ERIC Number: EJ908260
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0264-3944
EISSN: N/A
The Existence of School-Related Stress in Two Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland: Contributing Factors and Moderation
Finch, Lindsey; McCreight, Bernadette; McAleavy, Gerry
Pastoral Care in Education, v28 n4 p311-329 Dec 2010
Recent educational policies have altered scholastic experience. It is the contention of the authors that contemporary school experience may therefore, for some individuals, be distressing. This study is concerned with the identification of stress-related behaviours of sixth-form pupils within female single-sex, selective, scholastic environments. The sample consisted of 420 girls drawn from two comparable schools. The study was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods. Administration of a questionnaire at three intervals within one academic year permitted sustained reflection upon responses. The qualitative questionnaire findings permitted generation of themes, later investigated through focus groups. SPSS was used to analyse responses to scaled questions. The keeping of a research diary served to illuminate meaning and to capture anecdotal evidence, which is so easily lost within a busy school environment. In addition, the opinions of a number of relevant professionals were sought. The study concluded that some members of the sample population encounter demands emanating not only from assessment incidents, but also from a range of other sources inherent to the system of sufficient magnitude, duration and intensity to engender school-related stress. Within the study the ways in which school-related stress may present are identified; these include, for example, physical effects, subjective effects, effects upon work and effects upon relationships. An evaluation of current relevant support mechanisms is offered and recommendations for change are made. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)
Descriptors: Focus Groups, Foreign Countries, Educational Environment, Educational Experience, Stress Variables, Stress Management, Single Sex Colleges, Questionnaires, Grade 6, Emotional Problems, Females, Student Attitudes, Health Behavior, Locus of Control
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A