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A Qualitative Assessment of Personal and Academic Stressors Among Korean College Students: an Exploratory Study

Posted on: Saturday, 3 September 2005, 03:00 CDT

The purpose of the study is to explore the patterns of personal and academic stressors reported by Korean college students. The survey items included types of stress factors in academic and personal stressors and demographic variables (i.e., gender and school year). The participants were asked to provide the academic and personal stressors as the first and the second stressors. The responses were qualitatively analyzed using the method provided in the previous studies exploring college students' stressors (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). Discussion and implication on the results of the present study are provided.

Studies on college students' stress have been on (1) stress and coping behaviors (Kim, Won, Liu, Liu, & Kitanishi, 1997; Naquin & Gilbert, 1996), (2) the stress in relation to health (Roth, Wiebe, Fillingim, & Shay, 1989; Ryan & Twibell, 2000), (3) the outcomes of stress management and stress reduction program (Hirokawa, Yagi, & Miyata, 2002; Lumley & Provenzano, 2003; Sharkin, Plageman, & Mangold; 2003).

Although investigating specific areas relating to college students' stress such as coping behaviors, stress in relation to health, and stress management is useful, a more holistic assessment needs to be adopted to understand college students' patterns of stressors in relation to personal and academic tasks that college students deal with. One way to meaningfully examine the patterns of stressors is to assess the personal and academic stressors qualitatively (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). A qualitative measure in college student stress research is widely used to increase the authenticity of the participants' responses (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Cahir & Morris, 1991; Carney, Peterson, & Moberg, 1990; Murphy & Archer, 1996).

The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of personal and academic stressors reported by Korean college students. As cultural values are influenced by historically and politically determined experiences (Markus & Kitayama, 1991), it is expected that Korean college students might deal with unique and meaningful developmental tasks that are shaped by cultural norms and societal expectations (Kang, Youn, & Stilwell, 2004). In this regard, exploring the patterns of stressors among Korean college students would provide a meaningful understanding of personal and academic tasks that might be patterned by cultural norms and expectations.

Method

Participants and Procedure

The sample was drawn from a large regional university in Korea (N=146, male=54, female=92). Of 146 participants, 71 were enrolled as 3rd or 4th year students and 75 were enrolled as 1st or 2nd year students, and they were coded as senior and junior students in this study. The surveys were distributed through lower level introductory classes in the college of education. Participants were asked to write the two most frequent personal and academic stressors (i.e., the first stressor and the second stressor) in personal and academic areas. The survey took about ten minutes to complete.

Survey

The survey consisted of two demographic questions on gender and the school year. The survey instrument consisted of two open-ended questions (i.e., first and second stressors) in personal and academic stressors, respectively.

Analysis

The personal and academic stressors described by participants were examined to produce categories. The responses were categorized based on the categorization methods developed by other researchers (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). The members of the research team who were trained and familiar with the categorization method created the categories and reached agreement on the categories produced. Excluding the categories "other" and "no response", the responses were coded into 14 personal and 16 academic stressor categories. The coded data were perused by the researchers of the present study to enhance the accuracy of the responses in personal and academic stressors. The frequencies in percentages of the combined stressor responses were computed for academic and personal stressors.

Results

The percentages of frequently reported stressors were computed in both personal and academic stressors. The categories are presented in the order of frequently reported stressors. In the personal stressors, the most frequently reported stressor (i.e., the first category) was, "future career plan" which contained 18.24% of personal stressors reported by participants. The second category, "finance" included 17.91% of personal stressors. The third category, "interpersonal relationships" accounted for 11.15% of the personal stressors. The fourth category, "personal appearance" contained 7.77% of the personal stressors. The fifth category, "intimate relationship" included 7.43% of the personal stressors reported. The sixth category, "personal achievement and goal setting" accounted for 5.41% of the personal stressors. The seventh category, "general concerns about academic issues" accounted for 4.39% of the personal stressors reported. The eighth category, "family issues and parental conflicts" included 4.05 % of the personal stressors. The ninth category, "approaching/meeting other students" accounted for 3.04 % of the personal stressors. The three categories, "not enough free time", "health", and "judgment/acceptance/pressures by peers and senior students" co-ranked as the tenth categories and accounted for 2.03 % of the personal stressors, respectively. The eleventh category, "serving in military" accounted for 1.69% of the personal stressors. The twelfth category, "fatigue and lack of sleep" accounted for 1.35 % of the personal stressors. Other responses reported as personal stressors are grouped and presented together.

