“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
JOURNAL WRITING AS STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
OF BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL –
SENIOR HIGH STUDENTS
Constantino1, Valencia2, Valmeo3, Camacho4, Perez5,
Urquiza 6, Austria7, Rodrigo8, Llamzon9, Sacdalan 10,
Palomata11, Vergara12
Bataan National High School – Senior High School
gokongweiresearchers@[Link]
Abstract - Stress leads to procrastination and can impair the academic performance of
Bataan National High School – Senior High students. This study aims to access the
effectiveness of journal writing as a stress management strategy. The study utilized the true
experimental research particularly the two-group design. The instrument used to gather data
is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14). The researchers carried the experiment with the use of
Google form survey to provide a pre-test and post-test to the two comparable groups:
experimental and control group. The experimental group was given a notebook and a pen to
start the journal writing for 15 minutes. After a week, the data collected were analyzed through
the PSS scoring. The researchers arrived at the following conclusion: There is a significant
difference between the Experimental Group and Control Group in terms of Perceived Stress
Scale (PSS) before and after the intervention. Thus, the findings suggested that journal writing
were beneficial.
Keywords - stress, stress management, journal writing, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14)
INTRODUCTION stress, can happen when someone works
correctly and methodically. Conversely,
Stress is a physics word that refers
negative stress, also known as distress,
to the amount of force applied to an object,
may occur if someone loses their rhythm
in real life to how specific issues that carry
during tasks. According to Waters (2022),
force are applied to students’ lives (Wheeler,
stress has both benefits and drawbacks,
2017). Some of the pressure or force comes
whether temporary or permanent. Many
from the environment, but most of the time,
continuing concerns associated with
it comes from within a person’s brain in the
academic obligations impair students’
form of worry, anxiety, regret,
academic performance in secondary and
discouragement, and poor confidence.
university education, particularly Senior
Eustress, sometimes known as positive
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
High School students, resulting in the with various medical illnesses and anxiety
development of stress management who wrote online for 15 minutes three
strategies. times a week felt better and had fewer
depressive symptoms. When you are feeling
Stress management refers to several
tense, get a notebook or journal out and list
instruments, strategies, or techniques for
everything causing you to feel that way.
reducing stress and its detrimental effects.
A wide variety of techniques and According to UNESCO (2021), the
psychotherapies are used to control a COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected
person’s level of stress. Based on the study more than 1.6 billion pupils’ lives and
by Giesler (2021), students might be educational experiences. Many students
unaware of the importance of using develop psychological problems that affect a
interventions to reduce stress. Students learner’s academics and personality (WHO,
may experience ineffective coping, which 2021). People mostly experienced fear,
refers to the inability to realistically assess sadness, numbness, insomnia, confusion,
stressors and utilize available resources to anger, post-traumatic stress symptoms,
deal with stress. This coping can result depressive symptoms, low mood, stress,
from many factors that shed light on emotional disturbance, irritability, and
student-directed differences. emotional exhaustion. Based on the study
of (Haider et al., 2020), the pandemic crisis
Journal writing is jotting down
is likely to increase stress levels and have
personal revelations, reflections, and
adverse psychiatric effects. The impact is
inquiries on given or private themes.
likely felt by the general population,
Journal entries are a type of reflective
COVID-19 patients, their families, friends,
writing that allows you to reflect on and
those with a history of mental illness, and
respond to what you have read or learned
healthcare professionals.
(Taylor, 2021). Many psychological
pressures exist in today’s culture Manly (2022) asserts that journaling
(MasterClass, 2021). Stress can be brought benefits one’s physical, mental, emotional,
on by your employment, relationships, and spiritual well-being. According to Duke
health, money, relationships with others, Center for Integrative Health Research
schoolwork, teachers, and clients. Writing team, writing a journal will enhance
about complicated feelings like grief, anger, outcomes for those dealing with insomnia,
and other negative emotions helps them cancer, and weight loss. Various studies
become less intense. Journaling your have found that journaling for a while
feelings in a notebook has been connected reduces the symptoms of chronic diseases,
to improved mental health. In a 12-week including asthma and arthritis. It also
study, Brennan (2021) found that people lowers the number of medical visits six
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
months after the journaling session. to manage them. In a study by Suhr et al.
