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Caleb Moody

Professor Kretzer

English 1202

22 March 2019

Stress Hindering Academic Performance

Students throughout their academic careers have all at one point or another felt

as if they could not handle the next step or the next test. Whether it was a rough class

or a big test that required studying like no previous tests before them, students’ bodies

tend to feel the stress of these demands. Though stress is a normal response to

circumstances one encounters, it can pose as a problem for them as they try to work or

maintain the same pace while dealing with it. Imagine knowing that the week off in the

near future was on the other side of that difficult math test, and that mind-boggling

science lab practical, and to top it all off, there is still work and research to be done

while on that break that requires full concentration. Now add on the fact that while

studying, there are influences that are pushing the best out of you in an attempt to help,

and that these voices aren’t always the most encouraging. Though this just sounds like

a lazy excuse for a student to say they “checked out” or it was “too hard,” those

students who try their very hardest to achieve an A or B average in their classes can be

beaten down by these factors. I believe that though it is good to pressure students to

perform their best, too much of these pressures from the home, the competitive

atmosphere of modern schools, and the desire to have a healthy social life can not only
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stress the student but can also hinder their performance in school and their persistence

in life.

Stress is the body’s natural response to an environmental factor that triggers

both mental and physical tensions. These responses can either help an individual grow

and thrive or they can harm an individual’s mental state which can lead to further

problems down the road. As the pressures introduced by various priorities in a

student’s life pile up, the form a mountain of things to overcome, which increases the

psychological and physical stresses in a student’s developing lives. Pressures such as

these can lead to a loss of desire to learn, anxiety, and even depression. These factors,

whether from the home or the school, are important, but must be presented a different

way so that today’s students can face school and give it the best effort. It also must be

brought to attention so that today’s students can build healthy habits of coping and also

build resilience before they are in the real world.

Students, especially those in high school, face a lot of pressure from their

parents to make a successful life for themselves that will allow them to live comfortably,

which usually begins with making it into and graduating from a four-year university.

Failure in most homes is not taken lightly, and the fear of failure and what students will

have to face if they indeed fail can be a major weight to carry. According to a study

presented to students globally from very different lifestyles and very different cultures,

31% stated that parental pressures were the leading cause of stress always and 33%

said that the pressure to succeed coming from their parents played a role in their stress
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(Majida). The article in which this data is presented goes on to state that out of those

surveyed, they found that “parents criticize their child’s performance by comparing the

latter’s performance with that of the best performer in the class” (Majida). These are two

examples of global students who feel as though the pressure put on them by their

parents plays a role in the stress they experience in school. The students surveyed

admit to it affecting their performance on examinations and even link their parents’

aspirations for their lives as the reason that they feel like the goal is even more

unattainable. As parents rightfully want what’s best for their children, they tend to weigh

down heavy and make sure that their students make a life for themselves. In an

academic journal related to this topic, it is stated that “parents have high expectations”

and that they are very “attentive… towards their children’s education” (Mathur). This

focus on their children’s education can not only stress the parents out but can also add

an unreal view on how their children should perform. As a student progresses, they

often meet adversity that is hard to overcome, and the good students work hard to

overcome it. As parents get more involved and put more on these students to be great

at everything so that they can have the future parents think their kids deserve, it often

gets lost in translation and comes off as pessimistic and critical. In an online article

posted by a teacher who achieved a master’s degree, the author states that “may kids

collapse under too much parental pressure” (Budzienski). It needs to be seen that

though students need the push from their parents, too much of that push can add on to

the stresses already being encountered at school. These stresses, which add up, can

really take a tole on a student and can hinder their performance greatly out of the

balance of the fear of failure and fear of punishment.

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In a recent discussion with a cousin of mine, who recently graduated with a

degree in Psychology, I asked the question on if he ever thought that the pressures put

on him by his parents ever distracted him from performing his best on a test or project.

