1

”Perception of Students in Academic Workloads and its Effect

to their lives: A Qualitative-Phenomenological Study”

Rhoden Sapico
Gabriel Abduraya
Diana Angelica Barte
Giemar Gapi
JM Pareño

Chapter 1

Introduction of the Study

This chapter is composed of five parts: (1) Background

and Theoretical Framework of the Study, (2) Statement of the

Problem, (3) Significance of the Study, (4) Scope and the

Delimitation, and (5) Definition of Terms.

Part One, Background and Conceptual Framework, presents

gives the introduction, justify the needs and basis in

conducting this study, discusses the importance of selecting

the problem, and presents the theoretical framework which

serves as the study’s frame of reference.

Part Two, Statement of the Problem, states the general

and specific objectives of the study that the study seeks to

answer.
Part Three, Significance of the Study, describes the

individuals who will benefit from the results of the study

and the manner by which they will derive valuable

information from the interpretation to be undertaken.

 2

Part Four, Scope and Delimitation, specifies the

bounds of the research in terms of research design and the

theories applied in the interpretation.

Part Five, Definition of Terms, provides the conceptual

and operational definition of the important terms and key

variables used in the study

Background and Theoretical Framework

In today's educational system, workload is viewed as an

essential component of student effectiveness, as it commonly

serves as an indicator of fit between student effort and the

course tasks. However, excessive academic works might affect

student's lives and as much as possible this must be

addressed properly.
Academic works are activities that are done in classes

in a school or given to students to be done at home (Merriam

Webster). These are said to be relevant to students because

it helps them to improve their memory and critical-thinking

skills. It also helps them to develop positive studying

skills and habit that will serve them well throughout their

life. According to CAUT Council (2016), Academic works

involves homework, projects, outputs and examinations.

Academic works are useful because it teaches students

to work hard in every activity and it enhances student's

skills and personality. It helps teachers measure the needs

 3

of their students, however, too much school works can lead

to some negative effects. According to Baste and Gnakaro

(2014), Academic works may cause stress among students if it

is too much. Students may experience depression, stress,

sleeplessness, and sickness. It cannot only affect students

but also the people around them.

Excessive workload has been associated with many

problems, such as decreased performance and motivation to

study, burnout, anxiety, and depression (Bachman & Bachman,

2006; Jacobs & Dodd, 2003; Parkinson, Gilling, & Suddaby,

2006). A student's workload could be interpreted as the

number of hours actually worked, but students' perception of

their workload is, in fact, only weakly related to the

number of hours used for studying (Kember & Leung, 1998).

Senator Grace Poe (2014) stated that too much school

works affects not only the lives of students but also its

relationship with their family. Students needs time for

their family to develop social skills and the ability to

learn through experience but it is interrupted due to school

workloads.
Academic works are essential for students to learn

efficiently and to enhance their ability and skills,

however, too much of it is not healthy and might cause

negative impacts on student's lives.

This study is theorized by (Macan, Shahani, Dipboye, &

Phillips, 1990; Trueman., & Hartley, 1996) which they stated

 4

that Stress-inducing academic demands include grade

competition; lack of time and issues relating to time or

task management ; they need to adapt to new learning

environments (Van-Rooijens, 1986) in terms of the increased

complexity of the material to be learned and the greater

time and effort required to do so; and the need to

constantly self-regulate and to develop better thinking

skills, including learning to use specific learning

techniques (Fram, & Bonvillian, 2001)

Thus, the researcher conducted the study to determine

the effects of Academic Workloads on student's lives. It

also aimed to identify different coping strategies that

might be helpful to overcome the negative impacts of

Academic Workloads.

Conceptual Framework of the Study

This study focuses on the effects of academic workloads

on Grade 11 Stem Senior High students and their perceptions

on it.
Figure 1: Show the variable relationship in this study.

Academic Workload

Figure 1.
Effects Showed the conceptual Perception
framework of the

‘perception of students on Academic workloads and its effect

Coping Strategies
 5

on their lives and the coping strategies on dealing with

it'.

Statement of the Problem

The research aimed to determine the Grade 11 Senior

High School ABM 1 student's perceptions on school workloads,

its effect and strategies to cope with it.

1. What are the perception of the students about Academic

Workload?
2. What are the effects of Academic Works in the lives of

Grade 11 Stem students?

3. What are the coping strategies that can be used to

overcome the effects of Academic Workloads?

Significance of the Study

The study will be beneficial to the students, parents,

teachers and future researchers.

