Available online at www.sciencedirect.
com
ScienceDirect
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424
International Conference EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY CHALLENGES - TEACHERS
FOR THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY - 3RD EDITION, EPC-TKS 2015
Correlative Study between Academic Satisfaction, Workload
and Level of Academic Stress at 3rd Grade Students at Psychology
Mihaela Chraif*a
a
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest, Romania
Abstract
This study is focused to evidence possible correlations between stress reactivity, level of satisfaction and workload at psychology
students from Faculty of Psychology, University of Bucharest. Furthermore it was tested statistically difference between the first
grade and third grade students regarding the dependent variables: stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events,
stress management and total motivation-satisfaction. The results confirm a negative statistically significant correlation between
satisfaction-motivation and stress reactivity (r =-.401; p <0.05). Furthermore, there were provided higher statistically significant
differences at stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events, stress management and total motivation-satisfaction
for the students from third grade comprising to the students from first grade.
© 2015
© 2015TheTheAuthors.
Authors.Published
Publishedby by Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of EPC-TKS 2015.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of EPC-TKS 2015.
Keywords: stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events, stress management.
1. Introduction
El-Ghoroury, Galper, Sawaqdeh & Bufka, (2012) highlighted that the thematic stress and the strategies of coping
among young graduates of psychology, is reduced, while scientific research publications on stress type, and career
components among professional psychologists have advanced considerably in recent years. Carveth, Gesse & Moss
(1996) - in their study on nurse-midwifery students - highlighted that stressors include student perception, lack of
necessary knowledge base stretches. In accordance with Abouserie (1994) students face academic stress when
studying for exams on their results because of competition and the large amount of knowledge that assimilate in a
* E-mail address: mihaela.chraif@fpse.unibuc.ro
1877-0428 © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of EPC-TKS 2015.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.317
420 Mihaela Chraif / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424
very short time. From the institutional point of view, stress can be associated with the classroom, overcrowding,
inadequate resources to achieve academic work (Awino & Agolli, 2008). García-Ros, Pérez-González, Pérez-Blasco
& Natividad (2012) examines the main sources of stress in their first year university students. The authors showed
that the highest level of stress is evident in areas such as oral presentations, academic overload, lack of time and
final examinations. AniĠei & Chraif (2013a) were studying on psychology students’ gender differences in measuring
positive and negative emotions, AniĠei & Chraif (2013b) studied the relationship between perceived stressors and
positive and negative emotions at psychology students,
Anitei & Chraif (2013c) validated in academic environment a coping styles inventory on Romanian psychology
students, Chraif, Anitei & Andreea (2013) investigated the relationship between reaction time, performances in
competition and motivation from competition differences among young psychology students using OLMT
motivational assessment test from Vienna Tests System and Anitei, Chraif & Bârcă (2010) were involved in
validation procedure of an academic environment stress measurement instrument on psychology students. Garkaz,
Banimaha and Esmaeili (2011) showed that there is not a significant relationship between marital status and family
influence in the sense of encouraging or discouraging not influence student academic performance. Jayakumar and
Sulthan (2013) highlighted that student stress is caused mainly by two factors: assessment of academic and non-
academic factors. Hence, according the authors academic pressure is a main power source for many students: fear of
lagging behind, finding the motivation to learn, time pressure, financial worries, concern regarding the academic
skills that they have.
2. Objectives and hypotheses
2.1. Objectives
• To highlight possible bivariate correlations between academic motivation, workload and level of academic
stress at 3rd grade students at Psychology.
2.2. Hypotheses
• There are positive, statistically significant correlations between total motivation-satisfaction and the stress
reactivity.
• There are positive, statistically significant correlations between total motivation-satisfaction and the level of
workload.
• There are positive, statistically significant correlations between perceived stress dimensions and the level of
workload.
• There are statistically significant differences between the 1st grade students and 3rd grade regarding the
variables: total motivation, stress reactivity, stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events, stress
management.
3. Method
3.1. Participants
Participants are a number of 70 undergraduate students, 35 in the 3rd grade, and 35 in the 1st grade, 65 female
and 5 male, age between 20 and 25 years old, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of
Bucharest.
Mihaela Chraif / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424 421
3.2. Measures
The instruments were: “Reactivity to stress in academic environment” (2011), “Students ‘workload” (2014),
“Response to everyday events” (2011), Motivation-Satisfaction questionnaire (Merfu, 2014). The instruments were
applied after the consent certificate was completed.
