Development of the Academic Stressors Scale for Bulgarian University Students

Öz

There are numerous studies regarding the damage of academic stress on student well-being and achievement. Unfortunately, there are not many methods to measure various academic stressors among students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the stressors to which students are subjected in the academic environment.

Research Methods: After interviews with students about the stressors to which they are subjected at the university, a test form of a scale, which contains 19 items, was developed. The scale form was completed by 187 first-year students at the university.

Findings: The results showed that the Academic stressors scale was a reliable and valid data collection tool to be used in higher education. Four subscales emerged: stress related to parental expectations, stress related to lack of knowledge, stress related to learning material and the lecturers, and stress related to auditorium activities, which were confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis. It was found that the biggest stressor in the academic environment was the stress associated with lack of knowledge.

Implications for Research and Practice: Researchers and educators can use and apply the "Academic stressors" scale among students; and thus, track which students are most vulnerable to poor success and dropout from the university, and take measures to prevent such negative consequences.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Academic stressors scale,Validity,Reliability. University students

Kaynakça

1. Babakova, L. (2019). Intial adaptation and validation for Bulgarian conditions of scale measuring the Academic resilience amoung students. International Journal Knowledge, 30(5), 1267-1272.
2. Bedewy, D., & Gabriel, A. (2015). Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources among university students: The perception of Academic Stress Scale. Health Psychology Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102915596714
3. Çelik-Örücü, M. (2013). Psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of the defensive pessimism scale. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 53, 115-130. DOI:10.14689/ejer.2013.53.7
4. Chen, F.S., Lin, Y.M., & Tu, C.A. (2006). A study of the emotional intelligence and life adjustment of senior high school students. World Transactions on Engineeringand Technology Education, 5(3), 473-476. Chen, F.S., Lin, Y.M., & Tu, Retrieved on December 3, 2018 from www.wiete.com.au/journals/WTE&TE/Pages/Vol.5.../22_Chen37.pdf
5. Harikiran, A., Srinagesh, J., Nagesh, K., & Sajudeen, N. (2012). Perceived sources of stress amongst final year dental under graduate students in a dental teaching institution at Bangalore, India: A cross sectional study. Indian Journal of Dental Research, 23, 331–336, DOI: 10.4103/0970-9290.102218
6. Heikkila, A., Lanka, K., Niemine, J., & Niemivitra, M. (2012). Relationships between teacher students’ approaches to learning, cognitive and attributional strategies, well being and study success. Higher Education, 64, 455-471.
7. Kamtsios, S., & Karagiannopoulou, E. (2015). Exploring relationships between academic hardiness and academic sterssors in university undergraduates. Journal of Applied Educational and Policy Research, 1(1), 53-73.
8. Kumar, S., & Bhukar, J. P. (2013). Stress level and coping strategies of college students. Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management, 4(1), 5-11.

9. Kumar, S., Dagli, R., Mathur, A., et al. (2009). Perceived sources of stress amongst Indian dental students. European Journal of Dental Education, 13, 39–45.
10. Lin, Y.M., & Chen, F.S. (2009). Academic stress inventory of students at universities and colleges of technology. World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, 7, 157-162.
11. Mehralizadeh, S., Ghorbani, R., Zolfaghari, S., Shahinfar, H, Nikkhah, R., & Pourazizi, M. (2013). Factors affecting student concentration in classroom: Medical students’ viewpoints in semnan university of medical sciences. Iranian Journal of Medical Education, 13, 663-671.
12. Morse, Z., & Dravo, U. (2007). Stress levels of dental students at the Fiji School of Medicine. European Journal of Dental Education, 11, 99–103.
13. Putwain, D., Woods, K., & Symes, W. (2010). Personal and situational predictors of test anxiety of students in post-compulsory education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 137–160.
14. Tangade, P., Mathur, A., Gupta, R., et al. (2011). Assessment of stress level among dental school students: An Indian outlook. Dental Research Journal, 8, 95–101.
15. Wang, H.F., & Yeh, M.C. (2005). Stress, coping, and psychological health of vocational high school nursing students associated with a competitive entrance exam. Journal of Nursing Research, 13(2), 106–116.