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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY

COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

ACADEMIC STRESS AND COPING MECHANISMS OF


ACCOUNTANCY STUDENTS AT COLUMBAN COLLEGE

By

Sean Erick Samaniego

Jasper Isaac

Cyril Fababier

Anjanelle Barrameda

A Thesis Proposal
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Course Research 101

March 2017
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Attending college is a great experience for everyone but it is also a big

challenge for them. Many college students experience stress due to some

factors that they go through during their college years such as academic

requirements, deadlines, peer pressure, family situations and many more.

Stress is considered to be a challenge to the students for them to learn more,

and it is a subject that cannot be avoided. Among the overflowing reasons

why a student experiences stress, academic problems is considered to be the

most common source of their stress (Aldwin & Greenberger, 1987).

Stress is an important topic nowadays not only in the academic area

but also to the society. Stress can affect everyone differently, some may see

it as a burden but some may see it as a challenge. Many contributing factors

can be considered when one experiences stress academically. Common

stressors for students in college include:

 adjustments to college life

 academic requirements
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

 demands of studies (e.g., assignment deadlines and increasing

workload)

 pressure on interpersonal relationships

 unsatisfactory housing arrangements

 lack of a support system

 ineffective coping skills

 extended commute time

 greater levels of independence

Stress associated with academic activities has been linked to various

negative outcomes, such as poor health (Greenberg, 1981; Lesko &

Summerfield, 1989), depression (Aldwin & Greenberger, 1987), and poor

academic performance (Clark & Rieker, 1986; Linn & Zeppa, 1984). Lesko

and Summerfield (1989) found a significant positive correlation between the

incidence of illness and the number of exams and assignments. Similarly,

Aldwin and Greenberger (1987) observed that perceived academic stress

was related to anxiety and depression in college students.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Lal (2014) defined academic stress as a mental distress with respect to

some anticipated frustration associated with academic failure or even

unawareness to the possibility of such failure. Academic stress is a part of

every student’s college life because of the pressure to pass and meet all the

requirements of their program. A student experiences academic stress

because the academic related demands are greater than the adaptive

resources available; or because of the discrepancy between student’s

perception of the extensive knowledge base required and the student’s

perception of the adequacy of the time allowed to develop it (Carveth et al.

1996).

Academic stress can be managed by means of coping mechanisms.

Coping mechanisms are ways by which external or internal stress is

managed, adapted to or acted upon. Each and every one of us is different,

and our ways of coping with stress is also different in each perspective.

Some may use entertainment to relieve themselves from stress, some may

want to have a break from everything and be at peace, and some may just

want to distract themselves for a moment from their stress by doing their

hobbies and the things they want.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Accountancy students suffer a different level of stress compared to

other courses and they also have different coping mechanisms. Some

students of other courses may find some factors in the academic stress of

accountancy students to not really affect their academic stress and vice

versa. It may differ regarding their subjects, requirements and other aspects

that can contribute to the academic stress of a student.

Research Locale

This study will be conducted in Columban College Olongapo Inc.

which is located at #1 Mt. Apo Street East Tapinac, Olongapo City. 2200

Zambales, Philippines. The coordinates of Columban College Olongapo are

14°51'29"N 120°16'9"E. It is inside the City of Olongapo, an independent

and highly urbanized city located in the province of Zambales, Philippines.

Along with the town of Subic, it comprises the Metro Olongapo, one of the

twelve metropolitan areas in the Philippines. Figure 1 shows the map of

Columban College Olongapo Inc.

Columban College Inc. is a learning/ education (school, college) open

to the general public. It is a Catholic institution dedicated to serve the needs


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

of the city and the surrounding provinces of Zambales and Bataan. It is also

near to Subic Bay Freeport Zone which is known as Philippines' first

successful case of a military base converted through volunteerism into a tax-

and duty-free zone similar to Hong Kong and Singapore.

The location of Columban College Inc. is very convenient since it is

surrounded by many facilities such as malls, hospitals, restaurants and

different shops. Since it is located in a highly urbanized city, it can help

improve and ease the tasks of the students around it. It is a very ideal place

to study because it can be easily accessed through use of various

transportations such as jeepneys or tricycles.

The institution was first known as Naval Reservation Junior College.

It was passed by Joben Admana family in 1961 to the Columban Fathers.