Questionnaire “Reactivity to stress in academic environment” (2011) is the best tool for projects involving
regular monitoring of stress or more elaborate academic arrangements containing primary scanning stress levels. It
is a psychometric instrument for measuring academic stress developed specifically to achieve high levels of
functionality in use. The scale was elaborated on a sample of students at psychology, Alpha Crombach=0.768.
Questionnaire “Students ‘workload” (2014): It measures the level of workload concerning projects, homework,
group targets for laboratories. The instrument has 14 items, with type response options "yes" / "no".
Adaptation to Stress Questionnaire: questionnaire with 12 items, with response options type "yes" / "no". It is the
general assessment of sources of occupational stress of people of both sexes over 18 years of operating in a wide
range of work environments in the fields of business, industrial, education etc. Each of the 12 items describing one
work situation with the potential to generate stress and evaluates both its perceived severity, as well as its frequency
of occurrence.
Questionnaire “Response to everyday events” (2011): The purpose of this questionnaire is to capture how things
look and each student behavior style in academic environment. Although there are differences in how people react to
different situations, intensity of sources and the effects of stress in general.
Academic Motivation-Satisfaction Questionnaire (Merfu, 2014): After cognitive skills, motivation, performance
in academic environment is considered to be relevant in predicting second feature superior performance. This
questionnaire is a diagnostic procedure measuring intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in academic environment.
3.3. Procedure
Procedure: each student was handed a consent form in which it was explained their participation in this research,
what does this research and its goals and objectives are. The training was done with each questionnaire. They were
asked, name, age, sex, college, faculty, and academic year.
3.4. Experimental design
Independent variable is the student’s grade. Dependent variables are: total satisfaction-motivation, stress
reactivity, stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events, stress management.
4. Results
For data computing SPSS 15 was used. To test the first three research hypothesis, regarding the correlation
between the dependent variables, the non-parametric bivariate correlation Spearman statistical test was used.
Table 1. Correlation matrix for the 3rd grade students between dependent varialbes
Dependent stress students’ response to stress total
variable Stress adaptation workload life events management satisfaction-
reactivity motivation
Stress reactivity Correlation 1,000 -,146 ,205 ,142 ,016 -,401*
Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed) ,402 ,238 ,416 ,925 ,017
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
stress Correlation -,146 1,000 ,018 -,185 -,072 ,049
422 Mihaela Chraif / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424
adaptation Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed) ,402 . ,916 ,288 ,681 ,779
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
students’ Correlation ,205 ,018 1,000 -,234 ,193 -,130
workload Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed) ,238 ,916 . ,176 ,266 ,456
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
response to life Correlation ,142 -,185 -,234 1,000 -,089 ,106
events Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed) ,416 ,288 ,176 . ,611 ,545
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
stress Correlation ,016 -,072 ,193 -,089 1,000 -,035
management Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed) ,925 ,681 ,266 ,611 . ,844
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
total Correlation -,401* ,049 -,130 ,106 -,035 1,000
satisfaction- Coefficient
motivation
Sig. (2-tailed) ,017 ,779 ,456 ,545 ,844 .
N 35 35 35 35 35 35
In Table 1 can be observed correlation matrix between the dependent variables. Thus for 3rd year students there
is only one statistically significant correlation between the variables total and negative satisfaction-motivation and
stress reactivity (r = -.401, p <0.05). This only confirms the hypothesis that assumes that there is a statistically
significant correlation between the variables total satisfaction, motivation and stress reactivity.
Data distributin was not normal for the dependet variables (p<0.05). Hence, for testing the hypothesis regarding
the mean differences between the dependent variables, Maan Whitney nonparametric tes was applied.
Table 2. Ranks for dependent variables
Grup1 N Mean Rank Sum of Ranks
Stress reactivity first grade 35 23,06 807,00
third grade 35 47,94 1678,00
Total 70
stress adaptation first grade 35 21,37 748,00
third grade 35 49,63 1737,00
Total 70
students’ workload first grade 35 23,09 808,00
third grade 35 47,91 1677,00
Total 70
response to life events first grade 35 20,90 731,50
third grade 35 50,10 1753,50
Total 70
stress management first grade 35 18,00 630,00
third grade 35 53,00 1855,00
Mihaela Chraif / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424 423
Total 70
total satisfaction-motivation first grade 35 20,49 717,00
third grade 35 50,51 1768,00
Total 70
In table 2 can be seen the mean ranks and sum of ranks for the dependent variables according the two groups:
first grade students and third grade students.