According to the study by Newman (2020), (2017), journaling lessened depression
journal writing may help immune systems scores compared to the control group.
and overall health, two problems that most When used correctly, it can transform
people are concerned about. strong emotions into positive internal fuel.
Likewise, journal writing helps reduce
Journaling can help solve problems
unpleasant feelings by accepting rather
and resolve disagreements with others
than evaluating mental experiences (Ford et
(Psych Central, 2018). Merrow (2020) stated
al., 2018).
that journaling improves self-awareness
and self-management skills while providing Physical well-being goes much
a foundation for social awareness, beyond physical health. Whether we
relationship skills, and responsible accomplish or derail optimal performance
decision-making. Also, journal writing can directly results from our lifestyle decisions
help people become more creative, improve and habits around sleep, diet, physical
their communication skills, manage exercise, hygiene, and relaxation (Stevenson
complex emotions and thoughts, and frame 2021). There have also been notable
how they perceive the world. Nick (2022) improvements in several other objective
claims that writing allows people to express outcomes, such as students’ grade point
their thoughts and feelings without average, absences from work, re-
worrying freely. This is especially helpful employment following job loss, working
because individuals tend to have extreme memory, and athletic performance. In the
views and opinions. study of Bailey (2018), journaling deepens
self-discovery and provides a much-needed
Koziol (2021) researched that
pause to help us reconnect to ourselves and
journal writing is a tool for fostering mental
rediscover who we are. Nevertheless, after
health. Psychological studies support the
using expressive writing, there have been
notion that journaling can be a healing
noticeable improvements in several immune
discipline. For instance, writing one’s
systems functioning tests.
journal improves self-control (Warwick,
2019). Writing a journal can also assist in Based on the preliminary survey
establishing the time and distance needed conducted by the researchers, it is
for reflection. Moreover, writing about a identified that stress is the main factor of
challenging experience helps one stop procrastination among Senior High School
obsessively pondering and ruminating students. Given the problem stated above,
about what happened, alleviating brooding the researchers aim to determine the
(Brennan, 2021). In addition, those who effectiveness of journal writing as a stress
wrote about their emotions were better able management strategy in Bataan National
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
High School Senior High. In doing so, it Scale (PSS) before and after the
should be developed if this study shows intervention?
that journal writing is beneficial. Not 2. Is there a significant difference on
addressing this problem may also lead to the level of stress of Experimental
Senior High School students’ Group and Control Group before
procrastinating more. and after the intervention?
3. Is there a significant difference
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
between the Experimental Group
The general objective of this and Control Group in terms of
experimental study is to determine the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before
effectiveness of journal writing as a stress and after the intervention?
management strategy in Bataan National
HYPOTHESES
High School - Senior High School. This
study aims to discover how stress increases 1. There is no significant difference on
students’ procrastination and determine the the level of stress of Experimental
technique used to reduce stress among Group and Control Group before
Senior High School students. and after the intervention.
2. There is a significant difference
The following results from this study
between the Experimental Group
may be beneficial for students, parents,
and Control Group in terms of
communities, and schools as a future goal
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before
and reference for raising public awareness
and after the intervention.
about stress and the role that journaling
has in reducing it. Also, this contributes to MATERIALS AND METHODS
future researchers who will continue to
This study is a quantitative research
conduct this research to prove that
that will be utilized through the
students may control and reduce their
experimental method. Quantitative research
stress levels through journal writing to
focuses on quantifying and analyzing
prevent academic procrastination.
variables to produce findings. It combines
RESEARCH QUESTIONS numerical data and statistical techniques to
analyze and demonstrate how to explain a
This sought to answer the following
phenomenon by accumulating numerical
questions.
data (Apuke, 2017.)
1. What is the level of stress of
According to McIntosh and Pontius
Experimental Group and Control
(2017), experimental design is the process
Group based on the Perceived Stress
of doing research in a controlled, objective
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
manner to maximize precision and derive high, and data analysis is simple (Acharya
particular findings regarding a hypothesis et al., 2013).
statement. Typically, the goal is to
Thus, the study’s sample are the
determine the impact of a factor, the
thirty senior high school students available
independent variable, and a dependent
and chosen to participate in our online
variable on another. However, an
survey. In addition, familiarity was used by
experimental design also uses statistics to
the researchers to quickly obtain the data
establish a causal connection between
needed for the completion of the study.
