Campus Access Only

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of University of the Pacific. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Date of Award

1993

Document Type

Dissertation - Pacific Access Restricted

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between students' perceptions of school stress, students' beliefs regarding available coping resources, their stress responses and GPA scores. Differences were also examined by gender and earned credit class status. Four hundred regular education students completed The School Situation Survey (SSS) and The Coping Resources Inventory (CRI). The SSS measured sources of stress (teacher interactions, academic self-concept, peer interactions, and academic stress) and students' stress responses (emotional, behavioral, and physiological). The CRI measured students' beliefs regarding coping resources. Two sources of stress, academic self-concept and peer interactions, were significantly negatively correlated with CRI measurements of students' coping resources. One source of stress, teacher interactions, was positively correlated with stress response subscores. Positive significant correlations were found between academic stress and emotional stress response subscores, and between emotional and physiological stress response subscores. GPA scores were significantly negatively correlated with behavior stress response subscores as well as two sources of stress, teacher interactions and academic self-concept. Significant differences existed between students' perceptions of stress from teacher interactions and academic self-concept by earned credit class status. Sources of stress teacher interactions and academic self-concept classification levels were not independent of earned class credit status. Significant gender differences were found for stress from teacher interactions, academic stress, and stress responses. Reported stress from teacher interactions and academic stress were not independent of gender. Likewise, sources of stress, teacher interactions and academic self-concept were significant covariates in examined differences in GPA scores by gender. As secondary educators attempt to restructure learning environments, it seems critical that they take students' perceptions of school stress and their beliefs regarding coping resources into account when new pedagogical strategies, programs and services are developed and implemented.

Pages

144

To access this thesis/dissertation you must have a valid pacific.edu email address and log-in to Scholarly Commons.

Find in PacificSearch Find in ProQuest

Share

COinS

If you are the author and would like to grant permission to make your work openly accessible, please email

 

Rights Statement

Rights Statement

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).