Students and Parents. The possible result of the study

would benefit the students. They may acquire information on

how to handle the effects of school workloads. This study

will also help parents to understand better their children

and their needs. Parents may gain knowledge on how to guide

or support their children against the negative effects of

too much school works.

Teachers, Curriculum Makers and School Administrators.

The findings of the study helped teachers to understand

 6

their students. They were able to acquire information on how

to handle these students experiencing the negative effects

of lots of school works. It also helped them revise and

review the current curriculum to change it for the better.

Moreover, the study helped the principal to understand

student's perspective about school works.

Future Researchers. The result of this study would help

assist future researchers find out the effects of school

workload in the lives of students. They can use the result

the study as one of the reference for allied students.

Definition of terms

The following terms were defined descriptively and

operationally to come up with a better understanding about

the terms used in the study:

Academic Works - refers to the different activities that

are done in classes in a school or given to students to be

done at home (Merriam Webster).

In this study, “Academic Works” referred to the

activities of students in school that causes various effect

on them. This was measured by an in-depth interview and

focus group discussion to come up with a better information

and output.
Stress – refers to the negative emotional, cognitive,

behavioral and physiological process that occurs; as a

person tries to adjust to or deal with stressors (Bernstein,

et. Al 2008).
 7

In this study, “Stress” referred to the negative impact

of Academic Workloads in the lives of students. This was

measured by an in-depth interview and focus group discussion

to come up with a better information and output.

Recreational Activities – refers to the activities done

to have enjoyment and relaxation. For example; listening to

music, watching TV, hiking, playing and many more. (Gustave,

2015)
In this study, “Recreational Activities” referred to

the coping strategies that helped deal with Academic

Workload’s effects. This was measured by an in-depth

interview and focus group discussion to come up with a

better information and output.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This was a descriptive-qualitative research method

employing different observational methods, an in-depth

interview and field notes to gather the data which aimed to

determine the effects academic workload in the lives of

students
The researcher also used audio-video recordings in

gathering evidences to make sure that their ideas and

perception were documented.

This study was conducted among Grade 11 ABM and STEM

students of Vicente Andaya Sr. National High School during

the school year 2018-2019. The nine (9) participants were

 8

solely selected using purposive sampling suited to the

information needed in the study.

The researcher used open-ended questionnaire to get

data from the different respondents. There were two parts in

the questionnaire: Part one (1) is the information of the

respondents and Part two (2) is composed of nine (9)

different questions aligned to the different statements of

the problem of this study.

Thematic analysis was adopted in the study of Braun and

Clark (2010) to analyzed all the data collected that emerged

from the different observations (field notes, and audio and

video), student's journal and in-depth interview in order to

make final coding and themes out from the different ideas

drawn by the respondents.

 9

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature
This chapter organized into three parts, namely: (1)

Perception on Academic Workload, (2) Dealing with the

effects of Academic Workload, (3) Effects of Academic

Workloads, and (4) Synthesis

The First Topic, Perception on Academic Workloads,

discusses the views, understandings and opinions of

students, parents and other experts.

The Second Topic, Effects of Academic Workload,

discusses the impact of lots of school works in the lives of

students.
The Third Topic, Dealing with the effects of academic

workload, discusses the coping strategies on the impact of

School Workload in the lives of students.

The Fourth Topic, Synthesis, provides a summary of all

literature is review which serve as basis for the present

study.

Perception on Academic Workloads

Baste and Gnakaro (2015) stated that students should

only spend 10 minutes of their time for their homework every

night. Unfortunately, some are doing a lot more than that

(Statistic Brain, 2015). Conducted a study about stress and

 10

majority of the student says that Academic Workload is the

primary cause of their stress. Most of these students has

poor self-esteem and has depression Students need 8-10 of

sleep every night to strengthen their body and mind,

however, According to the study of (National Sleep

Foundation, 2016), only 15% of the teen sleep at the right

time. And the primary cause of their sleepless night are the

home works.
Prabu (2015) presented that, higher secondary students

experienced moderate level of academic stress, especially

students in private schools". Majority of his respondents

were experiencing stress because of Academic Workloads.

In the study of Pope D. et.al (2015) from Stanford

University, 56% of her respondent answered that assignments

are their primary source of stress. It can result into lack

of sleep, headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and appetite

loss among students. Ganesh et al (2016) study’s also shows

that exam is the primary contributor of Stress among

students which has 63% prevalence rate compared to

psychological problem, 50%.

