194 CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 5.1 Summary Tension and stress have been a part and parcel of life. The 20 th century has been branded as the age of stress and anxiety. Stressful circumstances are encountered everyday and at every stage of human development. From the very trauma of birth itself, right through adolescence, the young meet unavoidable sources of stress. From weaning and toilet as babies to the process of formal education and learning social skills, stress is encountered in varying dials. Despite the fact that education is universally given a high priority, the academic institutions today do not show a motivating atmosphere. Students are often subjected to various stress related tests, examinations, homework (in the form of punishment), teachers (biased attitude inefficient), peer group (self oriented) etc. The major challenges of students are: poor retention and recall, lack of appreciation from their parents (loss of motivation), school environment, personal anxieties, fear of teachers, exam phobia, perpetual insecurity, conflicting expectations from the parents and the society, the growing competition, fear of failure or success and parental attitudes. However, an optimum stress is productive and it facilitates the growing performance of the individuals. Academic stress plays an important role in the child s life and it accounts for variation in performance, achievement or success.
195 Adjustment means reaction to the demands and pressures of social environment imposed on the individual. It involves the ability to solve one s problems in socially acceptable and constructive way. Adjustment is nothing but the interaction between a person and environment. In another words both personal and environmental factors work side by side in adjustment process. The adjustment styles of the individual play a decisive role in his total development. Such styles often have their roles at home and school. Students spend a sizeable portion of their time in schools, which influences their total personality. Especially in the adolescent stage this is a big problem to understand the different types of problems of students. So understanding of adjustment styles of adolescents is needed to help them to solve their different problems. Therefore, the main thrust of this investigation was to compare the academic stress and adjustment styles of adolescent boys and girls studying teacher training at DIETs. Tools :- The following tools are employed to compare the different stress areas of the students. 1. An academic stress scale was designed and developed by Kin (1970). The scale was adapted to Indian conditions by Rajendran and Kaliappan (1990). 2. Adjustment Styles inventory developed by Kumar (1988), Reddy (1990) and Srinivas (1999)..
196 3. Study habits scale was designed and developed by Wrenn (1941) and later adapted to suit the Indian conditions by Bengallee (1973). 4. Mental Health Inventory was contracted and developed by Jagadish and Srivastsava (1988), published by Manovaigyanik Parikchhan, Varanasi was adopted by the investigator for the present study. Statement of the problem Understanding of the areas of creating academic stress in students is needed to help them to solve their adjustment problems. A considerable number of studies have focused their attention on the academic stress and burnout from various angles in the USA, the UK and Canada. But systematic studies of this sort made in the Indian context are very few. It is under this background an attempt has been made to study, A study of Academic Stress and Adjustment styles of Teacher Trainees. Some other variables like gender, group studied, locality, caste, religion, type of family, handicappedness, interest in the course, study habits, mental health etc., also included in the present study. Objectives of the study The present investigation was made to obtain useful insights concerning different academic stress and adjustment styles areas of teacher trainee boys and girls studying in the District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs).
197 The main objectives of the present investigation are: i. To estimate the general level of academic stress and adjustment styles among the teacher training students. ii. To find the correlation between academic stress and adjustment styles with the independent and demographic variables. iii. To study the relationship between academic stress and adjustment styles with the study habits and mental health of the teacher training students. iv. To find out the influence of different personal and demographic variables on academic stress and adjustment styles of teacher training students. v. To identify the most prevalent academic stress areas and adjustment style areas of teacher training students, studying DIETs. vi. To analyze the relationship between academic stress and adjustment styles of the teacher training students. vii. To study the influence of study habits on the academic stress and adjustment styles of the teacher training students. viii. To find the influence of mental health of the teacher trainees on their academic stress and adjustment styles. Hypotheses Bases on the above, the following hypotheses were setup for the investigation. The hypotheses are setup in a null form, as this form of hypothesis is akin to the legal principle that man is innocent until he is proved guilty.
