CHAPTER -I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 EDUCATION
Education is never ending. It starts with the birth of an individual and it goes on till the
last day of the individual. Education makes an individual real human being. It is an essential
human virtue. Education equips the individual with the social, moral, cultural, and spiritual
aspects and thus makes the life progressive, cultured and civilized.
In a limited sense, education is confined to the school and the University instruction.
Education starts from the day a child is admitted in a school and it ends when the child completes
studies and leaves at the college or University stage. Here education is limited to class room
teaching. This type of education is intentional and not incidental.
In the broader sense, education means totality of experience gained by an individual from
birth to death. It is not communication of information by the teacher. It is also not just the
acquisition of knowledge by the student. The fact is that is the total development of the
personality. Here learning is through any agency such as home, street, society, temple, playground, cinema, etc.
T.Raymont remarked: One is educated by ones vocation, by home life, by friendship, by
marriage, by parenthood, by reaction, by travel, and so forth.
Education is a process in which and by which knowledge, character and behaviour of
the young are shaped and moulded. (Draver)
Education is the harmonious and progressive development of all the innate powers and
faculties of man- physical, intellectual and moral. (Pestalozzi)

Education is not a preparation for life, rather it is the living. Education is the process of
living through a continuous reconstruction of experiences. It is the development of all those
capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill his
possibilities. (John Dewey)

1.1.1 NATURE OF EDUCATION

Education is both unilateral as well as bi-polar in nature

It is a continuous process.
It is knowledge or experience.
It is development of particular aspects of human personality or a harmonious integrated

growth.
It is conducive for the good of the individual or the welfare of the society.
It is a liberal discipline or a vocational course.
It is stabilizer of social order, conservator of culture, an instrument of change and social

reconstruction.
Education is preparation for We through Me experience.
Education is the modification of behaviour.
Education is adjustment with the environment.

1.1.2 STRESS
Stress is a word derived from the Latin word stringere, meaning to draw tight, and was
used in the seventeenth century to describe hardship and affliction. Stress is any situation that
evokes negative thoughts and feelings in a person. The same situation is not evocative or
stressful for all people and all people do not experience the same negative thoughts and feelings
when stressed.
Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that
people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or bad.
Sometimes stress is helpful, providing people with the extra energy or alertness they need.
Unfortunately, stress is often not helpful and can even be harmful when not managed effectively.

1.1.3 STRESS DEFINITION

One of the difficulties about stress is that it can work for you or against you, just like a
car tire. When the pressure in the tire is right, you can drive smoothly along the road.if it is too
low, you feel all the bumps and the control feel sluggish .If it is too high, you bounce over the
potholes, and easily swing out of control. (Butler & Hope, 1995).
Lazarus, (1996) pointed out that One model that is useful in understanding stress among
students is Person - Environment Model (PEM). According to one variation of this model,
stressful events can be appraised by an individual as "challenging" or "threatening".

Stress may be defined as mental and/or physical strain resulting from adjustive demands
or challenges. Selye (1956)

1.1.4 SOURCES OF STRESS

The most common cause of stress is:
(A) Psychological Sources:
Adaptation,
Frustration,
Overload
Self - perception,
Behavior, Anxiety, lack of control.
(B) Physiological Sources:
Nutrition and vitamin deficiency
Over-eating and under-eating
Smoking, noise and techno stress.

1.1.5 TYPES OF STRESS:

Psychologists categorize stress into three different types:

1. Acute stress,
2. Episodic stress, and
3. Chronic stress.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is the most widely experienced one, since it typically is caused by the daily
demands and pressures encountered by each one of us. While the word stress connotes a
negative impression, acute stress is what actually brings about excitement, joy and thrill in our
lives. For example, when the long and windy ride is over, you might feel the effects of too much
acute stress, such as vomiting, tension headaches, and other psychological and/or physiological
symptoms. Acute stress occurs only at a very short period of time.
Symptoms

Emotional distress, such as anger, anxiety, irritability, and acute periods of depression
Physical problems, such as headache, pain, stomach upset, dizziness, heart palpitations,
shortness of breath, hypertension and bowel disorders

Episodic Stress
Acute stress that is suffered too frequently is called episodic stress. This type of stress is
usually seen in people who make self-inflicted, unrealistic or unreasonable demands which get
all clamoured up and bring too much stress in their attempt to accomplish these goals. Episodic
stress is not like chronic stress, though, because this type of stress ceases from time to time yet
not as frequently as acute stress does.Episodic stress is also typically observed in people with
Type A personality, which involves being overly competitive, aggressive, demanding and
sometimes tense and hostile.

