STRESS OF DALAT UNIVERSITY ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN

This research could not have been completed without the help, encouragement, and support of a number of people who all deserve my sincere appreciation. First of all, I would like to express my special thanks to Dr. Nguyen Tat Thang who inspired me to complete this study. He not also supplied me with useful knowledge, but also proposed the topic of my research. Secondly, this research could not have been finished without the help of eighty English major freshmen. With their assistance, theirquestionnaires were completed on time, from which I obtained valuable information to support my research. Thirdly, I am grateful to my classmates from AVK35A who gave me encouragement during this research period. Fourthly, I would like to give my sincere thanks to Mr. Nguyen Van Chuc, a librarian at the University of Dalat, who helped me find necessary reference materials. Lastly, my gratitude is extended to all of my teachers in Faculty of Foreign Languages because they were my source of meaningful, useful, and necessary knowledge. Thanks to their effective lessons, I completed this research quickly and productively.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYỄN THỊ BÍCH PHƯƠNG STRESS OF DALAT UNIVERSITY ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN Da Lat, December 2014 UNIVERSITY OF DALAT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYỄN THỊ BÍCH PHƯƠNG Student’s ID: 1111326 STRESS OF DALAT UNIVERSITY ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN Name of supervisor: Nguyễn Tất Thắng, Ph.D Da Lat, December 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research could not have been completed without the help, encouragement, and support of a number of people who all deserve my sincere appreciation First of all, I would like to express my special thanks to Dr Nguyen Tat Thang who inspired me to complete this study He not also supplied me with useful knowledge, but also proposed the topic of my research Secondly, this research could not have been finished without the help of eighty English major freshmen With their assistance, theirquestionnaires were completed on time, from which I obtained valuable information to support my research Thirdly, I am grateful to my classmates from AVK35A who gave me encouragement during this research period Fourthly, I would like to give my sincere thanks to Mr Nguyen Van Chuc, a librarian at the University of Dalat, who helped me find necessary reference materials Lastly, my gratitude is extended to all of my teachers in Faculty of Foreign Languages because they were my source of meaningful, useful, and necessary knowledge Thanks to their effective lessons, I completed this research quickly and productively ABSTRACT Everyone experiences stress at certain times, adults or children, intellectual labor or manual labor and so on Especially freshmen, how to keep balance between studying and other things like love, family, friendship is a hard thing This study attempts to identify the reasons and difficulties that make freshmen become stressed and the effects of stress on Dalat University English major freshmen Data is collected from questionnaire and interview.80 students coming from AVK38 were interviewed in depth Data was obtained through the analysis of responses to their questionnaires from AVK38A,AVK38B, AVK38C, AVK38D, and the number of interviewees was 10 The findings show that not only students from remote hometown, ethnic groups, and female students are stressed more than the other students, but also reveal the positive attitudes of these stressed students Finally, the researchindicates possible solutions to the identified problems, including suggestions to freshmen on how to decrease their stress TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES Introduction 1.1 Rationale Nowadays, stress is common among college students Specifically, freshmen were found to have higher academic stress levels than sophomores, juniors and seniors (Misra, McKean,West, and Russo (2000) Probable causes weresignificant changes from adolescence to adulthood, the newly matriculated students encountering problems such as the lack of rigid school regulations, a new living style, professor and classroom environment, and grade competition, among other factors Studentstress has been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including effects on general and health-related quality of life (Damush, Hays, & DiMatteo, 1997) Being stressed every day leads to decline in study and workperformance, so it is necessary for freshmen to learnhow to adjust to their new environment If they cannot, they will lose their enthusiasm for learning and they will not be as successful in their academic and personallife Concern about the outcome for these students motivated this researcher to select “Stress of Dalat University English major freshmen” as a research topic, aimed atexplaining the primary sourcesof their stress From there, the researcher hopes toprovide suggestions to help correctthis complicated issue 1.2 Aims of the research When students are stressed, they experience worry and fatigue When exhausted, their