CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The term workload can be defined as the amount of work

that is being assigned to a person in a specified time period like

homeworks, test or examination, reports and projects. Stress is

emotional feeling that makes the person feel uncomfortable and unhappy

with the situation that he or she is engaged in. According to Associated

Press/MTV survey, “school is the most frequently mentioned source of

students’ stress from 13-18 years old and the main factor that affects the

stress level of students are the heavy workloads that was given to them”.

Students have always been perceived as stressed individuals due to the

amount of academic workload they bear. Heavy academic workloads can

cause feeling of nervousness and anxiousness which causes stress, if it

persist in a longer period of time. Based on social medias, classmates,

and schoolmates, lot of Accountancy, Business and Management

students are having a hard time on their studies especially on their

major subjects. Students are prone to stress when it comes to academic

workload. It is because sometimes all the deadlines are with the same

date including home works, projects, reports, presentations and final

performance tasks. It is a burden for the students to do all the

requirements of school works at the same time because of frustration by

not managing the time and process properly. It leads them to have lack

of interest in learning and results to poor academic performance because

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of heavy workload they have to accomplish. Students from Accountancy,

Business and Management Strand define stress level as the meter of the

frustration they are feeling because at dismissal time, they used to meet

with their classmates to work on projects; most of the time, students are

forced to go home late because of accomplishing school works up until

deadline of submission. And when students reach home, they hit the

books some more for a couple of long tests. It makes the students submit

their works and requirements just for the grades that they will receive

but not for the learnings. It is frightening to fail a grade because it also

marks the student as a failure. That’s why pressure is added on the

stress level of students. Even the teachers are suffering from workloads.

It causes them frustration and pressure to submit their lesson plans and

other works on time and so students.

Not all students can finish heavy workloads because of different

lifestyles. Some of the students have family problems, financial problem

and hectic schedule. Students from Accountancy, Business and

Management Strand have full-time schedule in school and have their

own responsibilities at home. It leads the students to feel exhausted,

skipping food and having lack of sleep just to accomplish their

schoolworks. Managing stress is by managing time. Discovering ways

handle stress level and time management will help the students for the

effective learning that will be the purpose of academic workload.

Accountancy, Business and Management is a tough strand where it

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requires a lot of paper works for the learning of students. Students have

different ways of adapting the environment and strategies for their

knowledge. But, not all students can achieve and adapt to it immediately

because of their different perceptions. A lot of students in Accountancy,

Business and Management Strand are having fear in failing especially in

their major subject. It is because of pressure, frustration and struggles

they are having. It is a major issue to Accountancy, Business and

Management Strand because of not being mentally and emotionally

focused.

Conceptual Framework

The diagram states the cycle of progressive levels of impact

possible to students through their management of time, workloads, and

strategic ways of accomplishing school works. It includes the process of

managing academic workloads, stress, and effective ways to accomplish

school works. It is the adaptation of given tasks where academic

workloads are present and assigned to students. It is the pressure when

the workloads was introduced to the students and confused on what and

when to start. Then, on the process of doing workloads, students started

to feel frustration because of unmanaged way of doing it. It is where the

level of stress increases. Their workplace also has an impact because of

the surroundings that may influence and affect their mental and

emotional behavior. Then, by continuing, workloads start to be

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distributed fairly through balancing and completing it one by one. It will

address the short term stress and will be accomplished. In that way,

effective working is present because of managing it through a hard

process and still makes it and had a better result. It is where skills were

improved and enhanced.

Context pressure is where academic workload was introduced to

students and it is where the preparation for the workload. Workplace

Stress has the impact to students because it affects how they work. It is

also where the source of students that can be reduced and unmanaged

workloads that leads to high level of stress. Equitable workload makes

the students work one at a time. At this stage, stress is lessen because of

fairer and proper distribution of workload. Effective working is where the

workloads are done with considering factors that will help the work with

human resources and improved way in completing workloads in a right

way.

It is a cycle about management of workload from the introduction

of workload to students, to the process of dealing with stress level, to

promptness and organization of works, to effective working that leads to

better result of accomplishing the workloads. It is a process in every

workload that could have struggles but in the end, it will be

accomplished and completed.

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More effective
strategic alignment Increased
and impact pressures/reduced
through synergetic resources plus
linking with other unmanaged workloads
performance CONTEXT leading to high level of
PRESSURE
systems stress

Financial erosion,
multiple audit
requirements and
EFFECTIVE WORKPLACE
WORKING major policy
STRESS
changes leading
to turbulent
sector

EQUITABLE
Improved fit Figure 1
WORKLOADS
between
Workload balancing
organizational needs
to address short
and staff interest
term stress through
through better
fairer distribution of
understanding of
work
human resources

Progressive Levels of Impact Possible

Proponents: Lucinda Barret and Peter Barret

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Statement of the Problem

The main objective of this study is to identify the impact of heavy

academic workload on stress level of students particularly in

Accountancy, Business and Management Strand.

Specifically, the study sought to answers the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1. Age

1.2. Gender

2. How will the heavy academic workload affect the stress level of

students in Accountancy, Business and Management Strand?

3. How will the stress level affect the academic performance of

students?

4. How do the heavy academic workload affect the following:

4.1. Mental Health

4.2. Emotional Health

5. How will the students properly manage time in doing school works

to prevent them from being stressed?