Symptoms

Longer periods of intermitted depression, anxiety disorders and emotional distress

Ceaseless worrying

Persistent physical symptoms similar to those found in acute stress

Coronary heart diseases, or other heart problems

Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is the total opposite of acute stress; its not exciting and thrilling, but
dangerous and unhealthy. Chronic stress tears the life of a person apart his mind, body or
spirit.This type of stress is brought about by long-term exposure to stressors, such as unhappy
marriage, traumatic experiences, unwanted career or job, stress of poverty, chronic illnesses,
relationship conflicts, political problems, and dysfunctional families. These stressful situations
seem to be unending, and the accumulated stress that results from exposure to them can be lifethreatening, and can even lead a person to resort to violence, suicide and self-harm. Serious
illnesses like stroke, heart attack, cancer, and psychological problems such as clinical depression
and post-traumatic disorder can originate from chronic stress.
Physical signs and symptoms of chronic stress are:

dry mouth
difficulty in breathing
pounding heart
stomach ache
headache
diaphoresis
frequent urination
tightening of muscles

Mental signs and symptoms include:

sudden irritability
tension
problems with concentration

difficulty in sleeping
narrowed perception
frequent feelings of fatigue

1.1.6 ACADEMIC STRESS

People of all ages are affected by stress and anxiety. High school students seem especially
vulnerable to this reality. Adolescence is a time of rapid biological change, personal
development, social interactions, social expectations, and peer influence. The locus of much of
this phenomenon is in the school environment. For many students, high school may be stressful.
Students feel the effects of stress in harsh and also negative ways. Some of these effects include
a sudden drop in grades, depression, general fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, temper tantrums
and aggression. Studies show that stress and anxiety during adolescence may even have a
negative effect on cardiovascular health of otherwise healthy teenagers. Not only does stress and
anxiety affect the human body physically, it also can harm a persons emotional well being as
well. Stress and anxiety levels affect the students academically and change the way the person
thinks and acts during school or time spent in studying.

1.1.7 ACADEMIC STRESS DEFINITION

Morris (1990) stated High school students always face Academic stress in school and
they compete each other to get better grades.
Stress has a relationship with a specific situation like a learning environment in school
and the inability to do work perfectly and the failure to achieve anything that is desired. The
issues of students doing things like punching teachers, cursing, slandering and hurting teachers,
prostitution and etc is connected to the stress situation among high school students. (Levine,
1970)
Adams (1983) stated that the biggest problem among schooling teenagers is the matters
associated with their schooling. Other than that, problems that female students have to deal with
are communication and family problems. For the male students, their side problems are problems
with getting involved in sports, recreation and also financial problems. The many responsibilities

and pressure cause stress to the high school students like the need to achieve good academic
grades, character building and also good attitude besides trying to comprehend with their
personal needs.

1.1.8 EFFECT OF ACADEMIC STRESS DURING ADOLESCENCE

Students in their teens are the ones who are going through the transitional phase, which is
an intermediate of childhood and adulthood. During the teen years, a lot of biological, physical,
mental and emotional changes are happening, as well as the changes in responsibility and role. In
order to stabilize these changes, the students are always confronted with problems and conflicts.
For some students who are not capable of dealing with it, the changes will create stress and
tension to them. If it is not dealt with in the early stages, the student may experience mental
problems.
Stress is believed to be caused by the various problems that exist such as problems at
school, financial problems, family problems and problems in their surroundings. Adolescents
also experience stress because they are sometimes trapped between making decisions which is to
follow rules and orders or to be free and discover the world like they should. Adolescents in the
previous days were trained for things that were suitable with their age so that they can use it to
manage their lives. But now, adolescents have to follow their parents desires which are
preparing them to compete in the social system where the society is scrambling towards
modernization so that they are not left behind. If it is not managed well, stress can ignite
psychological disturbances among them when they are grown up. These disturbances will cause
stress to the adolescents in the future if they are not overcome now.
According to Zulkifli (1988), adolescents always face problems in adjusting. Teenagers
especially those who are students always face learning problems, career management and also
problems in solving personal and social matters. These are the factors that contribute to stress in
life. Students are starting to shift from a life that is dependent on others to a life that needs them
to release the dependency and start carrying their own responsibilities.

1.1.9 OUTCOME OF STRESS ON HEALTH STATUS:

Stress is defined as a mentally or emotionally distracting condition occurring because of difficult

pressures. Stress affects a persons physical and mental health too. The following are the outcomes of stress on
body, thoughts and feelings and behaviour.
Effect on your body

A tendency to sweat
Back pain
Chest pain
Childhood obesity
Cramps or muscle spasms
Erectile dysfunction
Fainting spells
Headache
Heart disease
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Loss of libido
Lower immunity against diseases
Muscular aches
Nail biting
Nervous twitches
Pins and needles
Sleeping difficulties
Stomach upset

Effect on your thoughts and feelings

Anger
Anxiety
Burnout
Depression
Feeling of insecurity
Forgetfulness
Irritability
Problem concentrating
Restlessness
Sadness
Fatigue

Effect on your behavior

Eating too much

Eating too little
Food cravings
Sudden angry outbursts
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
Higher tobacco consumption
Social withdrawal
Frequent crying
Relationship problems

1.1.10 STRESS COPING TECHNIQUES

There are three broad methods that can follow to treat stress they are
Self-help
Self management and
Medication.
Self help
Exercise - Exercise has been proven to have a beneficial effect on a person's mental and
physical state. For many people exercise is an extremely effective stress buster.
Division of labor - Delegate or share the responsibilities at work.
Assertiveness Be assertive in accepting or rejecting the task
Alcohol and drugs - Alcohol and drugs will not be a solution to manage the stress better.