lifestyle can change, which may then result in illness First, the research is carried out to ascertain the reasons why freshmen are stressed Significant causes to be examined are study habits, new living styles, classroom environment, and balancing relationships Second, the research is to determinehow strongly stress influences freshmen study abilities.From the research, the researcher will extract the special effects of stress that affect freshmen health Finally, the researcher will propose solutions to the identified problems and make recommendations, such asspecialized orientation for freshmen before they start their new life at Dalat University 1.3 Research questions The research questions for this study are as follows: What are the main reasons and the effects of stress on freshmen? How can stressed students overcome stress? 1.4 Scope of studies Due to the limitation of time, and the insufficiency in the number of researchers, the research cannot cover all students and was only carried out in 80 students from classes The focus of this research are freshmen K38 majoring in English Moreover, the number of males in the faculty of foreign languages is less than the number of females, and may lead to insufficient information on male students’ stressors The data focuses on factors that cause students to feel stressed when adapting to a new environment 1.5 The significance of the research This research is significant for freshmen of the Faculty of Foreign Languages When provided with knowledge on why students get stressed, it is hoped that they will have the ability toprepare for and manage difficult situations that they willencounter at Dalat University Freshmen can be like “fish out of water” when learning to cope with a new environment The teachers and the Student Union of the Faculty of Foreign Languages will be available to help them in this process In addition, the result of this research will provide information for them to find effective solutions to improve their study methods, health, and relationships around them Therefore, this study willbe useful for all students, especially the freshmen,to learn stress reductionskillsbefore they first arrive to study in this University Literature review 2.1 Introduction This part presents an overview of the research related to the reasons freshmen become stressed, the basic theory underlying the rationale for this study Many technical terms and concepts used in this section are also used in the following sections 2.2 Definition In general, there have many definition of stress and it hasn’t been defined similarly For example, according to Jones (2001) defined stress as “ a source of negative conditions experienced by people of all ages from a variety of cultures ” Another definition of stress, Lazarus and Folkman (1986), defined as “ stress is considered to be a physiological reaction of an organism where diverse defense mechanisms come into play in order to confront a situation which is perceived as threatening or of increased demand ”.As Wikipedia indicates that stress also is “a negative condition or a positive condition that can have an impact on a person's mental and physical well-being” (Wikipedia (a), 2013).College students often become stresses in their lives From being away from home, to dealing with new relationships, feeling the pressure of obtaining high grades, even having a job, students find themselves stressed very easily According to WebMD.com, “ stress is a symptom that makes hormones speed up your heart, makes you breathe faster, and gives you a burst of energy” The National Institute of Mental Health reported: There are at least three different types of stress, according to the National Institute of Mental Health First, there is routine stress, which is related to the pressure of daily responsibilities, including work, school and family The next type of stress is brought on by a sudden negative change, such as illness, losing a job, or the drastic change or end to a relationship The third type is traumatic stress, which happens when a person is in danger of some sort, for example, a major accident or a natural disaster (The National Institute of Mental Health, n.d) 2.3 Review of related research on causes of freshmen stress My research focuses on stressors of freshmen in Dalat University The research’s subject is English major freshmen who began their studies at the University of Dalat in 2014 Previous research related to my research as follows Kohn and Frazer (1986); Ross et al (1999) and Archer, Lamnin (1985) carried out a study of the reasons for freshmen stress This research found that “freshmen frequently reported their significant academic stressors to be excessive workload, exams, grades, and professor characteristics” One of the reasons students feel stressed is that they have many exams every month and their lectures gave them unclear course objective or equivocal assignments Moreover, they feel pressure to obtain high grades Dyson & Renk (2006) analyzed that freshmen perceive neither themselves to be adolescents nor adults Therefore, freshmen are very susceptible and in an unfamiliar environment, they need the sense of protection and support from the locals In particular, ethnics and students who come from other places are more vulnerable than the locals because they have to deal with establishing new relationships and a new living style 2.4 Review of related researches on effects of freshmen stress The report from the Fall 2010 was revealing in terms of trends inhealth and stressors Students' perception of their own mental health has been on a steady decline In 2010, males and females' perception of their own emotional health hit the lowest marks in twenty five years, decreasing approximately 13% for both males and females from 2009 to 2010.