How students manage exam stress over the exam period
Any individual who has taken exam at some point in their lives has experienced stress. Stress has a negative effect on our physical and mental health. Studies has shown that stress, even a minor stress can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and in some cases a sudden death (Krantz, Whittaker and Sheps, 2011). Therefore, it can be very beneficial to learn how to cope with stress, as one of the studies claimed that half of their participants saw improvements with their chronic headache, after they have been taught to stop having negative thoughts (Thorn et al, 2007). Fortunately, undergraduate students are the most tolerant to stress, because they are used to find coping mechanisms that are …show more content…
This was measured by self-report and direct observation during the three weeks before the next exam. Krantz (1983) concluded that coping mechanisms, such as information-seeking and problem-directed predicts academic behaviour, but not exam scores.
However, the study conducted by Kuiper, Martin and Olinger (1993) suggested females who highly scored on Coping Humour, saw exams as more of a positive challenge. Furthermore, these subjects also adjusted their expectations for their next exam. Conversely, females who scored low on Coping Humour found that their relationship with exams was negative (Kuiper, Martin and Olinger, 1993). The study concluded that a sense of humour may help students to cope with exam stress.
Students are dealing with numerous exams, and as mentioned above, they are also the most tolerant to stress. The lack of research on what coping strategies the students find it helpful to go through their next exam, makes this study an important one. This research used Grounded Theory (GT) as the …show more content…
Eight interviews were carried out, and each interview lasted approximately ten minutes. To allow the subjects to determine what coping strategies they used, a semi-structured interview was used to gain open answers.
Participants
All eight subjects were second year undergraduate students of University of Roehampton in the Psychology department. Participants did not gain any credit as this study was part of their Psychology program. Participants were not naïve prior the study began as, the experimenter explained what the aims and objectives of this study was.
Procedure
Participants were greeted by the experimenter, and explained that this is a qualitative study. These subjects were given a consent form and were instructed to read, and sign once they understood and were willing to proceed with the interview. Participants were interviewed face to face in a quiet room. Each interview was recorded, and roughly lasted ten minutes depending on the responsiveness of the individual. Once the interview was completed, the participants were debriefed and thanked.
Analytical
Any individual who has taken exam at some point in their lives has experienced stress. Stress has a negative effect on our physical and mental health. Studies has shown that stress, even a minor stress can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and in some cases a sudden death (Krantz, Whittaker and Sheps, 2011). Therefore, it can be very beneficial to learn how to cope with stress, as one of the studies claimed that half of their participants saw improvements with their chronic headache, after they have been taught to stop having negative thoughts (Thorn et al, 2007). Fortunately, undergraduate students are the most tolerant to stress, because they are used to find coping mechanisms that are …show more content…
This was measured by self-report and direct observation during the three weeks before the next exam. Krantz (1983) concluded that coping mechanisms, such as information-seeking and problem-directed predicts academic behaviour, but not exam scores.
However, the study conducted by Kuiper, Martin and Olinger (1993) suggested females who highly scored on Coping Humour, saw exams as more of a positive challenge. Furthermore, these subjects also adjusted their expectations for their next exam. Conversely, females who scored low on Coping Humour found that their relationship with exams was negative (Kuiper, Martin and Olinger, 1993). The study concluded that a sense of humour may help students to cope with exam stress.
Students are dealing with numerous exams, and as mentioned above, they are also the most tolerant to stress. The lack of research on what coping strategies the students find it helpful to go through their next exam, makes this study an important one. This research used Grounded Theory (GT) as the …show more content…
Eight interviews were carried out, and each interview lasted approximately ten minutes. To allow the subjects to determine what coping strategies they used, a semi-structured interview was used to gain open answers.
Participants
All eight subjects were second year undergraduate students of University of Roehampton in the Psychology department. Participants did not gain any credit as this study was part of their Psychology program. Participants were not naïve prior the study began as, the experimenter explained what the aims and objectives of this study was.
Procedure
Participants were greeted by the experimenter, and explained that this is a qualitative study. These subjects were given a consent form and were instructed to read, and sign once they understood and were willing to proceed with the interview. Participants were interviewed face to face in a quiet room. Each interview was recorded, and roughly lasted ten minutes depending on the responsiveness of the individual. Once the interview was completed, the participants were debriefed and thanked.
Analytical