Students report experiencing academic stress

predictably, with the greatest sources of academic stress

being found in taking and studying for exams and with

respect to grade competition and the large amount of content

to master in a small amount of time (Abouserie, 1994; Kohn &

 11

Frazer, 1986) Moreover, psychological distress is reported

especially among those who fail to succeed academically

(Essandoh, 1995) Date retrieved February, 2019.

Stress arises when there is burden on the person which

exceed his available assets. If stress is harsh and

extended, it can lessen academic performance, hinder with a

student’s capability to involve in and add to campus life,

and raise the probability of substance abuse and other

potentially destructive behaviors (Richlin-Klonsky & Hoe,

2016).
Students reported their experience of high academic

stress at predictable times in each semester which results

from preparing and taking exams, class ranking competition,

and mastering huge amount of syllabus in a comparatively

very small amount of time (Rawson, Bloomer, & Kendall,

2017).
Based on the study of (Hussain, Kumar, & Husain, 2016),

Academic stress arises when academic related demands exceed

to those available resources to an individual which he/she

adapts. (Wilks, 2016). This stress must not be overlooked as

it negatively affects the general adjustment of the

students. Students experience stress due to different many

factors including issues of time management, financial

matters, interaction with lecturers, personal subjective

goals, social behavior, adjustment in the academic culture

 12

lack of support system In addition, Admission process, high

expectation of parents, curriculum comprised of complex

concepts, unsuitable school timings, unbalanced student-

teacher ratio, physical environment of classroom, unhealthy

student teacher interaction, hard and fast rules of

discipline, too many or complex assignments, teaching

methodology, unconcerned teacher’s attitude and overemphasis

on weaknesses rather than acknowledging strengths (Masih &

Gulrez, 2015)

Effects of Academic Workload in the lives of students

Academic Workload and Stress are related to each other

because excessive academic requirements triggers Academic

Stress and this includes Examinations, Home works Projects

and Outputs. Too much of these may affect student’s life,

health and even the people around them (Causar, 2016.).

Academic stress pervades the life of students, and tends to

impact adversely their mental and physical health, and their

ability to perform schoolwork effectively (Clark &Rieker,

1986; Felsten & Wilcox, 1992) Date retrieved February, 2019.

Excessive workload can lead to problems of sleep and

time management, which may then affect individuals'

perception of well-being (e.g., increased anxiety or

depression). Sleep loss consequences may result in poor

attention habits in the classroom, where attention and

 13

participation are critical for explicit knowledge-type

learning tasks. Another important aspect of sleep loss is

its negative effect on creativity, an essential skill

required for studio courses. More serious problems occur

when sleep loss becomes sleep deprivation. The cumulative

sleep debt accrued over the grueling course of a week cannot

be physiologically regained on weekends. Even if students

tried, the erratic sleeping schedule would only aggravate

the problem. (Leonard Bachman and Christine Bachman 2016).

Saat et. al (2016), stated that academic stress can

trigger negative effects on students such as increase in BMI

or Body Mass Index and Eating Disorder. These can lead to

various chronic disease and can also trigger death among

students (Saat et al, 2015). In in relation with that,

Excessive stress induces physical impairments, and it is not

uncommon to find students afflicted with persistent lack of

energy, loss of appetite, headaches, or gastrointestinal

problems (Winkelman, 2016). Moreover, Heavy academic

workloads can cause feeling of nervous and anxious which

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

(Yusoff et al. 2017)

As stressors accumulate, an individual’s ability to

cope or readjust can be overtaxed, depleting their physical

or psychological resources. In turn, there is an increased

 14

probability that physical illness or psychological distress

will follow. (Lazarus & Folkman, 2017).

Furthermore, students who have a lot of school work

such as home works have less time to spend for their family

and friends. Social interaction is a helpful way for brain

development, however, it is interrupted by home works. If

this continues student’s social development may suffer.

Moreover, it can also alleviate family stress because

parents tend to fight with their children over an unfinished

homework. As a result, Children’s active learning is

interrupted. They may lose interest to learn for fun or to

learn from experience. (Van Thompson, 2018)

On the other hand, home works were not only used to

suggest parent-child communication but also used to punish

student violators in school. However, the violator was not

the only one affected but also its classmates. Innocent

students were affected by only one violator and this

practices are still effective (Pletier, 2016).

Academic work, particularly homework, is helpful on

students’ improvement. However, too much of it is a burden

and most importantly, time spent on homework does not

necessarily implies that you will get better grades. (Tai, R

et. al 2016).

