TITLE:
The Level of Academic and Environmental Stress among College Students: A Case in the College of Education
AUTHORS:
Dawit Yikealo, Bereket Yemane, Ikali Karvinen
KEYWORDS:
Stress, Stressors, Academic Stress, Environmental Stress
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.6 No.11,
November
8,
2018
ABSTRACT: Stress that can arise from various academic and environmental aspects is very common among college students. Uncontrollable stress lowers academic, social, environmental, psychological and physical adjustment. In this research, the level of academic and environmental stress among College of Education (CoE) in EIT was intensively discovered. It was explored in relation to the students’ cumulative GPA and gender. The major academic and environmental factors that contribute to more stress among the college students was of a great interest in the study. Moreover, investigating the stress management strategies practiced by the college students was among the main concerns. To obtain a reliable data, a total of 107 students of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year of the College of Education were randomly and conveniently selected to fill the self-developed questionnaire and in the focus group discussion. The data were analysed with the help of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The data computation process was assisted by a Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study findings reveal that majority of the College of Education students experience a moderate level of academic and environmental stress. Gender and Cumulative GPA of the students were also found not to have statistically significant difference. However, CGPA was merely found to have a slight statistically significant relationship with the level of environmental stress. Majority of the students expressed as they practice various positive stress management strategies. The study is expected to contribute a lot in assessing the level of stress and identifying the most stressful academic and environmental factors.