Impacts of academic stress on students
Students in Shanghai, China have been ranked as top performers on various occasions when it comes to math, science and reading compared to student in other countries ranked by the international Program for International Student Assessment. When compared, American students in elementary and junior high ranked lower especially in math when the international standardized test was conducted. Despite the good performance levels portrayed by students in the junior high and elementary levels in China, the education system in the country has come under intense criticism by parents, educators and the students themselves. Even though Chinese students are seen to be performing well, the amount of stress they endure to achieve this performance is unhealthy and causes various issues for the students among which is curvature of the spine.
In America, educators have been known to complain about the way students in elementary and junior high levels perform in international education contests. While they are busy trying to attain the level of success that students in China achieve, the Chinese are busy battling the issue of the stress that the students are forced to endure in pursuit of the high levels of achievement the country has been associated with. Although the Americans are yet to figure out the main reasons behind the low performance, the Chinese have pin pointed the Gaokao as the cause of most, if not all, of the stress that students experience (Zhao, 2015). The Gaokao is a national college entrance exam in china that is conducted annually in June. It determines whether the students will qualify to join college and pursue higher learning depending on how they will perform in the exam. Due to the important role it plays in determining the students’ academic future, those in elementary and junior high spend most of their time planning and learning so that they will do well in the exam when the time comes (Zhao, 2015). As a result, they adopt negative study habits that end up having negative repercussions for the students in the long run.
According to a study published on the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China’s website, Chinese students were reported to experience more academic requirements compared to other countries included in the study. For the purpose of the study, students from Japan, Korea, America and China were surveyed to test the type of challenges they encounter in elementary and junior high levels (Alegria et al, 2011). The results revealed almost 90 percent of students in China expressed that they were under very intense pressure to perform academically. Most of them spent over two hours daily after school tackling their homework assignments (Liang et al, 2016). Another study by Hesketh and her colleagues tested 2191 students in china aged between nine and twelve years revealed most of those tested were under some form of stress related to education. Eighty one percent of those surveyed revealed that they constantly worried whether they would be able to pass the exams. Seventy three of those tested feared that they would be feared that they would be physically punished by their parents while 63% feared being punished in school by their teachers for not performing (Liang et al, 2016).
According to the study by South China Morning Post (2016), more than a third of the students surveyed were reported to have had psychosomatic symptoms on a weekly basis which added on to the stress experienced as a result of education. According to a study conducted by China Youth and Children Research Center in Beijing, 76 percent of the 2,400 students surveyed were often in bad moods influenced by the academic pressure that they were forced to endure and the performance that they were expected to achieve by their parents and educators (Liang et al, 2016). About 9% of the students also expressed feelings of despair which could be the reason behind the high level of suicide and suicide attempts by Chinese students arising from academic pressure. The type of stress that students express as a result of academic pressure is not only on a personal level but also affects how they relate to each other in society. In America and China, academic pressure eventually results to academic competition that becomes so intense that students starts expressing feelings of distrust, jealousy and lack of trust among students. As a result, close friends slowly become competitors and rivals who often begin to drift as they compete to perform better and attain better grades in school (Liang et al, 2016).
Another effect that comes about as a result of academic pressure is the curvature of the spine among students. Students in kindergarten and junior high are often pressured to perform and also do well so as to pass the Gaokao exam. As a result, they often spend more hours studying and preparing for the exams. While studying is encouraged, the students also have to complete homework and other take-home school assignments (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). As a result, they end up developing poor study habits such as wrong sitting postures when reading or doing assignments and this often results to curvature of the spine. Curvature of the spine refers to various conditions that affect the spine for various people at different ages. The deformity of the spine has various health repercussions that could affect and individuals’ quality of life such as physical pain, mental health, work capability, self image and disability (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013).
There are two known factors that may cause curvature of the spine. The first factor is idiopathic where an unknown cause results to the spine becoming deformed with no explanation as to why, this is normally evident in children whose spine becomes deformed at an early age due to a cause or disease that is identified or unknown. The second factor is acquired where the deformation of the spine occurs over a period of time as a result of lifestyle and living habits of an individual (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). Normally, the spine appears as a gentle S shape when seen from the side and appears straight when it is viewed from the back. The curves that are portrayed by the spine are meant to evenly distribute the stress that the body endures either when the individual is resting or moving. If the normal curvature becomes abnormal, an individual starts to feel some form of discomfort. If severe, the individual feels severe pain and may even end up becoming disabled. Such abnormal curves are often referred to as spinal deformities and they comprise of flatback, kyphosis and scoliosis (Berven, Castillo & Helper, 2013). Such conditions are caused by various factors among which are the postures that students adopt either at school or at home when studying. If the posture is negative, the student will end up causing more damage to their spines since they spend more time studying so as to cope with the stress brought about by high academic requirements (Fortin et al, 2015).