Dealing with the effects of Academic Workload

 15

Coping with the effects of Academic Workload is hard,

however, there are strategies on how to deal with it.

Developing adequate methods of dealing with stress

throughout a lifetime involves recognizing weaknesses,

utilizing strengths and employing outside sources. We have

included a reference to “The Salutogenic Model of Health”

which shows the interaction of stressors that lead to a

healthy continuum by using the path from the model, coping

strategies can be delineated and used in forming effective

methods for coping with it.

In the study of Park’s (2016), he proposed that

physically active adolescents were more likely to express

satisfaction with their sleep, less likely to feel stress in

their lives, and less likely to be a problematic internet

user compared to physically inactive adolescents. The

findings of the study are also consistent with previous

studies that a negative relationship exists between sport

participation and delinquent behavior among adolescents.

In addition, Kim Jung (2018), strongly support the

assertion that leisure may provide an opportunity to restore

the disruption of adolescents’ normal life patterns when

they experience academic stress. That is, participation in

recreational activities is related to the effective

management of major life stressors for have given only scant

attention to the potential of non-physical forms of leisure

 16

to provide stress-coping benefits (Caltabiano, 1994; Park,

2015). That is, non-physical forms of leisure such as

internet surfing and listening to music in a healthy manner

may contribute to lessening academic stress.

As stated by Sharma (2018), counselors in schools

should be mandated and the analysts should keep a regular

check on parents and teens in order to sustain a balance in

mental health of child. Nagle YK (2018) stated that

Awareness of academic stress and mental health should be

encouraged among both parents and children.

According to D’Zurilla and Sheedy (2015), adolescents

who utilized more problem-solving coping skills reported

higher levels of psychological adjustment. In the present

study, we mainly proposed two categories of academic stress-

coping response: positive problem solving and maladaptive

coping strategies. While positive problem solving involves

working on a problem and remaining healthy, maladaptive

stress coping is related to engagement in deviant and/or

negative leisure activities. The more the adolescents

demonstrated problem-solving coping skills, the less they

perceived academic stress.

"Constructivism stresses an individual as a scientist

who actively learns to conduct his or her own life through

personal experiences and builds the world in which he or she

lives "(Alves, Mendes, Goncalves, & Neimeyer, 2015).

 17

Neimeyer proposed that human beings do not merely react to

the world, but rather act on it, even making the stressful

event generate growth. On the other hand, it is also

possible that adolescents who are exposed to excessive

academic stress are likely to seek ways to release excessive

stress through deviant forms of leisure

Antonovsky (2017) stated that inner sense gives

confidence to the individual and a coherence to life

experience which frees the student to cope with the

pressures of academia. According to Stiffelman, following

the truism "Lower your goals, you'll achieve more," can help

to relieve stress and boost academic success. Instead of

setting your goal to be getting the highest grade in the

class, set a goal to feel satisfied with your performance.

According to Woodberry 2017, the most prevalent tools

utilized by grad students to cope with stress are: peer

interaction, family members and listening to or playing

music. It is noteworthy that 90% of married students

indicated that their spouse was the most helpful stress

relief. They also indicated that entertainment or media

(73%), visiting a place that renews them (69%), and sports

(61%) proved helpful as stress relief.

It is essential to develop effective coping skills while

in graduate school to succeed in a healthy manner, both

while in graduate school and later in life. An individual’s

 18

reaction to, and ability to cope with stress may be more

important than lessening the load (Diane, J. 2016).

Synthesis

The related studies reviewed were mostly on the effects

of Academic Workload, students and expert's perception and

coping strategies. Academic Workload have positive impact on

students learning and growth, however, it is also undeniably

dangerous for many students. In most of the studies,

Academic Workload such as assignment, projects and outputs

are correlated with Academic stress and depression. From the

different studies, students perceived that Academic workload

is one of the factor why they are experiencing such negative

impacts.
This implies that education system in the Philippines

is not healthy. Coping with the effects of it can be a hard

time, but there are few strategies on how to deal with it.

Researchers presented many possible solutions that might

help students to overcome Academic Stress, Depression and,

etc. Overall, the studies signify that Academic Workload can

lead to negative impact on students and there are few

effective strategies on how to deal with it.

 19

Chapter 3

Research Design and Methodology

This chapter is categorized into three parts, namely:

(1) Purpose of the Study and Research design, (2) Method,

and (3) Data Analysis Procedure.

