An enquiry into stress

1. An enquiryinto stress Evaluating stress atschool and university

2. What causes stress Schoolseems to be a major cause of stress / a prime factor of stress. Schoolranks first amongst the causes of stress. Severalstudies have demonstrated the schoolcanbehighlystressful. The data evidence the impact of school life on children’swell-being. One of the mostfrequent / prevalent trigger for stress isschool. Underachievement causes / bringforth / generates / fuels / triggers / provokes stress.

3. The questionnaire conceived by the students In your everyday life, how often do you feel anxious ?  always  quite often  sometimes  seldom  never Do you consider yourself as particularly sensitive? ……………………………………… Do you feel anxious before taking an exam? …………………………………………….. Do you feel nervous when in class? ………………………………………………………. Have you ever had an anxiety attack? ……………………………………………………... Do you shy away from asking questions to your teachers? ……………………………….. Do you feel nervous whenever a teacher asks you a question? …………………………… Are you relaxed when you talk to other students?................................................................ Have you ever used a tranquilizer before an exam? ……………………………………… Does team work make you grow nervous? ……………………………………………….. Where do you feel the most anxious?  within my family  at university  at work  when confronted to a new situation When you feel nervous, do you shiver or sweat? ……………………………………………… Can you handle stress and control your anxiety? …………………………………………….. Dou you generally have regular sleeping patterns? …………………………………………..

4. Considering the following situations, assess your stress level:Easy-going highly stressed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A few weeks before your exam ……………………. On your exam day ……………………. During a written exam ……………………. During an oral examination ……………………. After an exam ……………………. When you get the results ……………………. Do you have the feeling that in your academic life, your stress level is normal higher than that of other students  at times too high  a handicap Do you agree with the following statements? Totally - Quite – Partly – No - Not at all I feel concerned, in general, about my studies. My anxiety increases prior to an exam. I have sleeping problems during the exam period. Taking a tranquilizer may heighten a student’s performances. When I feel tense, I find it more difficult to concentrate. I dread getting bad results. I feel stressed when I consider myself ill-trained or ill-prepared for an exam. I feel uptight if I have to speak in front of the class. On the whole, if I were less stress, my results would be better.

5. Collecting data and analysingresults Moststudentsfeelanxiousat times duringtheireveryday life. Studentsfeelhighlystressed on their exam day, or whentheysit for an exam. Students are lessstressedwhenthey talk theirfellow-studentsthanwhenthey talk to a teacher. One student out of 10 takes a trnquilizerbeforetaking an exam. Oral examination are more stressful / anxiety-provokingthanwrittenones. Speaking in front of the class ranksamongstthe prime triggers of stress. Speakingduring an oral examinationincreasesstudent stress. The overall stress levelincreases as the exam periodgetscloser. The closer the exam period, the higher the stress. The students’ stress levelreaches a peak / isatitshighestwhenthey enter the exam room. But stress levels down as soon as the studentsstartwriting. Very few studentsreportedhavingexperienceda panick-attack.

6. Statistics A randomizedsample of students: un échantillonage aléatoire Data collection: la collecte de données A self-administered questionnaire / administer a questionnaire / fill in a questionnaire The respondents/ the perticipants To measure Scores ranges from … to … A correlationbetween Evidence of high stress level / the researchevidenced a tightcorrelationbetween… A significantdifference in students’ copingskills On average / an average of 60% students The rate of: le taux de

7. Using compound nouns Student stress impacts academicachievement. The students’ stress measuredduring the researchtended to dwindleafter the exam period. Perhaps the most significant limitation of the study is the small sample size. This study has addressed various important stress factors to the academic performance of postsecondary level students.  Stress factors associated with class attendance, problems with roommate, over exercising and course load reduced as the students move towards the middle of semester. learning and memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability (Kaplan & Sadock, 2000), too much stress can cause physical and mental health problems (Campbell & Stevenson, 1992; Greenberg, 1981; Niemi & Vainiomaki, 1999; Laio, Lu & Yi, 2007), reduce self-esteem (Bressler & Bressler, 2007; Silver & Glicken, 1990) and may affect the academic achievement of students.

8. Fill in the blankswith one of the wordsbelow: pressures averaged distress through overburdened complaints researchers administered rated link A current school of thought holds that teenagers living in Asian countries pay a psychological price for their mathematical superiority to adolescents in theUnited States. Some U.S. parents and teachers suspect that high-achieving Asian students feel more nervous, depressed, and …… in response to the ………. of maintaining academic eminence.  Cross-cultural study now supports a …… between mathematics success in high school and frequent psychological ….. -but only for U.S. students, not those in Japan or Taiwan. "High academic achievement, such as that exhibited by students in Taiwan and Japan, can be attained without necessarily increasing students' reports ofpsychological…..," contend David S. Crystal and Harold W. Stevenson.A teenager's peers and family in the two Asian countries typically help to maintain academic achievement …… various forms of support, Crystal's team asserts. But U.S. high achievers get torn between the desire to spend extra time on their studies and to pursue myriad nonacademic interests. Moreover, the same ……….. have found that parents and children express lower expectations for academic success in the United States than in Japan and Taiwan (SN: 1/9/93, p.28). Crystal and his colleagues ….. questionnaires to 1,386 U.S., 1,633 Taiwanese, and 1,247 Japanese eleventh graders, who ….. 17 years old. Participants …. the frequency with which they felt stressed or pressured, depressed, aggressive , and anxious about school work. They also noted anxiety-related physical ……………, such as headaches, stomachaches, and sleep troubles. 

9. The effects of stress • Studentswithhigh stress level • Are more likely to have car accidents. • May display abnormal fatigue. • Exeprience a significantloss of confidence. • Are at a higherrisk of makinghastydecision. • Are more susceptible to alcoholism. • Are disproportionatelyaffected by headaches. • Are prone to insomnia.

10. Exam anxiety affects different students in different ways: • Physical symptoms • tight muscles • headache • insomnia • upset stomach • appetite changes • unable to eat • constant snacking • binge eating • shortness of breath • increased perspiration • sweaty palms • increased heart rate • dry mouth • diarrhea • more frequent urination • Behavioural changes • tense movements • losing focus of actions • less coordinated movements • fidgeting, nail biting • moving or walking faster than normal • increased smoking, drinking, and/or eating • "escaping" behaviours, e.g. partying the night before an exam • Emotionally • atypical mood swings • emotions related to the examination, presentation or paper • worry • frustration • fear • anger • discouragement • depression • panic • hopelessness • Cognitively • scattered attention • irrational thoughts • difficulty concentrating • negative, self-defeating thoughts • task-disruptive daydreaming • self-abusing thoughts • Socially • social withdrawal • avoidance of friends and family • unusual irritability with others • procrastination through increased socialize