In order to test the fourth hypothesis, Maan Whitney nonparametric test for two independent groups was applied
(table 3 and table 4).
Table 3. Test Statisticsa for dependent variables: stress reactivity, stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life
events
Stress reactivity stress adaptation students’ workload response to life events
Mann-Whitney U 177,000 118,000 178,000 101,500
Wilcoxon W 807,000 748,000 808,000 731,500
Z -5,177 -6,033 -5,181 -6,132
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) ,000 ,000 ,000 ,000
Table 4. Test Statistics for variables: stress management total motivation
stress management total satisfaction-
motivation
Mann-Whitney U ,000 87,000
Wilcoxon W 630,000 717,000
Z -7,303 -6,247
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) ,000 ,000
The results confirmed the fourth hypothesis (p<0.05) and revealed statisticallly significant differences between
the third gade students comparing with the first grade students for the dependent variables: total satisfaction-
motivation, stress reactivity, stress adaptation, students’ workload, response to life events, stress management.
5. Discussion
Stress experienced by the students as present research highlights is statistically significantly higher for 3rd year
students compared to first year grade, as well as dependent variables are measured: total satisfaction-motivation,
stress adaptation, students' workload, response to life events, stress management (table 2, table 3 and table 4). This is
because the last sessions overlap with the licensing written exam and dissertation achievement. Thus, charge in
workload is higher in the 3rd year students comparing with first grade students. Further research will focus on
expanding to specialties like mathematics, polytechnics, chemistry, and philosophy but also increase the study
sample.
References
AniĠei, M., Chraif, M. (2013a). Gender Differences in Measuring Positive and Negative Emotions Self-perception among Romanian High School
Students–A Pilot Study, In Emanuel Soare Ed., Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 76, 15 April 2013, 181-185.
AniĠei, M., Chraif, M., (2013b). A Correlative Study between Perceived Stressors and Positive and Negative Emotions at Young Romanian
Students – A Pilot Study, In Emanuel Soare Ed., Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 76, 15 April 2013, 39-43.
424 Mihaela Chraif / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 203 (2015) 419 – 424
Anitei, M. & Chraif, M. (2013c). Validation of Coping Styles and Emotions Undergraduate Inventory on Romanian Psychology Students, Book
Editor(s): Hüseyin Uzunboylu and Fezile Ozdamli In volume on International Conference 2nd World Conference on Educational
Technology Research, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 83, 4 July 2013, 1116–1120.
Anitei, M., Chraif, M., & Bârcă, A. (2010). The validation of an academic environment stress measurement instrument. Proceeding of 4th
International Conference “Education Facing Contemporary World Issues”, Piteúti, Romania, 2010.
Awino JO, Agolla JE (2008). A quest for sustainable quality assurance measurement for universities: case of study of the University of
Botswana, Educ. Res. Rev. 3 (6), 213-218.
Carveth, J.A., Gesse, T., & Moss, N. (1996). Survival strategies for nurse-midwifery students. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 41(1), 50-54.
Chraif, M., Anitei, M., & Andreea, M. (2013). Correlative study between reaction time, performances in competition and motivation from
competition differences among young Romanian psychology students, In Editor (s) Vasile, C., Anitei, M. & Chraif, M., In the Proceedings
of the International Conference on Psychology and the Realities of the Contemporary World (PSIWORLD) oct, 2012, Procedia Social and
Behavioral Sciences, Volume 78, 625-629.
El-Ghoroury, N. H., Galper, D. I., Sawaqdeh, A., & Bufka, L. F. (2012). Stress, Coping, and Barriers to Wellness Among Psychology Graduate
Students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology 6( 2), 122–134.
Garkaz, M., Banimahd, B., & Esmaeili, H. (2011). Factors Affecting Accounting Students’ Performance: The Case Of Students At The Islamic
Azad University. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 122–128. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.216.
Jayakumar, D. S., & Sulthan, A. (2013, July - September). Stress Symptoms: Structural Equation Modelling. SCMS Journal of Indian
Management, 95-109.
Merfu, (2014). RelaĠia dintre comportamentul cetăĠenesc, satisfacĠie úi emoĠii pozitive úi negative în mediul academic la studenĠii de la psihologie
Unpublished dissertation.
Ros, R. G., González, F. P. & Natividad, J. P-B L. A. (2012). Evaluación del estrés académico en estudiantes de nueva incorporación a la
Universidad. Academic stress in first-year college students. Revista latinoamricana de psicologia, 44 (2 ), 143-154.