His response, though somewhat biased, was that though his parents had always

wanted what was best for him, the way they perceived his studies were that if you

weren’t first, you were last. This perception, he claimed, made it very hard to feel as

though he could do badly and in many math, courses made him stressed to the max

because he was not first. He went on to say that it took him getting out of the house

and attending a four-year university to escape that fear of parental disappointment, as it

was his responsibility at that point and they distanced themselves. Continuing into our

discussion, I asked if there was ever a test or quiz he was worried about, so he hid the

grade from his parents. “Indeed,” he answered, and he went on to explain how there

were countless math examinations he threw away before he left the room so that his

parents would not find out. To close this conversation, I asked if he would pressure his

daughter to perform her best. He then answered that in school, he was taught that

children’s minds respond better when they know they have the support, not when there

is fear of what could happen if they were to fail. He stated that he would encourage, but

he would pay attention to her response to the encouragement because he did not want

to add anymore worry into her school life. Though a nonchalant conversation, it sheds

attention on the fact that the stress was present in my cousin’s education, and it stood in
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the way of some of his achievement as he was scared to fail. These parental pressures

make it hard to perform, as many students fear what will happen if they fail.

Modern schools make learning a competition, and though it is healthy to promote

competition, it can have a negative effect on students. With rank and GPA becoming so

much more important in today’s education system so that students can get into the

schools they desire to jump-start the career they wish to have; the focus has become

more of that than learning. Students become engulfed in these rankings and such that

they are emotionally and mentally hurt when their goals are not obtained. In an article

written by a Phycologist, he covers the increase of SDR, or stress dysregulation, in

today’s teens. In the article, he mentions that SDR is highly common, and often

undiagnosed, in teens and that “more students are arriving at school with SDR and with

difficulties in coping, making it hard to build a positive learning environment” (Keating).

Keating then goes on to mention that these cases and dynamics are visible in schools

where students and parents have “highly competitive expectations.” Students who are

just competing for the top spot or the best grades are being stressed as a result, and it’s

becoming increasingly harder for them to focus and learn. Keating goes on to argue that

as a school system, teachers and administrators should do their best to build resilience

in students, as that is a lesson that will be used throughout life. This resilience will make

it easier for students to combat these stressors, so that they do not interfere with

learning. “It clearly interferes with learning… for the students who struggle with staying

in the game while feeling highly stressed (Keating).” This quote shows that Keating
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believes that the stressors can throw students off and potentially harm their academics.

As school becomes more and more competitive and the classes assign work, this can

be a lot for a student to manage. The emphasis on the idea of being ranked a certain

way or the “need” for a perfect 4.0 GPA can harm a student and make it harder for them

to focus in school. This pursuit for the best grades and ranking can both physically and

mentally take a tole on a student, and this can be modeled in the data found by a study

conducted by two professors. In this study, they were able to find that “moderate-to-

severe stress sources were associated the intense competition with peers” (Bedewy).

This data backs the claim that the competition of schools can distract them from the

learning and in doing so emphasize the ranking rather than the learning, and that it also

plays a major role in stressing out students. Students who face the stresses of

competition, according to Bedwey’s study, often faced both test anxiety and self-esteem

issues, which directly affected their performance in their studies. As described in an

article published by the Albuquerque Journal, more than 25% of “students said that

stress has negatively affected their academic performance in the last year” (Exil). The

students, who attend USC, that were examined in Exil’s article admit to those test

anxieties, and state that they have them because of the emphasis on being on the top

of the class. These pressure to be the top of the class and have the best GPA to make it

to the best school can directly affect a student’s performance in school.

Friendships, especially those in high school, can play a profound effect on the

development of a young mind going into the next stages of life. The struggle with these

friendships, however, is being able to maintain and keep them healthy while also
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keeping grades up. Now, this is a matter of priorities, and depending on who you ask,

school and social life can both intertwine or stay separate. The growing demand to fit in

can take a toll on an individual, and these demands of a popular life can lead students

down a path where their grades no longer are their priority, or where procrastination and

stress are the only academic exposure they get outside of a school building. Being a

high school student, I can see this in work in not only my life but the lives of my peers.

The balance between forming relationships that are positive and getting work done can

be very hard, and many times can lead to working on an assignment either as it is being

taken up or in the class periods before it’s due. This is a matter of choice, but it is not an

easy decision to make, as companionship is crucial in the development of young

people. These friendships can take up time, and in turn leave students rushing to make

ends meet in their academics. The pressure to have friends and fit in put on by our

society can bring on a stress to a student that can distract them and make it hard for

them to perform their best in their courses.