(The American Freshman National Norms, n.d) Because of stress, freshmen encounter depression, absent-mindedness, and more hassles In addition, Lazarus and Folkman (1984) claimed that each individual perceives and copes with stress in different ways Freshmenstress depends on whether an event is appraised as a challenge or a threat Challenging stimulus can lead to positive outcomes such as motivation and improved task performance, while threatening ones or distress can result in anxiety, depression, social dysfunction and even suicidal intention Therefore, when students feel stressed, they have to deal with mental instability and are unable to focus on their studies in their new environment 10 In summary, resting students’ body helps them be more relaxed and less stressed during the day 4.3.3 Enjoy music Music fuels the mind and our creativity A Creative mind has the ability to make discoveries and create innovations Listening to music exercises not onlystudents’ creativity but also their intellect Listening to soothing music, spending time with melodious songs and dancing with close friends are all ways to really relax If a student’s mind is pulled to the things that stress them, they aren’t really relaxed, so they should take time to be absolutely quiet every day In the part F of the interview, a girl said that “there’s only so much time in this life Every moment of it is precious Make it all count When you do, you’ll find you have less stress, fewer physical problems, and that you’re more productive Look for the good and sweet things in every situation.” Therefore, being gentle with themselves can help students overcome stress easily 26 Conclusion 5.1 Recapitulation The research is conducted to find the reasons that make freshmen become stressed and the effects of stress on Dalat University English major freshmen It is also attempt to explain the reasons for difficulties that make the student feel stressed and how stress affects the freshmen’s health University students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress due to the transitional nature of their new lives They must adjust to being away from home for the first time, maintain a high level of academic achievement, and adjust to a new social environment It can also lead to loneliness, changes in sleep and eating habits, which can be bad for their health The researcher makes an attempt to collect methods to help student get rid of stress and recommend solutions for the problem The results of the research were collected from questionnaires and interviews 12 questions were asked of 80 freshmenand the interview with parts were conducted with 10 freshmen in Dalat University According to all statistics presented, the researcher realized that the main reasons for students’ stress are workload, curriculum, study methods, friends and families Most freshmen expressed that it is hard to make friends with a person that they met only a few times Autonomous study is also a big problem for freshmen They cannot keep up with the curriculum in Dalat University if they are not used to studying by themselves They also have trouble with their health when they get stressed Various unpleasant effects, such as throbbing headaches, irritability, tense neck and shoulders, dry mouth and butterflies in the stomach Stress can progress to cold and flu, cancer, and depression Based on results mentioned, the researcherdiscoveredpositive suggestions to help freshmen students overcome difficulties when they meetfor the first time they come to 27 Dalat University, as well as methods to reduce stress Hopefully, the solutions that researcher shows below will help freshmen decrease their stress, get along in the new environment, and study as best as they can 5.2 Suggested solutions 5.2.1 Balancing relationships Dalat University should organize more activities for students to exchange information about their culture and lifestyles Students should have opportunities to become acquainted with, and become friends with students in other classes The Faculty of Foreign Language should organize practical skills classes such as living skills, communication skills, andadaptation skills because these these skills can help students learn how to make friends, how to shake hands, how to smile and how to communicate with strangers It’s certain that the more skills they gain, the better relationships they will enjoy 5.2.2 Study Students should prepare the lesson before they come to class because when they take time to make a preparation for next lesson, they can acquire knowledge more easily, and they improve their ability to