many variables, which can be done through
a lottery method. The senior high school students
were chosen as respondents due to their
Out of all the different forms of
high-stress levels, which were the main
experimental designs, true experimental
factor of their procrastination in school.
design can create a cause-and-effect
relationship within a set of participants INSTRUMENT
(Sirisilla, 2022). True experimental research
The main instrument used to gather
designs employ statistics to support or
pertinent data for the study is the Perceived
reject a researcher’s hypothesis. As a result
Stress Scale (PSS-14) version 2015,
of the specific scientific evidence it provides,
adapted from Sheldon Cohen. It was
this design is one of the most accurate
initially developed in 1983 (Cohen et al.,
research techniques.
1983), aiming to assess stress levels. The
RESPONDENTS PSS is a 14-item brief self-report scale
comprising seven negatives and seven
There are 114 respondents in the
positive written items. The questions are
study’s population. In this population, 55
general and easy to understand, and the
respondents identified stress as the primary
response possibilities are simple.
cause of their procrastination in school.
Respondents both in the experimental and
From this, the study targeted 30 students
control group are asked to rate the extent to
in Bataan National High School — Senior
which they encountered each of the feelings
High as the respondents of this study
mentioned above and ideas before and after
which were randomly selected using a
the intervention on a 5-point scale (0 =
lottery method. As defined, this method of
Never, 1 = Almost Never, 2 = Sometimes, 3
probability sampling involves the advantage
= Fairly often, 4 = Very often). Thus, the
of randomization. A fundamental
validity and reliability of this questionnaire
understanding of the population is needed
have been established.
when both internal and external validity is
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
In figuring out the PSS score, first ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
reverse the scores of the seven positive
In response to society’s expectation
items (items 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13). On
of greater accountability, the focus on
these said questions, scores of 0 equal 4, 1
ethical conduct has increased and
equal 3, 2 equal 2, 3 equal 1, and 4 equal
broadened (Campbell & Pretti, 2017).
0. The PSS total score can be calculated by
Respondents were informed about the
adding the scores of the 14 items. As a
study, that participation was voluntary and
result, the total score ranges from 0 to 56,
confidential, and that they could withdraw
with a more significant number reflecting a
from the study at any time without
higher level of perceived stress.
explanation or consequences. Respondents’
These statements and questions and their parents’ consent and assent were
were encoded in a Google survey also given. With the strict observation of
administration application for rapid and respect and concern for dignity and welfare,
convenient data collection. the respondents sought informed consent
before the data collection. Based on this
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE
ethical consideration, respondents’
Since the study was conducted confidentiality, privacy, and anonymity are
during face-to-face classes, the data secured with the information they provide.
collection procedure transpired face-to-face. In line with this, respect for intellectual
Researchers asked permission from the property was observed as the cited authors
principal and assistant principal before were acknowledged correctly. These guided
starting the experimentation. In addition, the study in the accomplishment of its
the data from the respondents are carried objective.
through a Google Form survey by providing
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
a pre-test (PSS) and post-test (PSS) to the
experimental and control group Table 1: Mean of Stress Level of
respondents. The respondents were given a Experimental and Control Group.
notebook and a pen to start the journal
Experimental Group
writing for about 30 minutes. The
Pre- Description Post- Description
experimentation lasted a week from 12:00
Test Test
to 12:30 in the afternoon, with the
30.73 Moderate 25.93 Moderate
experimental group who received the
stress stress
intervention. Afterwards, the data collected
Control Group
from the researcher’s Google Form survey of
both groups are analyzed through the PSS Pre- Description Post- Description
scoring. Test Test
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
30.8 Moderate 28.87 Moderate reject significant
stress stress difference
Post-Test of Experimental and Control
Group
Table 1 shows the experimental and
P-value Decision Interpretation
control groups’ stress levels. This table
0.22 Do not There is no
illustrates that following the intervention,
reject significant
the Experimental group’s stress level was
difference
reduced from what it had been. However,
Pre-Test and Post-Test of Experimental
the Control group’s results remain
Group
unchanged from moderate stress. Based on
the PSS scoring as displayed in the table, it P-value Decision Interpretation
can be concluded that both groups are 0.04 Reject There is a
under moderate stress. significant
difference
As the world changes, new problems
Pre-Test and Post-Test of Control Group
occur, creating a higher barrier for
P-value Decision Interpretation
students, particularly in education.