Though this stress seems to be impossible to overcome, there are ways for many

students to let this stress out in a positive manner. Many students become involved with

sports and music, while others take up an interest in dating and in things such as video

games. While students work, however, the leading stress reliever according to a study

done by Majaada Aafreen in the academic journal was music. With 43.2% of students

that were surveyed responding that music was their go to when they were experiencing

stress while working on their school work, it goes to show that many students have

found a way to cope with these stresses. Other popular ways of coping were exercise
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and even meditating. These practices can help students recover and clear their head so

that they can refocus on their work and perform their very best. As students move

further in life, these practices become even more essential, and the presence of

perseverance also become vastly important. In the article put out by Daniel Keating, he

pushes the idea of building resilience in students so that as their class work and

workload get larger, they can still face it easily. To start, he explains factors that play

into students giving up easier such as loss of sleep and short-term remedies that grant

energy for a short time but leave a student worn out after the effects wear off. He

explains that in both schools and in homes, students should be able to have a “better

awareness of the sources of the stress epidemic,” and goes on to say that educational

leaders should instill the ability to get through a rough time in their students so that there

is a “more effective approach to dealing with it,” it being the stress (Keating). With the

ability to persevere through the rougher times in both school and in personal lives,

students will be much more prepared to face their next chapter, and they will be more

apt to deal with pressures they face on a daily basis that get in the way of success. With

both techniques of relieving stress and the ability to get through a rougher time and

succeed through the stress, students will be able to better succeed despite the

environmental factors that cloud their minds.

In the eyes of adults, these stresses are avoidable and very easy to overcome.

As students we should be doing our parts to prepare ourselves and with our access to

technology school is much easier now than it was. I disagree, however, as these

stresses are brought on to the student and it is overwhelming to many, especially to

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those who have not been properly taught how to study or even manage their time. It is a

travesty that our school system can allow students to learn all the math and science

they can handle, or not, but not teach them the ways of studying that best fits the

students’ style of learning. These stresses may be unavoidable, but there are ways to

fix it so that students can maintain or recover their love for learning.

Pressures to succeed come from all around in a student’s academic life, and

along with these pressures come distractions that can hold them back from their

academic potential. Stresses that are caused by parental influence, the emphasis of

competition in modern schools, and even from finding and keeping friendships can

negatively affect a student’s academic performance. Though it seems to many as an

excuse and that modern students should be able to perform without these stresses,

they are very common and call for attention from both parents and schools so that the

generation of tomorrow can fully function to their ability in their futures. Building

resilience and healthy practices to combat stress is essential and is needed to be able

to properly perform in both academics and in social interaction. Regardless of

advancements in technology and the moderness of the classroom, it is important to be

able to perform one’s best, even though stress is a factor that can hinder them.
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Maajida Aafreen. “Students Experiencing Stress in the Classroom.” “Effect of Stress on

Academic Performance of Students in Different Streams.,” Sept. 2018,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=131123674&site=eds-live. .

This image depicts the results of the test conducted by Maajida regarding students

encountering stress in the classroom. According to the results, 54.3% have experienced

these stressors in the classroom due to various factors, such as parental pressures and

the pressure to succeed.

Works Cited

Bedewy, Dalia, and Adel Gabriel. “Examining Perceptions of Academic Stress and Its
Sources among University Students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale.”
Health Psychology Open, vol. 2, no. 2, 2015, p. 205510291559671.,
doi:10.1177/2055102915596714.

Exil, Vernat. “Study: Stress Can Have a Major Effect on Grades.” Albuquerque Journal,
Albuquerque Journal, 2018, www.abqjournal.com/1205752/study-stress-can-
have-a-major-effect-on-grades.html.
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Keating, Daniel. “Dealing with Stress at School in an Age of Anxiety.” Psychology

Today, Sussex Publishers, 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stressful-
lives/201708/dealing-stress-school-in-age-anxiety.

Maajida Aafreen, M., et al. “Effect of Stress on Academic Performance of Students in

Different Streams.” Drug Invention Today, vol. 10, no. 9, Sept. 2018, pp. 1776–
1780. EBSCOhost,
sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=
true&db=a9h&AN=131123674&site=eds-live.

Mathur, Anjali. (2014). Effect of Parental Stress on Academic Performance of Children.

ARAHE. 21.

Moody, Johnathan

Budzienski, Jaime. “The Effects of Academic Parental Pressure on Kids.” Living The
Bump, 21 Nov. 2017, living.thebump.com/effects-academic-parental-pressure-kids-
10380.html.