198 A. Simple Correlation 1. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the academic stress of the teacher training students 2. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the personal inadequacy of the teacher training students 3. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the fear of failure of the teacher training students 4. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the interpersonal difficulties with teachers and parents of the teacher training students 5. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the teacher-pupil relations/ teaching methods of the teacher training students 6. There is no significant relationship between adjustment styles, study habits and mental health and the inadequate study facilities of the teacher training students 7. There is no significant relationship between demographic variables and the academic stress of the teacher trainees 8. There is no significant relationship between study habits and mental health and the adjustment styles of the teacher training students 9. There is no significant relationship between demographic variables and the adjustment of the teacher trainees
199 B. t test analysis: 10. There would be no significant difference between boys and girls in their level of academic stress 11. There would be no significant difference between the students with science background and arts background in their level of academic stress 12. There would be no significant difference between the experience of academic stress of rural and urban teacher trainees 13. There would be no significant difference between caste of the trainees and the experience of their academic stress 14. There would be no significant difference between religion of the trainees and the experience of their academic stress 15. There would be no significant difference between the experience of academic stress of the trainees coming from joint families and nuclear families 16. There would be no significant difference between the trainees who are handicapped and normal in their level of academic stress. 17. There would be no significant difference between the trainees who entered the course by self-interest and by force, in their level of academic stress 18. There would be no significant influence of study habits of the students on their experience of academic stress 19. There would be no significant influence of mental health of the students on their experience of academic stress 20. There would be no significant influence of adjustment styles of the students on their experience of academic stress 21. There would be no significant difference between the adjustment styles of boys and girls teacher trainees
200 22. There would be no significant difference between the adjustment styles of the science background and arts background students 23. There would not be any significant difference between the adjustment styles of the trainees came from rural and urban areas 24. There would be no significant difference between caste of the trainees and their adjustment styles 25. There would be no significant difference between religion of the trainees and their adjustment styles 26. There would be no significant difference between the adjustment styles of the trainees coming from joint families and nuclear families 27. there would be no significant difference between the adjustment styles of the handicapped and normal students. 28. There would be no significant difference between the adjustment styles of the trainees who joined the course with self-interest and by the force of others 29. There would be no significant influence of study habits of the trainees on their experience of adjustment styles 30. There would be no significant influence of mental health of the Trainees on their experience of adjustment styles. C. Chi-square Analysis: 31. Boys and Girls teacher trainees do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 32. Science and Arts subject background teacher trainees do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 33. Rural and Urban locality teacher trainees do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress
201 34. Teacher trainees belonging to SC/ST, BC and OC do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 35. Teacher trainees belonging to Hindu, Muslim and Christian do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 36. Teacher trainees hailing from joint family and nuclear family do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 37. Teacher trainees having handicapness and not having do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 38. Teacher trainees who joined with self interest and by force of others do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 39. Teacher trainees who have less adjustment, average adjustment and high adjustment do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 40. Teacher trainees who had poor study habits, average study habits and good study habits do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress 41. Teacher trainees who had poor mental health, average mental health and good mental health do not differ significantly in their proneness to academic stress Sample The study is aimed at investigating the academic stress ad adjustment styles of the teacher training students studying in DIETs of Nellore and Prakasam districts from Costal region, Hyderabad and Warangal from Telangana region and Kadapa and Anantapur from Rayalaseema region were taken in the study.. There are 100 Telugu medium students in each DIET and 50 Urdu medium students in Nellore and Hyderabad DIETs. All the 600 (500 Telugu medium and 100 Urdu medium students) trainees were selected for the present study.
202 Data collection The data was collected in small groups of 15 to 20 students at a time. The data regarding gender, subject background, locality, caste, religion, type of family, handicapedness, interest in the course etc., are collected through a well-defined personal data sheet. The study habits and mental health of the students were collected through appropriate questionnaires. The influence of these independent variables with the dependent variables in different areas of academic stress and adjustment styles were studied. Statistical techniques such as Means, Standard Deviations, t test and Analysis of Variance were employed in analyzing the data. 5.2 Major findings of the study Academic stress and adjustment styles of the D.Ed. teacher trainees showed significant differences in all the variables except the subject background. Locality and religion did not show any significant differences due to many other reasons. i. Adjustment styles, study habits and mental health had a significant influence on the academic stress of the teacher trainees. ii. The academic stress dimensions viz., personal inadequacy, fear of failure, interpersonal difficulties with teachers and parents, teacher-pupil relations/ teaching methods and inadequate study facilities had shown a significant influence on the overall academic stress of the teacher trainees.