The first director of Columban College was Rev. Thomas L. Convery with

Rev. Fr. Paul O'Malley SSC as his assistant.

Columban Sisters were assigned in 1962 to assist in the administrative

and teaching programs. In that same year the Parish of St. Columban was

inaugurated with O'Malley as its parish priest. In 1965, Convery was

succeeded by Rev. William F. Sullivan, SSC as school director. Rev. Fr.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

John Curry SSC took over in 1971 and Rev. Fr. Edward McKenna was the

school director from 1973 to 1975. From 1976 to 1982 Rev. Fr. Richard

Cannon SSC was the school director. He was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Vincent

Lyons from 1982 to 1983. In 1983, the administration of the college was

handed over by the Columban Fathers to the Vincentian Fathers. Rev. Fr.

Constancio Gan was appointed school director.

The Daughters of Charity took over when the contract of the

Vincentians expired in 1989 when Sr. Stella Real D.C. was appointed school

director.

In 1993 Most Reverend Bishop Deogracias Iniquez Jr., the head of the

diocesan schools, took over the administration of Columban College. Like in

any diocesan school, the director of an institution comes from the diocesan

clergy assigned in the diocese in Iba.

Rev. Fr. Daniel O. Presto was appointed as school director in 1993

and later became the president until October 2005. He was succeeded by

Rev. Fr. Roland M. Almo and then by Rev. Msgr. Crisostomo A. Cacho and

is presently the school president.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Figure 1. Map of Subic Bay Freeport Zone


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Columban College Inc. Olongapo offers various courses like Bachelor

of Science in Accountancy (BSA), Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration (BSBA), Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS),

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), Bachelor in Library

and Information Science (BLIS), Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE),

and many more.

Many programs have been accredited by the Philippine Accrediting

Association of Schools, College and Universities (PAASCU) such as

Elementary Education and Secondary education which are in Level II, while

Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, and Basic Education are in

Level 1.

Conceptual Framework

This study will be based on the concept “Stress is the physical, mental

and emotional human response to a particular stimulus, otherwise called as

‘stressor’. It is the adaption or coping response that helps the body to prepare

for challenging situations. Stress can be either negative or positive,


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

depending on the stressor” (Sincero, 2012). Thus, the paradigm illustrated in

Figure 2 clearly manifests the motive of this study.

As reflected in the conceptual model, in input, the researchers include

profiles of the students in terms of the following: a.) Age b.) Gender c) Year

Level. Researchers want to know the different academic stressors and coping

mechanisms of Accountancy students. In process, the researchers used a

survey questionnaire to gather data from the respondents. After gathering the

data, the researchers were able to tally the data and the final step is analyzing

and interpreting the data. The output of this study is to make a plan to reduce

the academic stress experienced by accountancy students of Columban

College.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Input Process Output

Profile of the Survey Plan to Reduce


Students Questionnaire Academic Stress
Experienced by
a) Age Data Gathering
Accountancy
b) Gender
Tallying of Data Students of
c) Year
Columban
Level Analyzing and
College
Interpreting the
Academic
data
Stressors

Coping
Mechanisms

Figure 2. Paradigm of the Conceptual Framework

Statement of the Problem

This study will survey the Columban College Accountancy Students

about their academic stress levels as a basis for implementing their coping

mechanisms on handling stress.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Specifically, it will answer the following problems:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of the

following?

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Year Level

2. What are the different stress coping mechanisms of Columban

College accountancy students?

3. Which among these indicators bring more impact to the respondents?

3.1 Participation in recreational activities

3.2 Proactive Coping

3.3 Planning

3.4 Use of Emotional Social Support

4. Is there a significant relationship between the stress coping

mechanisms of Columban college students pertaining to age?

Hypothesis

The hypothesis to be tested in this study:


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

There is no difference between the different coping mechanisms of

stress of the Columban College Accountancy Students and that there is no

specifically targeted individual caused by the different drivers of academic

stress among the respondents based on their demographics, namely; age, sex

and year in the accountancy course.

Significance of the Study

Studies surveying about the coping mechanisms of stress provide

relative and useful information to any individual and their performance in

the school. It measures the awareness of the students about their level of

stress and the flexibility of the respondents on how to cope with it.

