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Effects Of Stress On The Academic Performance Secondary School Students
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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Selye defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any
demand made upon it. Each demand made on the body is unique in that
there is a definite response. When we are cold, we shiver; when we are
hot, we perspire; a great muscular effort increases the demand upon the
heat and vascular system. However, whatever the specific response, there
is also activated non-specific response which is independent of the
cause. For example, the woman who is told that her husband suddenly
died, suffers a terrible mental shock if sometime later, he walks into
the room alive and well, she experience extreme joy. The specific
results of the stress are opposite, but the non-specific effects are the
same.
This pioneer in stress research, Professor Hans Selye has
gathered together tens of thousands of pieces of medical study which
describe the body’s reaction to just about every conceivable type of
stress. He describes this bank account of nervous energy thus: It is as
though at birth, each individual inherited a certain amount of
adaptation energy. The magnitude of which is determine by his genetic
background. There is just so much of it and we must budget accordingly.
Agunlana
(1990) opined that stress is that which man experience when is under
pressure and feel unable to cope. Stress can be associated with personal
goals. Stressful period of life such as the demands of the school with
other responsibilities has impact on an individual’s academic
achievement.
Stressors abound in our everyday life as would condition
and unsatisfactory living continues to be a problem especially in a
challenging academic environment like in Nigerian secondary schools.
With all the multiplied blessings of civilized westernized, urbanized
living comes stress and almost everyone suffers from it at some time.
Basically, stress is the result of an internal or external disturbance,
which threatens the homeostasis of the human system. All humans whether
at work or outside work environment develop stress when life or
well-being is threatened or when they are faced with such discomforting
factors such as induced intense heat, cold, pain biotic stress vectors,
etc (Gherman, 1981).
Many factors have been identified as being the sources of stress in the secondary school environment. Some of these are:
1. Aspiring to achieve more academic status
2. Examination Anxiety
3. Inadequate sleep or rest
4. Poor dieting
5. Over schedule stress caused as a result of poor management of time.
Knowing
all these as a fundamental to a favourable academic performance of
secondary school students, who are important to our economic
development, one way to protect our investment is to help them stay
healthy. Hence the study of the effects of stress on the academic
performance of students becomes crucial.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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