Part one, Purpose of the Study and Research Design,

restates the purpose of the study, and describes the

research design
Part Two, Method, identifies the participants, the data

gathering instrument and the research procedure utilized in

this study.
Part Three, Data Analysis Procedure, presents the

procedure use in the analysis of the obtained data.

Purpose of the Study and Research Design

This study wants to determine the effects of Academic

Workload and perception of Senior High School students as

bases to develop teaching manual for senior high school

teachers. It further aimed to determine the methods on how

to cope with its effect.

This was a descriptive-correlational study using a one-

shot survey design. This study utilized a descriptive

research which found answers to the questions, what, and

how. It described a situation or a simple state of affairs

in terms of specified aspects or factors (David, 2005). On

the other hand, a correlational study determined whether or

not two variables were correlated. This meant to study

 20

whether an increase or decrease in one variable corresponded

to an increase or decrease in the other variable (Kalla,

2013).
Since this study aimed to determine the effects and

perception of students regarding academic workload, this

research design was considered appropriate for this study.

Method

Participants

The study was utilize using purposive sampling to

select the sample. Purposive sampling technique also

commonly called a judgmental sample is one that is selected

based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of

the study (Adams and Lawrence, 2014).

The number of participants required was determined

using purposive sampling. According to Patton (2002),

purposive sampling is a technique widely used in qualitative

research for the identification and selection of

information-rich cases for the most effective use of limited

resources. This involves identifying and selecting

individuals or groups of individuals that are especially

knowledgeable about or experienced with a phenomenon of

interest (Cresswell & Plano Clark, 2011). There were 9

participants who are the main focus of this study. They were

selected purposively by the researcher’s discretion and

judgment.
 21

Table 1

Distribution of Students

Grade Level Number of Respondents

Grade 11 STEM 5
Grade 11 ABM 4
Total 9

Data-Gathering Instruments

In gathering data for this study, a researcher-made

questionnaire was used. This was distributed to the students

of Grade 11 Senior High School of Vicente Andaya Sr.

National High School.

In this study, the data was collected by using

different observational methods, an interview, a

questionnaire, field notes and focus group discussion. The

researcher distributed the questionnaire to the chosen

respondent of the study. The participants were gathered in

one room and each underwent an in-depth interview that was

take forms of conversational and storytelling between the

participants. The researcher then conducted a focus group

discussion which it had an opportunity to take down notes.

This method was used to determine students’ perception and

the effects of Academic Workload in their lives starting

from the 3 basic questions:

1. What are the effects of Academic Works in the lives

of Grade 11 Stem students?

 22

2. What are the perception of the students and experts

about Academic Workload?

3. What are the coping strategies that can be used to

overcome the effects of Academic Workloads?

Data Gathering Procedures

Before the conduct of the study, the researcher sought

permission from the School Principal and Assistant Principal

of Vicente Andaya Sr. National High School. After it was

approved, the researcher administered the instrument to the

target participants.
A cover letter was attached to the questionnaire

stating the purpose and objectives of the study. It included

an assurance that the data obtained from the students were

kept confidential and were used strictly and exclusively for

the purpose of the study. The respondents were informed

verbally that their participants were solicited on voluntary

basis only, and that they should respond to each question to

the best of their knowledge and appreciation.

Another set of participants underwent Focus Group

Discussion or FGD. The purpose of FGD is to collect

information about people’s opinions, beliefs, attitudes,

perceptions, not to come to census or make a decision. There

were five participants involved in the said discussion;

three master teachers and two head teachers which serves as

 23

experts to validate and gain another information to support

and improve the different ideas of the respondents.

When all the copies of the questionnaire were

accomplished, retrieval of the same followed. The completed

questionnaire was tallied and tabulated for the analysis and

interpretation using appropriate statistical tools.

Data Analysis Procedure

The research used an expanded and modified version of

thematic analysis in giving the final interpretations of the

data. From the analysis with researchers was able to create

comprehensive processes prior to the data analysis procedure

data gathered. All the ideas and interpretations were

combined by the researcher and scrutinized and organized.

All the data were transcribed. Each of the responses

were categorized base on the similarities and differences of

the answers given by the respondents. General themes were

also identified during transcription of the researchers.

The researcher generated initial list of ideas from the

interpretation from the different participants. This phase

then involves the production of initial codes from the data

given.
On the next phase, it was followed by finding themes

and interpretative criticism of the data occurs in relation

to which interpretations about the different codes was

examined.
 24

The next phase, were followed initial codes, the

researcher defines and able to determine the initial themes

that correlates to the initial codes of the data out from

the different words that have been decoded.