0.46 Do not There is no
According to Rashid (2022), the shift to
reject significant
remote learning during the COVID-19
difference
pandemic severely affected students’ lives.
The upheaval students have gone through
over the past few years may have affected Table 2 states that the Experimental
their mental health now that learning has Group (EG) and Control Group (CG) reveal
returned to normal. Stress among students no significant difference based on the level
is increased by the uncertainty surrounding of stress. The independent samples t-test
their health as they return to class. Thus, statistics showed that the two groups were
the decline in students’ mental health not statistically different from each other if
continues after the lockdown, causing them the post-test results were considered
to feel moderate stress while studying (p<0.22). Nevertheless, the column of pre-
today. test and post-test of EG shows that the
P(T<=t) two-tail is less than the alpha value,
Table 2: An Overview of the Stress Level
which is 0.05. The means of the two trials
Before and After the Intervention.
differ by a statistically significant amount.
Pre-Test of Experimental and Control So, the difference is significant.
Group
The study of Krpan et al. (2013)
P-value Decision Interpretation
shows that people who wrote for just 20
0.98 Do not There is no
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
minutes a day for three consecutive days Moreover, there is no significant difference
had significantly lower depression scores between the pre-test and post-test of the
than their control counterparts just one day experimental group and the control group.
after the intervention. Also, consistent with On the other hand, there is a significant
earlier work, expressive writing reduced difference between the experimental group’s
depression scores among people diagnosed pre-test and post-test, but there is no
with current Major Depressive Disorder significant difference between the control
(MDD). group’s pre-test and post-test, which are
the exact results of the data.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
In addition, it is highly
The study focused on determining
recommended that the results of this study
journal writing’s effectiveness as a stress
may serve as a future goal and reference for
management technique in Bataan National
increasing public awareness about stress in
High School - Senior High School. This
Bataan National High School — Senior
study adapted the Perceived Stress Scale
High. Journal writing can only be employed
(PSS-14) to describe the respondents’ stress
effectively when respondents cooperated
level based on Sheldon Cohen’s 5-point
voluntarily and had a basic understanding
scale (0 = Never, 1 = Almost Never, 2 =
of the research topic. Therefore, the granted
Sometimes, 3 = Fairly often, 4 = Very often).
consents might shed some light on this
The respondents’ levels of Stress were
particular matter.
classified as Low Stress (scores 0-18),
Moderate Stress (scores 19-37), and High The value of journal writing as a
Stress (scores 38-56). Furthermore, from stress management strategy benefits
the combined results garnered, Moderate students and others. The school’s head of
Stress is the most general stress level. faculty or the counselor may be informed
about the journal writing process, its
The study revealed that the level of
advantages, and when it can be utilized
Stress in experimental groups and control
effectively. Assessing more time and weeks
groups before and after the intervention
may be needed for this study in order to
indicated that journal writing is effective as
achieve conventional results and to analyze
a stress management strategy. Also, the
the experimentation further. An extension
experimental group’s stress level was
of this study may concentrate on the
reduced from what it had been, while the
perceptions of the next researcher that will
control group’s results remained
come up with this topic to confirm whether
unchanged from Moderate Stress. This
different methods can be helpful in how
shows that both groups fall under moderate
they will use journal writing as a stress
stress levels based on PSS-14 scoring.
management strategy. Moreover, it is
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
strongly advised that finding respondents
willing to participate in this experiment is
one of the essential things the researchers
should consider. In this sense, the journal
writing strategy may continue to be
enhanced by the other researcher and will
be objectively based on the actual needs of
those who will use it.
This study may also be conducted
across other schools. The researchers
recommended that further studies be
carried out on students from other students
and faculties to see whether there are
any similarities in the findings. Besides
this, aside from journal writing, future
researchers could also explore the different
types of stress management reduction as
another intervention or study to determine
the adequate stress management
technique. It is also suggested to set more
time instead of 30 minutes and two or more
weeks instead of only one week for
journaling. The participants in this study
may also have access to a quieter room to
jot down their notes peacefully. Lastly, it
could be a good idea to look at the
advantages of the stress management
strategy so that students, teachers, and
other schools can see how important it is in
reducing stress.
“ALPAS”: BATAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH JOURNAL
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