PSYC FPX 4600 Assessment 4 Research Report

PSYC-FPX4600: Research Methods in Psychology

Professor’s Name

June 2024

Abstract

PSYC FPX 4600 Assessment 4 This is a quantitative study aimed at finding out the relationship between students’ stress levels as grouped under three categories, moderate, and high students’ performance in academics (Younes, 2021). It targeted fifty college students for whom standardized measures were administered. It evaluated data using a one-way ANOVA to look into the impact of categorization in the three levels of stress on academic scores. Results revealed that students with low-stress levels scored significantly higher in academic performance compared to those with moderate and high stress levels, F(2, 47) = [insert F-value], p <.05. These results validate psychological theories proposing the negative effect of elevated stress on cognitive and academic performance. The limitations involved in this study are reliance on self-report measures and a relatively small sample size, which limits generalizability. Nonetheless, the study underlines the significance of dealing with stress management to enhance academic success.

Research Report

Literature Review

The academic stress relation with student performance is extended by self-regulated learning and procrastination. García-Ros et al. (2022) conducted a study entitled “The Effects of Self-Regulated Learning and Procrastination on Secondary Education Students’ Academic Stress, Subjective Wellbeing, and Academic Achievement: A Cross-Lagged Path Analysis.”. The study concluded that as long as students increased exposure to self-regulated learning, the lower the students’ levels of academic stress, while their reported academic achievements are higher. Instead, procrastination was correlated with a higher level of stress and lower well-being which causes lower academic performance. These results mean more importance to self-regulation skills building so it serves as a protective device from stress and improvement of academic performance. The study further illustrates that stress can be buffered using efficient time management and learning strategies, which can contribute to the alleviation of adverse effects through enhanced academic outcomes consistent with psychological theories of stress management and cognitive functioning.

Other than an academic scope, stress and leisure satisfaction come together as demonstrated in a study by Yüncü, Yurcu, and Akınci (2020), the researchers investigate mediation using management of leisure time concerning a relationship between stress coping skills and leisure satisfaction by tourist guides. Since a moderately influential method for effective leisure satisfaction is attained in a stress-coping manner, effective time management strongly determines leisure satisfaction. Tourist guides who had good time management of their leisure time were more satisfied and less stressed. This study, therefore, indicates that in addition to the academic context, the use of leisure time to manage stress can positively influence overall well-being and job satisfaction. These results add to the general understanding of stress management and how it affects both personal and professional outcomes. The research focuses on time management and coping strategies as ways of reducing stress.

Methods

Participants 

This study enrolled 50 college students following undergraduate courses at a large university. The sample included 25 males and 25 females, aged between 18 and 24 years. The mean age of all participants was 20.5 years. The present study used convenience sampling whereby all the participants voluntarily participated in the study. Sample respondents were from various academic departments, which included psychology students as well as those majoring in business and sciences. Since all respondents had been studying at the college level for at least one year, they all understood what would be going on academically within the institution when they completed the survey themselves, to determine their anxiety levels as well as the level of performance in class as a snapshot of the academic achievement and anxiety relationship, among students at the institutions.

Measures

In the present study, measures included self-report questionnaires that measured stress levels and academic performance. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a widely used tool used to assess the degree to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. Participants reported the perceived stress experienced during the past month on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “never” to “very often”. Academic performance was measured based on participants’ self-reported GPA, which is the indicator of academic achievement. Demographic questionnaires also allowed participants’ information such as age, gender, academic discipline, and year of study to be collected. The data collected from the measures were then analyzed to explore the relationship between levels of stress and academic performance.

Procedure

This research procedure included several steps toward ensuring proper data collection and analysis. First, subjects were recruited through flyers posted around campus and through email invitations to undergraduate students. When the student agreed to participate, he or she was asked to fill out a demographic questionnaire as well as the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which measured the individual’s level of stress. The students responded to an assessment of their stress levels. Then, they responded to questions concerning self-reported school performance using reported current Grade Point Average (GPA). The data were gathered over two weeks during which the participants’ anonymity and response confidentiality were ensured. Finally, upon completing the questionnaire, the participants were debriefed and thanked for dedicating their timetor assessment purposes. Statistical analyses conducted on the gathered data were done to indicate if the levels of stress correlated with a performance level in school.

Results

A one-way ANOVA was performed to establish if there is an effect of stress level on academic performance based on self-reported GPAs from the participants. Results: Significant difference existed between the groups for the three levels of stress in academic performance, F(2, 47) = 6.72, p <.01. Post-hoc analyses using the Tukey HSD Test showed that low-stress levels had participants with a higher GPA than moderate and high-stress levels, with no significant difference between the moderate and high-stress groups.

ANOVA

Discussion

The results from the current study show that high-stress levels significantly influence performance. Students with lower levels of stress had higher GPAs compared to those with medium and high stress. From the findings, it is evident that some level of stress will have an effect on motivation in individuals, but too much can hamper cognitive processes, like memory and concentration, to affect academic performances negatively. The results support the hypothesis that lower stress levels are associated with better performance, and therefore, students need to manage their stress levels to maintain optimal academic achievement.

However, some limitations need to be noted. The sample size is small and comprises only a single university. Thus, it may limit the generality of this result toward larger student populations. Self-reported data from participants could also be biased concerning stress and GPA, which might not precisely reflect reality. The cross-sectional nature of the study also rules out the possibility of concluding causality, leaving further avenues for exploration of the factors that mediate the relationship between stress and academic performance. Future research should take larger, more diverse samples and should consider longitudinal designs to explore these dynamics in more detail.

These results may support the contention that performance is affected in a nonlinear fashion by stress, and low stress would be in favor of, but that higher stress may be detrimental. Of course, it also points toward the importance of interventions, especially for students being under high pressure, but further studies on those strategies that might reduce their stress and resilience could serve as a tool for optimizing academic outcomes.

Summary and Conclusion

The overall impact of the study is on the extent to which the stress level may have affected the student’s academic performance (Gougis, 2020). A significant relationship was established between stress levels and GPA among college students. The academic performance of low-stress-level students appeared higher than that of moderately and highly stressed students. Overall, effective management of stress helps maintain good academic performance. There was a need for further exploration in more diverse and longitudinal contexts, as the research limitation pointed to small sample size and reliance on self-reporting. Overall, therefore, results emphasize the need to adopt strategies that support stress management among students, potentially contributing to better academic outcomes along with psychological outcomes.

References

García-Ros, R., Pérez-González, F., Tomás, J. M., & Sancho, P. (2022). Effects of self-regulated learning and procrastination on academic stress, subjective well-being, and academic achievement in secondary education. Current Psychology, 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03759-8

Gougis, R. A. (2020). The Effects of Prejudice and Stress on the Academic Performance of Black Americans. The School Achievement of Minority Children, 145–158. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315060187-6

YÜNCÜ, E. N., YURCU, G., & AKINCI, Z. (2020). The Mediating Role of Leisure Time Management in The Effect of Stress Coping Methods on Leisure Satisfaction among Tourist Guides. Journal of Recreation and Tourism Research, 7(2), 150–189. https://doi.org/10.31771/jrtr.2020.59