Vol. 11, Special Issue 3 (2022)

Author(s):
Vandana and Dr. Krishna Duhan

Abstract:
Adolescence is a period of rapid change and time of searching personal identity. This stage is called as the period of "stress and storm”. Academic stress is mental distress with respect to some anticipated frustration associated with academic failure or even unawareness to the possibility of such failure. Students have to face many academic demands like school examination, answering questions in the class and showing progress in school subjects. According to most high school students, their greatest academic stressors include tests, grades, homework, academic and achievement expectations and parental pressure. The study aimed to assess the academic stress among adolescents as per stream of education in Hisar city of Haryana state. A total sample of 200 respondents studying in both arts and science stream was taken randomly in the age group of 16-18 years i.e. 100 respondents from rural and 100 respondents from urban area. To draw rural sample government senior secondary school from ‘Dobhi’ village was taken randomly and to have the urban sample two schools i.e. government girl’s senior secondary school, Sushila bhawan and government senior secondary school, Jhajpool were selected randomly. With regards to gender, equal sample size was taken. Tool used for the research was Academic stress scale by Rao (2012). Results revealed that on total sample 47 per cent urban respondents had moderate academic stress than their counterparts. Results as per stream of education highlighted that 44 per cent science stream respondents had high level of stress than arts stream respondents in rural area. Results also revealed that 46 per cent urban arts stream respondents had high level of stress as compared to science stream respondents whereas, 48 per cent arts and 46 per cent science stream respondents had moderate level of stress in urban area. Significant mean differences was found in academic stress of rural and urban respondents (Z=1.99*), and rural arts and science stream respondents (Z=2.19*).