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Hypothesis

Stress is one of the reasons why some students affect their

academic performance because of the overloaded academic works given

by their teachers.

The very mention of the word ‘stress' brings thoughts such as

increased rate of depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, and other

potentially life-threatening issues to one's mind. Oftentimes, a student

rushes from one end of campus to the other, trying to make their next

class on time. Since classes are scheduled back-to-back, there is less or

no time to even eat.

The fact is indisputable that, having the above introductory

paragraph as a schedule, in reality, will certainly make a student be

tensed up. Yet, those are the hectic routines that students experience

these days. Students feel lost, overwhelmed, frozen, or unable to cope

when confronted with so many tasks. Busy schedules crammed with

studies, and extracurricular activities can take a toll on student’s

physical and mental health, especially if one is not eating or sleeping

properly. If untreated, these stressors can compound over time, leading

to even greater levels of stress.

Heavy academic workloads can cause feeling of nervous and

anxious which cause stress if it persist in a longer period of time. Stress

is more prevalent among students due to their hectic and demanding

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schedule which is important for learning as it interferes with their

performances and keeps the task oriented.

Heavy academic workloads is one of the main reason why the

students having a very stressful day after school. Not just the paper

works, but also the hectic schedule that is given. Students may not eat

because they are eager to finish the paper works. And having a heavy

workload can be a cause for students to become depressed individuals.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study covers the Grade 11 and 12 students taking

Accountancy, Business and Management Strand. This study does not

seek to include other strands in Senior High School in St. Michael’s

Institute because it will be broad if all the strands were included. It is

concerned with the students in St. Michael’s Institute and does not cover

other schools under Diocese of Imus Catholic Educational System

because there is a lot of schools under Diocese of Imus Cavite

Educational System and we, the researchers, want to focus only in one

school. This study is concerned with the effect of academic workload on

academic performances of the students, time, and stress management.

This study does not cover other problems and issues of students that

may affect their stress level because if we, the researchers, include other

problems and issues of the students, then there are a lot of factors that

may involve and this study might get the wrong direction from the
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specific topic. This study also includes the importance and effectiveness

of practices in school learning and at home of workload by not neglecting

the importance of mental and emotional health. This study does not

include ineffective result of academic workload to students because

balancing the mental and emotional health with academic workload will

help the students to be successful in their school works and to receive

good grades.

Significance of the Study

This study is important because it shows The Impact of Heavy

Academic Workload on Stress Level of Students Particularly in

Accountancy, Business and Management Strand. The study will benefit

the following:

Students. In response to this problem, the study proposes to know

the impact of academic workload on students particularly in

Accountancy, Business and Management students. This study will help

the beneficiaries to properly control and handle themselves by not

overloading and setting their priorities on school works. This study will

give the beneficiaries a realization that studies and health must be

balanced. The study aims to provide knowledgeable informations to

students about the development of good studying habits through

academic workloads. The importance of the study is for the beneficiaries

to recognize the correlation of academic workloads to performances and

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encourage positive work behaviors. The study aims to lessen poor

academic performances of students because of workload that leads them

of having lack of interest in learning. This study serves as the motivation

for students to aim high without stressing themselves in a way that will

lead to depression.

Parents. This study aims to serve as awareness in giving

importance of mental and emotional health of their children in doing

academic workloads. This study also aims to provide informations to the

parents for them to not pressure their children in doing school works. It

will help them to understand the process of improving their child’s

academic performance by doing academic workload.

Future Researchers. This study will help the future researchers to

gain ideas and concepts for their study. It will also help them to gather

informations and to be a guide for making a research. This study will

guide them in doing research and will help them to be knowledgeable

and resourceful. It will help the future researchers to be aware about this

study and will make them informed.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined so that the readers and other

people concern will have a better understanding of the unfamiliar words

used in the study.

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Academic Workload. The amount of work that identifies different

school works or academically related activities such as paper works,

home works, written reports, presentation, performance tasks, etc.

Correlation. A relation existing between things or variables which

tend to vary, be associated, or occur together in a way that is not

expected on the basis of chance alone.

Cram. Completely fill to the point that it appears to be overflowing.

Describes something that is hectic or into a space that is thight or

crowded. It also describes something that is overloaded or full.

Equitable. Dealing with something fairly and equally with all

concerned. Impartial and reasonable in a way that gives equal treatment.

Indisputable. Something that is described as true, impossible to

doubt, unquestionable, undeniable and unable to be changed.

Interfere. It is to take part or intervene in an activity. It is about

joining to something that is without invitation or necessity.

Prevalent. Widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.

Becoming common by a certain matter and is extensive.

Stress Level. The measurement of physical, emotional, and mental

factor that can be caused by both good and bad experiences.

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Stressors. Something that makes you worried or anxious. It is a

source of stress that may affect you mental and emotional health. A

stimulus that causes stress.

Synergetic. Working together for a common purpose and benefit.

It is done by cooperating for an enhanced effect.

Take a toll. It is about taking a serious bad effect or causes a lot

of suffering. It is a negative effect or impact. It is also to harm or damage

someone or something, especially in a gradual way.

Turbulent. Characterized by conflict, disorder, or confusion. Not

controlled or calm. It is like a rollercoaster that is full of ups and downs.

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