All the initial themes were reviewed and involves the

refinement of those themes, while others might collapse into

each other to form a general theme. Other themes might need

to be broken down into a separate theme. Data within theme

should cohere together meaningfully and it is important that

the analysis provides a concise, coherent, logical, non-

repetitive and interesting data to tell within and across

themes and should have a fairly good idea of what the

different themes are, how, they fit together, and overall

interpretation that tell about the data.

All the initial codes and initial themes was gathered

to make the final verdict of interpretation with general

themes that exactly pattern to the different codes given and

it is necessary to refine all the data by defining and

naming the appropriate themes.

By “define and refine” it was identified the “essence”

of what aspect of the data each them captures. It is

important not to try and get a theme to do too much, or to

be too diverse and complex. By going back to the collated

final interpretation extracts for each theme and organizing

them into a coherent and internally consistent and

 25

accompanying narrative. It was vital that it do not just

paraphrase the content of the data extract presented but

identify what is interesting about them and why.

Lastly, after the data were finally analyzed, encoded

and decoded it was doubled check again thoroughly to make

sure that all the data are corrected, suited, profound and

has its justifiable and concrete interpretations at the end

of the study.
 26

Results and Discussion

Perceptions of Students about Academic Workload

The results showed that the Academic Workloads that

affects students are projects, assignments, researches,

examinations, outputs and performance tasks. These loads are

stressful, especially when it needs to be passed immediately

and requires internet. Students find it hard to think

answers because they are drained and they lack critical

thinking strategies.
This implies that these Workloads are hard to handle

because student’s does not have adequate resources and

mental preparedness. Student’s have also a lot of things to

do at home but because of school requirements, they were

unable to do it. Piled school works consequently results to

pressure, and distractions.

This is anchored to the study of Masih and Gulrez, 2015

which stated that student’s experiences stress because of

curriculum’s complex concepts, unbalanced student-teachers

ratio, unhealthy student teacher interaction, hard and fast

rules of discipline, too many or complex assignments and

lacking of managements.

Effects of Academic Workloads on Students

 27

Academic Workload can lead to stress, depression,

tiredness, sleeplessness, low self-confidence, frustration

and sickness. On the other hand, it can also positively

affects students’ performance because these workloads can

improve their skills and adds their knowledge which make

them standout.
This implies that these Workloads are effective on the

enhancement of student’s academic performance and thinking

skills. However, too much or overloaded works can greatly

disrupt student’s mental ang physical health. Most of the

students were able to cope with it and they have improved a

lot but some of them were undeniably experienced these

negative impacts.
Causar (2010) who conducted a similar research study

found out that Academic Workload and stress are related to

each other and these workloads includes Examinations,

Projects, Outputs and Home works. Too much of these may

greatly affect student's health and lives. It pervades the

life of students and tends to impact adversely their mental,

emotional and physical health, and their ability to perform

well.

Coping Strategies on the Effects of Academic Workload

 28

The results showed that there are many possible coping

strategies that may help students deal with Academic

Workload's effect. These are recreational activities such as

listening to music and watching movie. Being positive,

appropriate planning and mental preparedness can also help

them cope with it. Some students prefer bonding with

parents, eating and sleeping regularly to forget their

confusion and stress.

In addition, there are factors that can greatly helped

students to overcome Academic Workload's effects. Some

students dealt these effects with the support from their

parents, friends and love ones. And some of them thinks that

quitting from school temporarily can greatly helped them

cope with Academic Stress, Depression and Pressure

This implies that Academic Workload’s effects can be

overcome using many coping strategies such as planning and

time management. Joining into recreational activities may

also helped students refreshed their mind and cope with it.

Building inspirations and support from friends, family and

love ones can also assist them to deal with these

destructive effects.
The same result from the study of Jung (2018) which

stated that leisure may provide an opportunity to restore

the disruption of adolescent's normal life patterns when

they experience academic stress. Participation in

 29

recreational activities is related to the effective

management of major life stressors. The most prevalent tools

utilized by grad students to cope with stress are: peer

interaction, family members or listening to music.

 30

Conclusion

Based on the aforementioned findings the following

conclusions are drawn:

1. The students perceived that Academic Workloads are

stressful and depressing as its affects both their

lives and Academic Performance. They don’t have

adequate mental preparedness to avoid such negative

impacts.
2. The Academic Workloads are the School Requirements

which serves as the factors on the enhancement of their

skills and ability. This includes Projects,

assignments, examination, outputs and researches. Lack

of critical thinking skills and planning contributes to

the existence of Academic stress and Depression.

