Perceived Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being of Non-Stem Students Enrolled in Stem Related Courses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19697017Keywords:
non-STEM students, academic stress, mental well-being, freshmen, higher educationAbstract
This study examined the perceived academic stress and mental well-being of non-STEM students enrolled in STEM major courses in higher education. The transition from non-STEM senior high school strands to rigorous STEM programs often presents unique challenges for freshmen students, prompting the need to understand how they cope with academic demands. Specifically, this research determined the Levels of Perceived Academic Stress, Mental Well-Being as well as the significant relationship between these two variables. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was utilized to systematically describe and correlate the variables among freshmen students who had taken non-STEM strands in senior high school and are currently enrolled in STEM-related courses. The study employed the total enumeration method. The survey questionnaires along with the information letter and consent form was distributed through Google form links and face-to-face administration. After the data was collected, tabulated, and statistically analysed, results showed that non-Stem students enrolled in STEM-related courses experienced high levels of Academic Stress as indicated by the accumulated Grand Mean which totals to 3.491. In contrast to this, the Mental Well-being results showed a total mean score of 3.26 which indicates that their mental well-being has been used positively and can improve. Moreover, Pearson’s Correlational Coefficient was employed and results showed a Pearson’s r value of .0791, which is close to zero, indicating a weak positive correlation between the two variables. Therefore, the null hypothesis of the study is accepted. These findings provide important insight for educational sectors seeking to develop targeted intervention that can reduce academic stress and to enhance the mental well-being of the students transitioning to STEM related courses.
References
Austria-Cruz, M. C. (2019). Academic Stress and coping Strategies of Filipino College Students in private and public universities in Central Luzon. International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science, 5(11), 03–607. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijaems.511.6
Barbayannis, G., Bandari, M., Zheng, X., Baquerizo, H., Pecor, K. W., & Ming, X. (2022). Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being in College Students: Correlations, Affected Groups, and COVID-19. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 886344. Https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886344
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, 2(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102915596714
Begum, A. (2023). Fear of failure and self-esteem as predictors of academic procrastination among college students. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 9(7), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.36713/epra13698
Busari, A. (2017). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY TYPES LEARNING STYLES, MOTIVATION, SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG DISTANCE LEARNERS IN IBADAN STUDY CENTER. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/THE-RELATIONSHIP-BETWEENPERSONALITY-TYPES,-STYLES
Christiansen, J., Qualter, P., Friis, K., Pedersen, S. S., Lund, R., Andersen, C. M., Bekker-Jeppesen, M., & Lasgaard, M. (2021). Associations of loneliness and social isolation with physical and mental health among adolescents and young adults. Perspectives in Public Health, 141(4), 226–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/17579139211016077
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Dy, M. R., & Espiritu-Santo, K. (2015). Stressors and stress responses of Filipino college students. Asia Life Sciences, 24(2), 737–759.
Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S. K., et al. (2025). The Healthy Minds Study: 2024–2025 national data report. Healthy Minds Network. https://healthymindsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2024-2025_HMS-National-Data-Report_Student.pdf
Kashdan, T. B., Rose, P., & Fincham, F. D. (2004). Curiosity and exploration: Facilitating positive subjective experiences and personal growth opportunities. Journal of Personality Assessment, 82(3), 291–305. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8203_05
Knowles, C., Shannon, S., Prentice, G., & Breslin, G. (2021). Comparing mental health of athletes and non-athletes as they emerge from a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3, Article 612532. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.612532
Md. Fajlay Rabbi, & Md. Sefatul Islam. (2024). The Effect of Academic Stress and Mental Anxiety among the Students of Khulna University. Edukasiana: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan, 3(3), 280–299. https://doi.org/10.56916/ejip.v3i3.723
Saleh, D., Camart, N., & Romo, L. (2017). Predictors of Stress in College Students. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00019
Sim, H.-S., & Moon, W.-H. (2015). Relationships between self-efficacy, stress, depression and adjustment of college students. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8(35). https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2015/v8i35/86802
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., Parkinson, J., Secker, J., & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5, Article 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-63
Perry, R. P., Hladkyj, S., Pekrun, R. H., & Pelletier, S. T. (2005). Perceived academic control and failure in college students: A three-year study of scholastic attainment. Research in Higher Education, 46(5), 535–569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-3364-4
Pham Thi, T. D., & Duong, N. T. (2024). Investigating learning burnout and academic performance among management students: a longitudinal study in English courses. BMC Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024 01725-6
Rožman, M., Vrečko, I., & Tominc, P. (2025). Psychological factors impacting academic performance among business studies’ students. Education Sciences, 15(2), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020121
Wagner, D., & Brahm, T. (2017). Fear of academic failure as a self-fulfilling prophecy. In E. Kyndt, V. Donche, K. Trigwell, & S. Lindblom-Ylänne (Eds.), Higher education transitions: Theory and research (pp. 13–30). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315617367-3
Yoong, D., & Saffari, N. (2019). Reframing students’ negative conceptions of failure: An action research. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp126-143
