings by determining the degree of stress resulting from each
source. Such research would permit conclusions on which stressors are most detrimental or
severe and which stressors have a negligible effect. The results could be useful in designing a
stress intervention by suggesting the focus and content of the workshop. For instance, new
responsibilities, waiting in long line, and holding a job, were commonly reported sources of
stress. If the most potent sources of stress are related to the varying demands on a student's
time, then time management training would be a necessary component of a successful
workshop. Conflict management training might also be another valuable area to cover in a
stress management workshop, given the high level of reported roommate conflict. Another
frequently reported source of stress for college students was receiving a lower grade than
expected. Perhaps teaching students the ways to deal with unexpected stressors would be
another valuable component of a stress management workshop.

adapted from Ross, S. E., Niebling, B. C. & Heckert, T. M. (1999). Sources of stress among college students. College Student Journal, Vol.
33 (2), 312-317.

III Vocabulary in context

Task 1 Match the expressions from the box with their definitions below.

negligible,adj.- prone to sth, adj. – subjected to,v. – adverse, adj. – expand,v. –

detrimental,adj. – potent,adj. – component,n. –– diverse,adj. - magnify,v. - prevalent,adj.
– moderate,adj. – excessive,adj. - persist,v.

a) _______________ likely to do something or suffer from something, especially something

bad or harmful

b) ______________ much more than is reasonable or necessary

c) ______________ to make something much worse or more serious:

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d) _____________ to force someone or something to experience something very unpleasant,
especially over a long time

e) _____________ not good or favourable

f) if something bad ____________, it continues to exist or happen

g) _____________ common at a particular time, in a particular place, or among a particular

group of people

h) ____________to become larger in size, number, or amount, or to make something become

larger

i) ____________ causing harm or damage [= damaging]

j) _____________ too slight or unimportant to have any effect [= insignificant]

k) _____________ having a very powerful effect or influence on your body or mind

l) ______________one of several parts that together make up a whole machine, system, etc.
[= constituent]

m) _____________ not very large or very small, very hot or very cold, very fast or very slow

n) ______________ very different from each other

Positive Negative Up Down Causing Come into Experiencing

(effects) being/showing
cope impair increase reduce induce arise expose
with
deal with suffer elevate decrease activate subject to
from

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 withstan affect magnify weaken contribute encounter
d
handle damage accumulate lower generate
manage overwhelm ease
eliminate minimize
lessen

IV Vocabulary development

Task 1 The table below outlines some common verb collocates of ‘stress’. Based on the
meaning, categorize the verbs below into the most appropriate semantic categories.

mitigate-undergo-relieve-alleviate-disrupt - exacerbate - trigger- amplify-induce-manifest

Task 2 Based on the shared meanings of the adjectives, suggest the labels of semantic
categories in the table below.

2.1. What can you conclude based on the meaning of the most common adjectives used with
the given noun? Which areas of life seem to be particularly affected by stressful experiences?

high emotional constant

low physical repetitive
chronic psychological prolonged
acute financial
significant mental
extreme environmental
severe academic
negative daily
increased occupational
intense parental

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 excessive work-related
increasing marital
tremendous traumatic
post-traumatic

Task 3 Guess the most likely component of the compound adjectives below.

a) Stress-__________ heart attack/ depression

b) Stress-_____________ health problems/ headaches/ illness
c) Stress-_____________ holiday/ life/ days
d) ____________-stress job/ environment/ time

V Writing task

Task 1 Use the prompts below to write a short text on academic stress, titled: Academic
Stress: Understanding Its Impact and Coping Strategies. You need to use appropriate
conjunctions, discourse markers, adverbials, etc. as well as the following words to build the
sentences:

magnify, negligible, detrimental, subjected to, prevalent, moderate, potent, excessive, prone
to, component, adverse, manifest, exacerbate

 modern educational landscape/ students/ academic stress

 often unavoidable/ academic life
 amount of stress/ motivating/ enhance performance/ stress / physical and mental well-
being
 students/ particularly/ academic stress/ a variety of factors/ including deadlines, (name
at least four additional factors)
 societal expectations/ competitive nature of educational institutions
 effects of academic stress on students/ various forms/ anxiety (name at least four
additional factors)
 chronic stress/ impair/ cognitive functioning/ lead to (name at least four additional
factors)
 one source/ academic stress/ the fear of/ lead to perfectionism/ stress levels/ the
enjoyment of learning

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  constant juggling of academic responsibilities/ other aspects of life/ extracurricular
activities (name two additional aspects)/ stress levels
 inability/ a balance/ academic and personal life/ feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion

Despite the prevalence of academic stress, there are strategies that students can
employ to mitigate its effects:

 (name at least five strategies)/ essential components of stress management

 Additionally, (name at least five additional strategies)/ can also help alleviate stress
and promote overall well-being.

In conclusion, while academic stress is a common and often unavoidable aspect of student
life, it is essential to recognize its detrimental effects and take proactive steps to manage it
effectively. By acknowledging the factors contributing to stress, implementing coping
strategies, and seeking support when needed, students can navigate academic challenges with
resilience and maintain a healthy balance between academic success and well-being.