Caffeine Reducing the consumption of coffee and other drinks which contain high caffeine
to protect the health status.
Nutrition - Healthy and balanced diet helps in promoting the health status.
Time Time should be used in order to organize ones life, relax, and pursue ones own
interests.
Breathing - there are some effective breathing techniques which will slow down the stress and
help to relax both mind and the body.
Talk Expressing the thoughts to the family, friends, work colleagues and boss helps in
reducing the stress and worries.
Seek professional help - Heightened stress for prolonged periods can be bad for both physical
and mental health so consulting the doctor helps in getting remedy from the problem.
Relaxation techniques - Meditation, Massage, or Yoga have been known to greatly help
people with stress.
Stress management techniques

Stress management can help to remove or change the source of stress, alter the way of
viewing a stressful event, lower the impact that stress might have on ones body, and teach the
alternative ways of coping. Stress management therapy will have the objective of pursuing one
or more of these approaches.
Stress management techniques can be gained if ones read self-help books, or attends a
stress management course. It also seeks the help of a counselor or psychotherapist for personal
development or therapy sessions. Many therapies such as aromatherapy, reflexology helps in
having a beneficial effect.

Medicines
Doctors will not usually prescribe medications for coping with stress, unless the patient
has an underlying illness, such as depression or some type of anxiety. If that is the case, the
doctor is actually treating a mental illness. In such cases, an antidepressant may be prescribed.
Bear in mind that there is a risk that all the medication will do is mask the stress, rather than
help to deal and cope with it.

1.2 NEED FOR THE STUDY

Students are the backbone of the educational process. Education is the process and act as
an instrument to bring out the innate behaviour of the individual. The destiny of the nation lies in
its class room. The strength of our nation depends on the students ability i.e., well- educated,
responsible and well-adjusted youth. Adolescence stage is the turning point at the transitional
stage of life prior to full maturity, results from the rapid changes in the physical, cognitive, social
and emotional development. This is the period of development where the academic Stress of
students is found to be a considerable factor which influences both the academic achievement and
health status. The overall academic stress consists of learning difficulties, attitude towards school,
time management, exam stress, and peer group relations among the students which indirectly
plays a major role in physical health development. The investigator interested in the area of
assessing the level of academic stress and its influence on health status among X th standard
students in order to create an awareness in helping young adolescents in coping with the academic
stress and preparing them to face the challenges that lie ahead as they move into the adult world.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problem undertaken by the investigator is stated as A STUDY ON THE LEVEL
OF ACADEMIC STRESS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE HEALTH STATUS AMONG
Xth STANDARD STUDENTS.

1.4 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Stress
Stress is a reaction to a change or a strain. The change or strain can be primarily physical,
such as having an illness or an injury. It can also be primarily emotional, such as being worries,
upset, anxious or depressed. Everyone has lots of small stress every day. Stress affects most
people in some way.
Academic stress
Academic Stress is the anxiety and stress that comes from schooling and education. There
is often a lot of pressure that comes along with pursuing a degree and one's education. There is the
stress of doing all of their work, balancing their time and finding time for their extracurricular
activities.

1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

*
*
*

To find out the level of academic stress among the Xth Standard Students.
To find out the level of health status among the Xth Standard Students.
To find whether there is a significant relationship between the academic stress and health

status among the Xth Standard Students.

To find out whether there is a significant difference between the male and female of the

Xth Standard Students with respect to academic stress.

To find out whether there is a significant difference between the Government \
Government Aided and Private school of the Xth Standard Students with respect to

academic stress.
To find out whether there is a significant difference between the Nuclear and Joint family
of the Xth Standard Students with respect to academic stress.

1.6 NULL HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

* Xth Standard Students do not have academic stress.

* Xth Standard Students do not have awareness about the health status.
* There is no significant relationship between the academic stress and health status among
*

the Xth Standard Students.

There is no significant difference between the male and female of the Xth Standard

Students with respect to academic stress.

There is a significant difference between the Government \ Government Aided and Private

school of the Xth Standard Students with respect to academic stress.

There is a significant difference between the Nuclear and Joint family of the X th Standard
Students with respect to academic stress.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

1.
2.
3.
4.

The study is confines to Theni district only.

The study is carried out taking 250 students as sample.
The study is based on random sampling technique and survey method.
The study is alone during the academic year 2014 -2015 alone.

1.8 CHAPTERISATION
The study has been organized in 5 chapters.
1. The first chapter presents the introductory part. It also deals with the need for the study,
2.
3.
4.
5.

statement of the problem, objective, hypothesis and limitation of the study.

The second chapter deals with the review of literature available for the investigator.
The third chapter explains the methodology adopted, tool and sample for the study.
The fourth chapter describes the analysis and interpretation of data.
The fifth chapter consists of findings, suggestions for further research and
recommendation.

1.9 CONCLUSION

This chapter provides a general introduction, need for the study, objectives of the study,
hypothesis, and statement of the problem and limitations of the present study. Review of related
literature to the study is discussed in the next chapter.