In particular, this survey will be beneficial to the following:

Accountancy Students of Columban College, so that they will

realize the importance of stress management and its uses in order to

implement the different coping mechanisms of stress to improve their

academic performance. They will be able to give a greater amount of focus

inside and outside the classroom. Application of the information given will
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

help them reach specific goals and opportunities without the worries of

stress. The respondents can also apply the analyses of information not only

as students but also as healthier individuals who can improve daily life

through coping mechanisms to handle stress.

Columban College-Olongapo Administrators. Since one of the

aims of the institution is to produce excellent graduates, they will also

benefit from the findings of this study, through the improved performance

mentality of the accountancy students which will increase the passing rate of

the school in the CPA Board Examination; they could attract more enrollees

and also raise their standing as an institution.

Columban College Accountancy Professors. They will enjoy active,

participative and well-focused discussions. Stress-free students would

correlate to better learning in the classroom, and less time would be required

in order to finish lessons, which would also benefit the professors.

Families of the respondents. Proactive and stress-free accountancy

students would also benefit their families which also reduce their stress on

supporting their children and/or siblings. This would also result to less time

on studying and more towards the also important family events that would
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

also promote a stress-free relationship between the family members, making

the families of the respondents a beneficiary.

Future Researchers. Data of this study and its analysis can be used

to validate findings of other researches in the future. Those who will work

on stress management and related studies may use information in this study

as their baseline.

Scope and Limitations

The study will focus on the academic stress and coping mechanisms

used by Accountancy students of Columban College, Inc. The respondents

will be the students who are taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy

for the school year of 2018-2019 in Columban College, Inc.

These are the indicators that bring more impact to the respondents

namely Participation in recreational activities, Proactive Coping, Planning

and Use of Emotional Social Support.

The descriptive survey of research will be used as methodology of this

study.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Definition of Terms

The following terms used in this study are defined according to their

contextual use.

Academic Stress. This refers to mental distress with respect to some

anticipated frustration associated with academic failure or even unawareness

to the possibility of such failure.

Coping mechanisms. These are the ways to which external or

internal stress is managed, adapted to or acted upon.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Chapter 2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research method to be used in the study, the

description of the respondents and the instrument to be used. It also

describes the validation of the instrument, data gathering procedures and the

statistical treatment to be utilized in the data analysis.

Research Method

The method that will be used in this research is descriptive survey

method. This method will help the researchers to identify and analyze

different factors that causes academic stress to accountancy students of

Columban College Inc. and how they cope up with their academic stress.

Saunders et al (2003) defines the descriptive survey method as one

which looks with intense accuracy at the phenomena of the moment and then

describes precisely what the researcher sees. Descriptive research is a study

designed to depict the participants in an accurate way.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Survey research involves acquiring information about one or more

groups of people – perhaps about their characteristics, opinions, attitudes, or

previous experiences – by asking the respondents some questions and

tabulating their answers. According to Best and Kahn (2007), “The term

descriptive research has often been used incorrectly to describe three types

of investigation that are different. Perhaps their superficial similarities have

obscured their difference. Each of them employs the process of disciplined

inquiry through the gathering and analysis of empirical data, and each

attempts to develop knowledge. To be done competently, each requires the

expertise of the careful and systematic investigator. A brief explanation may

serve to put each one in proper perspective.”

Descriptive method will be used in this study by means of conducting

a survey to accountancy students of Columban College. The researchers are

going to explain and interpret the data collected from the respondents. They

used survey questionnaire as their research design to be able to get as much

precise and specific information that will be used in the research process and

to address their research question. The researchers used a 100% respondent

selection to have accurate results.


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Respondents

The respondents of this study will be all accountancy students. The

selected students must be officially enrolled in Columban College Inc. to

ensure that they are really taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.

The respondents will be from the 1st year students to 4th year students of the

said course.

Appendix B
Questionnaire-Checklist for the Research

COLUMBAN COLLEGE, INC.


ACCOUNTANCY ACADEMIC STRESS SURVEY

Part I. Student Profile. Please answer the following.

1. Name _________________________________________

2. Nationality ______________________ 3. Age______ 4.Sex _________

5. Home Address _____________________________________________

6. Course & Year ________________________________


COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY
COLUMBAN COLLEGE
OLONGAPO CITY

Part II. Accountancy Academic Stress Survey

Direction: Please put a check (√) based on the given circumstances below.

Rating Scale:

5 – Strongly Agree

4 – Agree

3 – Neither Agree nor Disagree

2 – Disagree

1 – Strongly Disagree

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