In the academic stressors, the most frequently reported stressor (i.e., the first category) was, "grades and competition" which accounted for 18.75% of stressors reported by participants. The second category, "career and future success" accounted for 13.89% of academic stressors. The third category, "too many demands and meeting deadlines," contained 10.76% of academic stressors. The fourth category, "interpersonal issues in school" accounted for 9.03% of the academic stressors. The fifth category, "issues related to taking classes and selecting majors" accounted for 6.60% of the academic stressors. The sixth category, "physical environment in school" accounted for 5.21% of the academic stressors. The seventh category, "studying", showed 4.86% of the academic stressors reported. The eighth category "professors and learning environment in class," accounted for 4.17% of academic stressors. The categories, "papers and project-based reports" and "tests and finals" co-ranked as the ninth categories and accounted for 3.82% of the academic stressors, respectively. The tenth category, "educational and school policies/systems in higher education" accounted for 3.13% of the academic stressors. The categories, "distance to school" and "procrastination" co-ranked as the eleventh categories and accounted for 2.43% of the academic stressors. The twelfth category, "general adjustment" showed 1.39% of the academic stressors. The thirteenth and the fourteenth categories were "educational costs" and "presentation", which accounted for 1.39% of academic stressors, respectively. Other responses reported as academic stressors are grouped and presented together. The percentages of the personal and academic stressors are presented in the order of frequency in Table 1 and Table 2.

Discussion

The two most frequently reported stressors in personal and academic dimensions, respectively, were "finance" and "future career plan," (personal stressors) and "grades and competition" and "being equipped for future career success," (academic stressors). In interpreting these results, considering a review of educational politics and history in Korea might be useful. For example, Seth (2000) noted that Korean students might be concerned about their grades to increase the opportunity for the future employment and the social status. The results on frequently reported stressors also seem to indicate that Korean college students are aware of the uncertain aspect of their future and career, which seems to indicate that their beliefs and attitudes about career-seeking might be influenced by recent cataclysmic events such as national financial crisis (Kang et al., 2004; Kwon et al., 2003). During the national financial crisis, high unemployment rate and company bankruptcies impacted many Korean families. Many college students are also reported to have experienced emotional distress related to this economic crisis in Korea. (Kwon, Reuter, Lee, Koh, & Ok, 2003; Lee, Koh, & Kwon, 2000; Park, 1998). Therefore, the high frequencies reported as personal stressors in future and career plan, finance and academic stressors in grades/competition and career/future success seem to indicate that college students are conscious about uncertain aspect of their future.

Although there are similar stressor types to those found in the previous studies (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996), the unique stressor types indicative of cultural norms and societal expect\ations were also found. For example, the stressor, "mandatory serving in military," appeared exclusively among male students as one of the personal stressors. The stressor, "pressure from peer and/ or senior students," also appeared as one of the personal stressors, which might be indicative of cultural and societal expectations of hierarchical relationships prioritizing seniority. It is also noteworthy that participants frequently reported, "interpersonal issues in school" as an academic stressor rather than a personal stressor. This finding may be due to the cultural manifestation of school as a social and academic place. That is, Korean college students might view their school as a place where they not only pursue academic attainment but also interact with significant group members (e.g., peers, junior students, senior students, and professors) in culturally prescribed and meaningful ways (Kang, 2004). Findings should be interpreted with the consideration of the political system and historical influence in Korea (Yamashita et al., 1999; Kang et al., 2004).