keep up with teacher’s instructions Especially, students must review the lesson before going to class It helps them rearrange their knowledge and their recall of all of the knowledge that they learnt before This method helps students retain their knowledge longer and more cautiously The teacher should use 100% English when they teach in listening and speaking classes Vietnamese combined with English should be used in grammar and reading classes In addition, freshmen should make good relationships with their teachers, and if they have difficulties while studying, notify their teachers as soon as possible It’s the best way for students to improve their study and to get rid of stress 5.2.3 Curriculum 28 If students cannot change the curriculum in Dalat University, they should change themselves to adapt with new environment, and learn how to face new situations If they have too many assignments, they should make a schedule, planning what to on paper They must identify the subjects that put them under stress, and they make sure they understand why they become stressed so that they can avoid these circumstances 5.2.4 Health Every day, students should drink a lot of water, have breakfast on time, and make time for exercise because exercising regularly helps combat the negative effects of stress on their body Twenty to thirty minutes of moderate exercise three times a week is recommended for most students Managing their time wisely will also help them sleep better at night Prioritizing what theyneed to and write them down will help themkeep up with their responsibilities Moreover, studentsshould avoid smoking, alcohol, drugs and caffeine If they would like to have good health, they should sleep at least hours per day and enjoy life, such as hanging out with their friends, listening to music, and dancing Talking with friends is one of the most important things Students should discuss their stress with a trusted friend or family member because it can be effective in dealing with their stress Additional advice: to think positively, be optimistic, laugh a lot and enjoy life Stress is very dangerous, especially becausestudents are sensitive and vulnerable Every student should learn how to cope with stress and to have a memorable school life 29 REFERENCES MacMillan, A (2014).5 Weird Ways Stress Can Actually Be Good for You Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://news.health.com/2014/08/18/5-weird-ways-stresscan-actually-be-good-for-you/ Strike, A (2014) The benefits of stress.Retrieved November 18, 2014,fromhttp://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/04/15/the-benefits-of-stress/ Schuder, K (n.d) Statistics on College Student Stress.Retrieved November 18, 2014,from http://stress.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_College_Student_Stress Wofford, M (2012).6 Simple Solutions for Getting Rid of Stress.Retrieved November 18, 2014,from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224946 Sollenberger, S K (2007) Attachment, stress and academic persistence among incoming college freshmen.Retrieved November 25, 2014,from http://gradworks.umi.com/32/58/3258169.html Baker, N C (2012) Does daily meditation or coherent breathing influence perceived stress, stress effects, anxiety, or holistic wellness in college freshmen and sophomores? Retrieved November 25, 2014,from http://gradworks.umi.com/35/06/3506381.html Lewin, T (2011) Record level of stress found in college freshmen New York Times.Retrieved November 25, 2014,from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/education/27colleges.html?_r=0 Haupt, A (2011) Health buzz: College freshmen report record-high stress U.S.News & World Report.Retrieved November 25, 2014,from http://health.usnews.com/healthnews/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2011/01/28/health-buzz-collegefreshmen-report-record-high-stress Darragh, T (2011) How frazzled college freshmen can handle stress McClatchy Tribune Business.Retrieved November 25, 2014, from http://articles.mcall.com/2011-08-22/health/mc-college-freshmen-emotionalhealth-20110822_1_stress-freshmen-emotional-health Stafford, D (2011) College freshmen's stress levels intensifying, study finds Saint Paul Pioneer Press.Retrieved November 25, 2014, from 30 http://www.newsrecord.org/college-freshmen-s-stress-levels-intensifying-studyfinds/image_c8d00ca7-f2ee-5820-86d9-3896713c80f8.html Folkman, Schaefer, & Lazarus, (1979).Transactional view of tress Retrieved November 25, 2014, from http://scholar.google.com.vn/scholar?q=Folkman, +Schaefer+and+stress&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=cI2aVOmZD MqKuASpnoF4&ved=0CBgQgQMwAA 31 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE Reasons make you feel stressed I am students at the University of Dalat I am executing about difficulties of Dalat University English major freshmen (first year students) I would be grateful if you could help me complete the questions below All data will be used for the purpose of the study only and your information will be kept confidential Please circle the choice that most matches your answer If you choose “others”, please write your answer in detail PERSONAL DETAILS