203 iii. iv. Gender of the trainee, subject background, locality and interest in the course had a significant relation with the overall academic stress. Study habits and mental health of the teacher trainees had a significant relation with their adjustment styles. v. Handicappedness and interest in the subject had a significant correlation with the adjustment styles of the teacher trainees. vi. vii. Boys and girls differed significantly in their level of academic stress. Subject background was not an influencing factor of the academic stress. viii. Locality or place of study was not shown any significant influence on the level of academic stress of the teacher trainees. ix. Neither the caste nor the religion of the teacher trainee influenced their level of academic stress. x. Interest in the course, study habits and mental health of the teacher trainees had shown a significant impact on the level of academic stress. xi. xii. The level of adjustment of the teacher trainees influenced their level of academic stress. Interest in the course and study habits only had an influence on the level of adjustment among the teacher trainees.
204 xiii. Gender, level of adjustment, study habits and mental health of the teacher trainees had shown a significant difference in their proneness to their level of academic stress. 5.3 Educational Implications Adolescent is the most important period of human life. A major part of a country s population consists of adolescents. Thus the prosperity of any country in various fields depends upon the proper adjustment of the adolescents. A well adjusted adolescent will be a good adult in the society. The society is in the need of such well adjusted adults. Thus during the adolescent period good adjustment is very much needed in general to the society and in particular to the individual development. To develop well adjustment among the adolescents, educational institution plays a crucial role in the present day society. Generally every adolescent attends to the school / college and spends much time with the peers. If he/she is adjusted and solve his/her various problems which are faced in the institution then he/she will become a well adjusted adolescent. Thus, the school/college must provide proper facilities to the students. There is no gainsaying that the destiny of the Nation is shaped in the four walls of the classrooms, because it is in the classrooms that the future citizens acquire the required knowledge and skills to lead a useful and fruitful life and contribute their might to the welfare of the Nation. It is there that their personality characteristics and their value system are shaped. The pivot in this process is the adjustment problems that occur simultaneously along with their education. Therefore, the adjustment problems become a decisive role in estimating the character of the student. The adolescence period made the students with stress and strain, which
205 leads them to frustration, and becomes unadjustable to the present situations. (i) The academic stress and adjustment styles are important for the teacher trainees not only to their education but also life long education. They are the future creatures in the classrooms. Hence, it is essential to include the special methods to recognise the problems of the trainees at various levels and lower their burden on them. (ii) Boys are suffering with more academic stress and the level of adjustment in all the areas than that of the girl students. Care may be taken to find the areas of stress and adjustment and make boys adjust better suitable with the situations. (iii) The academic stress and adjustment style of urban students are very poor. Hence, the teachers, parents and the friends have to take necessary steps to promote better adjustment and lowering the academic stress among them. (iv) Intelligence is also associated with the academic stress and adjustment styles of the students. Hence, intelligence skills should be included among the students. (v) It was found that very few personality factors have their own influence on the students academic stress and adjustment. It is recommended to improve those personality characteristics in the students related to their academic stress and adjustment styles.
206 (vi) Academic achievement of the students is associated with their stress, adjustment and study habits. Hence, proper study habits may be developed among the students for attaining good academic achievement. (vii) Home environment also plays a significant role in determining the academic stress and adjustment styles. Therefore, parents have to take care of their children s problems at home. 5.4 Suggestions for further research The present study has brought out how the teacher trainees experience academic stress in different areas. It has examined the impact of gender, locality and other sources of academic stress. This apart, the study has examined the relationship between the nature of academic stress and coping styles on the one hand and on the other hand the association between the sources of academic stress and several factors for e.g. Study habits, metal health. These results suggest further research to be carried out as follows: Examination of several other areas of academic stress. Study of the sources of academic stress in the rural areas. Examination of several other features that determine adjustment styles. The relationship between socio-demographic variables and academic stress.
207 Developing some intervention programmes to reduce academic stress. A qualitative analysis of association between personality factors and academic stress and adjustment styles.