3. Coping strategies such as recreational activities and

counseling can greatly help students to deal with the

negative effects of Academic Workloads. Being mentally

prepared, positive and support from parents can also

help them overcome with such negative effects.

Recommendations
 31

Based on the findings and conclusions made the

following recommendation:

1. The researcher encouraged students to be mentally

prepared of Academic Workloads, especially on a higher

level. Parents may support or comfort their children to

avoid the negative impacts of Academic Workload.

Students needs inspiration for them to build confidence

and positivity.
2. Teachers may consider the strength and weaknesses of

the students to evaluate their limits. They may lessen

the workloads to avoid its negative impacts. School

administrators or counselor may conduct counseling to

know the level of stress and depression of students or

to inspire them to be optimistic.

3. Other researchers may replicate and can be use as the

baseline of this study to inspire them to continue what

the researcher had started and it can be also use as a

guide to create better interpretation of themes. The

researcher also recommends for the next researcher to

try other processes of analysis in order to improved

more and to create another unique one based from the

analysis that the researcher have done to create new

and better research study someday.

 32

References

Abouseric, 1994; Kohn and Frazer, 1986 . Aspect and symptom

of academic stress in school children. MHSC THESIS SNDT

college women's university, Bombay, 1993. Retrieved

from

https://www.researchgate.net/pub/2736782/KohnFrazer
Antonovsky (2016) . The relation between social problem-

solving ability and subsequent level of academic

competence in college students. Cognitive Therapy and

Research, 16, 589–599. doi:10.1007/BF01175144 Retrieved

from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25684613
Baste and Gnakaro (2015). Web resultsAcademic Workload and

Quality: Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education.

Retrieved from https://srhe.tandfonline.com › doi ›

abs-2672369229-2827
Caltabiano M. L. (1994). Measuring the similarity among

leisure activities based on a perceived stress

reduction benefit. Leisure Studies, 13, 17–31.

doi:10.1080/02614369400390021 Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310269/?

report=reader
Clark and Rieker, 1986; Felsten and Wilcox, 1992. The

learning environment and medical student burnout: A

multicentre study. Med. Educ., 43: 274-282.Date

retrieved March 7, 2019. Retrieved from

 33

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-

2923.2008.03282.x/abstract
Causar, R., 2016. Perceived stress, academic workloads and

use of coping strategies by university students. J.

Behav. Sci., 20: 31-45. Retrieved from

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/82/4/760/
Diane , J. (2016). Leisure-time physical activity and

academic performance: Cross-lagged associations from

adolescence to young adulthood. Scientific Reports, 6,

1–10. doi:10.1038/srep39215 Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6095036/
Essandoh, (1995). An Assessment of Academic Stress among

Undergraduate Students: The Case of University of

Botswana. Educational Research and Review ; 4(2):63-70.

Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/An-Assessment-

of-Academic-Stress-among-Undergraduate-Students:The-

Case-of-University-of-Botswana.Educational-Research-

and-Review
Ganesh, G., U. Kavitha, B. Anandarajan and M. Chandrasekar,

2016. A study to analyze various factors contributing

to stress in first year MBBS students during

examination. Int. J. Biomed. Adv. Res., 3: 700-703.

Hussain Kumar Magdalin S (2015) . Perceived problems and

academic stress in children of disrupted and non-

disrupted families. Journal of the Indian Academy of

Applied Psychology. ; 33(1):53-59.

 34

Kim Jung (2018) .. The effect of physical activity on sleep

quality, well-being, and affect in academic stress

periods. Nature and Science of Sleep, 9, 117–126.

doi:10.2147/NSS.S132078 Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/doi:10.2147/NSS.S13

2078
Lazarus and Folkman,( 2017). College students' academic

stress and its relation to their anxiety, time

management and leisure satisfaction. Am. J. Health

Stud., 16: 41-51. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S18770

4281101202X
Leonard Bachman and Christine Bachman (2016). Student-life

stress inventory. Commerce, Texas. Retrieved from

http://ssjournals.com/index.php/ijbar/article/view/212
Masih and Gulrez B, Sun J(2016). Academic stress, parental

pressure, anxiety and mental health among Indian school

student. Paper presented at the International

Conference on Students’ Mental Health: Issues and

Challenges, Puducherry, Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/Academic-Stress-162749
Nagle VK (2018) . The relationships between stress, health,

and physically active leisure as a function of life-

cycle. Leisure Sciences, 20, 253–275. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24793393
 35