Directions/Implications

The present study explored the patterns of stressors expressed by Korean college students. The study revealed that stressors among college students in a particular culture come from having to face not only developmental tasks but also societal trends (e.g., national financial crisis) and cultural norms. In this regard, college students' stressors need to be continuously assessed and identified descriptively and qualitatively to explore the college students' stressor patterns in relation to societal trends and cultural norms. Future studies should explore the relationships between the variables and the stressors reported by participants. The sample of the present study predominantly consisted of female students. Future study should extend with roughly equivalent gender ratio so that the generalization can be assessed fairly. In order to understand the dynamic aspects among the stressor types, future studies should also investigate the relationships among the stressor types (e.g., causal relations among the stressor types).

Table 1.

Personal Stressors Listed as First or Second Response Stressor

Table 2.

Academic Stressors Listed as First or Second Response Stressor

References

Archer, J., & Lamnin, A. (1985). An investigation of personal and academic stressors on college campuses. Journal of College Student Personnel, 26, 210-215.

Kang S. (2004). College students' lifestyles in Korea and in the U.S. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Kang, S., Youn, G., & Stilwell, W. (2004). College students' lifestyles in Korea and in the U.S.: An exploratory study. Presented at the annual convention of American Psychological Association, Hawaii.

Kim, K., Won, H., Liu, X., Liu, P., & Kitanishi, K. (1997). Students' stress in China, Japan and Korea: A transcultural study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 43, 87-94.

Kwon, H., Rueter, M. A., Lee, M., Koh, S., & Ok, S. W. (2003). Marital relationships following the Korean economic crisis: Applying the family stress model. Journal of Marriage & Family, 65, 316-325.

Hirokawa, K., Yagi, A., & Miyata, Y. (2002). An examination of the effects of stress management training for Japanese college students of social work. International Journal of Stress Management, 9, 113-123.

Hyun, K. J. (2001). Sociocultural change and traditional values: Confucian values among Koreans and Korean Americans. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 25, 203-229.

Lee, M.S., Koh, S., & Kwon, H. K. (2000). Economic stress, marital conflict, and the quality of life under economic crisis, Korean Journal of Home Economics, 38, 117-133.

Lumley, M. A., & Provenzano, K. M. (2003). Stress management through written emotional disclosure improves academic performance among college students with physical symptoms. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 641-649.

Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253.

Murphy, M. C., & Archer, J. (1996). Stressors on the college campus: A comparison of 1985-1993. Journal of College Student Development, 37, 20-28.

Naquin, M. R., & Gilbert, G. G. (1996). College students' smoking behavior, perceived stress, and coping styles. Journal of Drug Education, 26, 367-376.

Park, M. H. (1998, October). National economic crisis - How families can cope with it? Paper presented at the 51st conference of the Korean Home Economics Association, Seoul, Korea.

Roth, D. L., Wiebe, D. J., Fillingim, R. B., & Shay, K. A. (1989). Life events, fitness, hardiness, and health: A simultaneous analysis of proposed stress-resistance effects. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 57, 136-142.

Ryan, M. E., & Twibell, R. S. (2000). Concerns, values, stress, coping, health and educational outcomes of college students who studied abroad. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24, 409-435.

Seth, M. (2000). "Examination Mania": South Korea's Entrance Examination System. Acta Koreana, 3(5), 35-55.

Sharkin, B. S., Plageman, P. M., & Mangold, S. L. (2003). College student response to peers in distress: An exploratory study. Journal of College Student and Development, 44(5), 691-698.

Yamashita, T., Youn, G., & Matsumoto, J. (1999). Career decision- making in college students: Cross-cultural comparisons for Japan and Korea. Psychological Reports, 84, 1143-1157.

DONG HUN LEE

University of Florida

SUNWOO KANG

University of Kentucky

SICHANG YUM

Chonnam National University

Author Note

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to dhlee@ufl.edu or skang0@uky.edu.

Copyright Project Innovation, Inc. Sep 2005

Source: College Student Journal

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