Grade:………………………………………… Age:………………………………………… Ethnic:………………………………………… Hometown:…………………………………… Genders: Male Female Do you often get stressed? a Often c Rarely b Sometimes d Never Which symptoms of stress influence on your behavior? a Overeating or under eating d Tobacco use b Anger outbursts e Social withdrawal c Drug or alcohol abuse To what extent you adapt to the local life style? a Very good b Good 32 c Acceptable d Terrible If you feel stressed, what will you do? a Walk out c Relax b Go to sleep d Others…………… Does workload put you under stress? a Yes b No Do you often make quarrel with your classmates? a Often c Rarely b Sometimes d Never What put you under stress? a Family c Workload b Friends d Others……………………… Do you think the curriculum is suitable for you? a Extremely suitable c Quite suitable b Suitable d Unsuitable How can you get rid of stress? a Hang out c Enjoy music b Restore your energy d Others……………………………… 10 Do you feel shocked when you live far away from your family? a Yes b No 11 When you get stressed, does it influence on your health? 33 a Yes b No 12 To what extent you get along well with your family? a Very good c Acceptable b Good d Terrible 13 Do you prepare your lesson before you go to school? a Yes b No 14 Which symptoms of stress influence on freshmen’s mood? a Anxiety d Irritability or anger b Restlessness e Sadness or depression c Lack of motivation or focus 34 PHỤ LỤC BẢNG CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA Những lý khiến bạn bị căng thẳng Tôi sinh viên học trường Đại Học Đà Lạt Tôi tiến hành điều tra khó khăn mà sinh viên năm khoa chuyên ngành ngoại ngữ gặp phải Tôi biết ơn bạn giúp tơi hồn thành bảng câu hỏi bê Mọi thông tin dùng vào mục đích nghiên cứu Các thơng tin cá nhân bạn giữ bí mật Vui lòng khoanh tròn câu trả lời cho câu hỏi đây.Nếu bạn chọn khác, vui lòng giải thích chi tiết THƠNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Lớp:………………………………………… Tuổi:………………………………………… Dân tộc:………………………………………… Quê quán:…………………………………… Giới tính:  Nam Nữ Bạn có thường bị căng thẳng khơng? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm d Không Triệu chứng việc bị căng thẳng ảnh hưởng đến thái độ bạn? a Ăn nhiều chán ăn b Giận c Lạm dụng thuốc rượu d Không muốn giao tiếp với bên ngồi Bạn thích nghi với sống ở mức độ nào? a Rất tốt b Tốt c Tạm d Tồi tệ Nếu bạn cảm thấy căng thẳng, bạn làm gì? a Đi dạo b Đi ngủ c Thư giãn d Khác…………………………… …………… 35 Khối lượng cơng việc nhiều có khiến bạn bị căng thẳng khơng? a Có b Khơng Bạn có thường tranh cãi với bạn lớp không? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm d Không Điều khiến bạn bị căng thẳng a Gia đình b Bạn bè c Cơng việc d Những thứ khác Bạn có nghĩ chương trình học phù hợp với bạn a Rất phù hợp b Phù hợp c Khá phù hợp d Không phù hợp Làm cách để bạn thoát khỏi căng thẳng a Đi b Nạp lại lượng c Nghe nhạc d Khác…………………………… 10 Bạn có cảm thấy hụt hẫng phải sống xa gia đình khơng? a Có b Khơng 11 Việc bạn bị căng thẳng có ảnh hưởng đến sức khỏe bạn khơng? a Có b Khơng 12 Bạn hịa hợp với gia đình mức độ nào? a Rất tốt b Tốt c Tạm d Tồi tệ 13 Bạn có chuẩn bị trước đến lớp khơng? a Có b Khơng 14 Triệu chứng việc bị căng thẳng ảnh hưởng đến tâm trạng bạn? a Lo lắng b Thao thức c Thiếu động lực d Cáu kỉnh bực bội e Buồn trầm cảm 36 f APPENDIX g INTERVIEW QUESTION LIST h DATE OF INTERVIEWEE: 15/12/2014 i GROUP OF INTERVIWEE: 10 STUDENTS A Friend j Do you like your classmate? Why? B Curriculum k Can you keep up with curriculum? Why? Why not? C Workload l Why you feel stress before the examination? m Do you understand your teacher when they speak English? D Lifestyle n Do you have trouble when you talk with Dalat local? E Effects of stress o How can stress affect your body? p Do you think low levels of stress make you have motivation to study? F The ways students get rid of stress q Which activities make you feel better when you get stressed? r s t u v PHỤ LỤC w BẢNG CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN x NGÀY PHỎNG VẤN: 15/12/2014 y NHÓM PHỎNG VẤN: 10 SINH VIÊN A Bạn z Bạn có thích bạn lớp khơng?Tại sao? B Chương trình học aa Bạn có theo kịp chương trình học khơng? Tại sao?Tại khơng? C Khối lượng công việc ab Tại bạn cảm thấy căng thẳng trước kỳ thi? ac Khi giáo viên bạn nói tiếng Anh bạn có hiểu khơng? D Phong cách sống ad Bạn có gặp rắc rối bạo nói chuyện với người xứ không? E Ảnh hưởng stress ae Căng thẳng ảnh hưởng đến thể bạn nào? af Căng thẳng mức độ vừa phải có thúc đẩy việc học bạn khơng? F Những cách giúp cho học sinh thoát khỏi căng thẳng ag Những hoạt động giúp bạn thoát khỏi căng thẳng? ah aj ak al am an ao ap .. .UNIVERSITY OF DALAT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYỄN THỊ BÍCH PHƯƠNG Student’s ID: 1111326 STRESS OF DALAT UNIVERSITY ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN Name of supervisor: Nguyễn... stress My research focuses on stressors of freshmen in Dalat University The research’s subject is English major freshmen who began their studies at the University of Dalat in 2014 Previous research... for freshmen 4.2 Effects ofstress on freshmen 4.2.1 Negative effects of stress 4.2.1.1 Common effects of stress on freshmen mood According to Damush, Hays, & DiMatteo (1997) claimed that stress