National Sleep Foundation (2016) . National Sleep Foundation

Recommends New Sleep Times .Retrieved from

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-

sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times
Neimeyer R. A. (2015). Innovative moments in grief therapy:

Reconstructing meaning following perinatal death. Death

Studies, 36, 795–818. Retrieved from

https://dx.doi.org/10.1089%2F109493101300210286
Park (2016). Leisure based social support, leisure

dispositions and health. Journal of Leisure Research,

25, 350–361. doi:10.1080/00222216.1993.11969933

Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24765718
Pletier, N.H.A., N.Z.M. Saat, C.K. Ching, L.Y. Qin and G.C.

May et al., 2016. Time management skill and stress

level among audiology and speech sciences students of

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Proc.-Social Behav.

Sci., 59: 704-708. Retrieved from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216143/
Prabu (2015) . Current practice in academic workload

allocation processes in Senior High School. Retrieved

from https://www.researchgate.net/Current-Practice-in-

academic-workload-allocation-processesin-Senior-High-

School.

Rawson, Bloomer and Kendall, 2017. The development and

validity of the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire

 36

(MSSQ). ASEAN J. Psychiatry, 11: 231-235. Retrieved

from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-

s62727.2008.03282.x/abstract
Saat, N.Z.M., C.L. Chew, V. Divya, I.I. Hafizah and P.L. Lee

et al., (2015). Relationship of stress on the eating

behaviors of science undergraduates in Kuala Lumpur.

Res. J. Applied Sci. Eng. Technol., 7: 1669-1677.

Retrieved from

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?

doi=10.1.1.385.3240&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Saat, N.Z.M., I. Ishak, S.H. Lubis and A.R. Ghazali, 2016.

The effect of merit score towards the stress score

among first year student. Proc.-Social Behav. Sci., 18:

613-616. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S18770

42812037822
Sharma (2018) Influence of culture on tripartitie self-

concept development in adolescence: A comparison

between Han and Uyghur cultures. Psychological Reports,

116, 292–9. doi:10.2466/17.07.PR0.116k12w8 Retrieved

from https://dx.doi.org/10.1023%2FA%3A1023056425648
Statistics Brain (2015) . Statistics on Academic Workload's

effect on student-Academic Stress. Retrieved from

https://www.statisticbrain.com › stress-

statistics/Academic-Stress
 37

Stiffelman(2015). Family socioeconomic status and academic

achievement among Korean adolescents: Linking

mechanisms of family processes and adolescents’ time

use. Journal of Early Adolescence, 35, 1014–1038.

doi:10.1177/0272431614549627 Retrieved from

https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F0146167211402215
Tai, R. et al (2016).D., C.K. Batagod, K.A.C. Chandrika and

W.K.C.U. Siriwardans, 2012. Prevalence and determinants

of stress among undergraduates: A study of public

universities in Colombo region. Proceedings of the 7th

International Research Conference on Management and

Finance, December 14, 2012, University of Colombo, Sri

Lanka, pp: 478-492. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S18770

42812037822jI56
Thomson, Van (2018).. Stress and its relationship with body

mass index among biomedical science students in Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia. ASEAN J. Psychiatry, 11: 190-197.

Retrieved from

http://www.aseanjournalofpsychiatry.org/oe11105.html
Wilks (2016), Huan VS. Academic Expectations Stress

Inventory (AESI): development, factor analysis,

reliability and validity. Educational and Psychological

Measurement ; 66:522-539. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/253888/27722878
 38

Winkelman (2016). College students' time management:

Correlations with academic performance and stress. J.

Educ. Psychol., 82: 760-768. Retrieved from

http://ukm.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/relationsh

ip-of-stress-on-the-eating-behaviors-of-science-

undergraduates-in-kuala-lumpur(c6e9641a-00b3-4a22-b21c-

dd89dae27015).html
Woodberry (2016). Adolescent participation in structured and

unstructured activities: A person-oriented analysis.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 233–241.

doi:10.1023/A:1023056425648 Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27702218
Yusoff, M.S.B., A.F.A. Rahim and M.J. Yaacob, 2017.

Prevalence and sources of stress among universiti sains

malaysia medical students. Malays. J. Med. Sci., 17:

30-37. Retrieved from

http://library.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-

2923.2008.03282.x/abstract