In a study conducted in Chongming Island, China, 3347 girls and 3477 boys aged between 6 and 17 years were recruited and put through postero anterior radiographic evaluation and Scoliometer measurements to assess the nature of their spines (Liang et al, 2016). The result revealed that 241 girls and 201 boys out of those tested had signs of suffering from scoliosis. A total of 172 children’s spines had a curve of more than 10degrees which proved that they had scoliosis (Liang et al, 2016). The high rates may have been as a result of the pressure that the children exert on their spines while studying especially is they happen to use wrong seating postures while in class or at home when doing homework assignments. Children in elementary and junior high spend a lot of hours every night completing homework assignments. This combined with the long hours they spend in school greatly contributes to the deformation especially in homes that are not equipped with study tables for the students (Selman & Zhao, 2014).
Other than the effect that it has on the students physically, a lot of homework also results to the disruption of the students’ sleeping patterns. As a result, the student not only lacks adequate sleep but also suffers from stress and their physical health is affected in a way. While the term excess has raised a lot of controversy over the amount of homework that is given to students, the stress it causes will differ depending on the age of the students. Students in elementary and junior high for instance would consider 30 minutes spent doing homework as being stressful (Kelly, 2016). This is especially because it adds more stress to their daily routine, deprives them of their play time and disrupts their sleeping patterns. Although studying is said to be the key to academic success, there is little, if any evidence suggesting that homework and intense study has a positive influence on the academic performance of students in the elementary and junior high levels. This also means that it will have little impact in their futures because it neither adds nor takes away from their academic potential. Instead of helping them to become better students, it may result to them developing a negative attitude towards education especially when it gets them in trouble with their parents or teachers (Kelly, 2016).
While students in higher levels of education may be able to handle the stress that comes about as a result academic requirements, the minds of those in elementary or junior high are still developing and such stress may cause major repercussions. The process occurs whereby the hypothalamus releases a hormone that goes to the pituitary glands when some form of stress is experienced (Pelliser, 2016). This triggers the pituitary glands to produce another form of hormones which travel through the bloodstreams to the adrenal glands located above the kidneys. This leads to the activation of adrenaline which accelerates the rate of the heart and cortisol which elevates the level of the blood sugar in the child’s system thereby increasing their memory and muscle power. While this would normally be ideal to help someone to study, the mind of children at this age is not yet developed because such reactions are meant for reacting to emergency situations (Pellisier, 2016). As a result, children end up reacting negatively and unable to cope with the amount of stress they endure.
Due to the serious consequences that academic stress bears on children, there is a need to find a way to ensure that students, especially those in elementary and junior high do not suffer. Even though an education program to alleviate this issue is lacking in China, there is one used in the United States that could help resolve such issues. The one evidence based approach used in America develops academic programs that are based in schools and help students to not only read and write but also understand complex subjects such as science. The program also encourages students to engage in group discussions and debates as a way of ensuring they work together so as to reduce the workload and in doing so alleviate stress associated with academics.
References
Alegria M, Fortuna R, Lin J and Porche V, (2011) “Childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders as correlates of school dropout in national sample of young adults” NCBI
Bervern H, Castillo W and Helper D. (2013) “Spinal deformity” retrieved from, http://www.boneandjointburden.org/2013-report/iii-spine-deformity-and-related- conditions/iii
Fortin C, Labelle H, May L and Theroux J, (2015) “Prevalence and management of back pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients: A retrospective study” NCBI
Kelly P, (2016) “Homework could have an impact on kids health. Should schools ban it?” retrieved from, http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/homework-could-have-impact- kids-health-should-schools-ban-it/
Liang J, Negrini S, Quing D, Sun K, Yang X and Zhou X. (2016) “Scoliosis epidemiology is not similar all over the world: a study from a scoliosis school screening on Chongming Island(China)” NCBI
Pelliser H, (2016) “Stress and your child’s brain” retrieved from, http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/how-stress-affects-your-child/
Selman L and Zhao X. (2014) “Combating the effects of academic stress in Chinese schools” China Outlook
South China Morning Post, (2015) :Students at breaking point: Hong Kong announces emergency measures after 22 suicides since the start of the academic year” retrieved from, http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health- environment/article/1923465/students-breaking-point-hong-kong-announces
Zhao X, (2015) “Academic stress in Chinese schools and a proposed preventive intervention program” Taylor & Francis
