LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:5 May 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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A Study to Assess English Language Related Academic Stress
among Students Who Have Moved To English Medium
from Vernacular Medium

Cynthia Milton, M.A. (Eng.), M. Phil. (Eng.), B.Ed.

Abstract

The present highly competitive world throws many new academic challenges to the current generation. Crossing these barriers to acquire the expected academic performance is a highly stressful scenario. These academic stressors have a destructive effect on the psychological and physical well being of the students. English, the lingua Franca, defines the success of their learning outcomes. English ability is an important factor that influences the academic performance. In India, with all the teaching – learning and assessment process being preferably done in English, attaining the expected standard to attain a hassle free communication both in the class rooms and in the examinations is essential. Many students who have had studied in regional language and have had little exposure to English learning are likely to suffer from academic stress due to lack of expected English ability when they are changed to English medium of learning. The present study is an assessment done to identify level of English language related academic stress.

The sample consists of students who have moved to English medium from vernacular medium and have verbalized stress on interaction. An assessment of their English Language related academic stress was done using a modified version of the Scale for Assessing Academic Stress (SAAS) constructed by Dr. Uday K. Sinha, et al., Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. The tool is a self report assessment for indicators of stress. On receiving the willingness from the participants, a vernacular translated copy of the tool was administered individually along with a proforma to collect the basic demographic details. The different aspects of language associated academic stress such as performing examination in English, performing learning tasks in English, teacher – student relationship, peer relationship were identified.

The results of the study show that all participants, 28 had expressed language related academic stress, with most of them, 17 (61%) falling into the category of mild and 6 (24%) facing severe stress and 4(14%) with moderate stress while only 1(3%) had admitted of very severe stress.

Proper identification of English language related academic stress is important to combat further consequences such as anxiety, depression and to lead them to a better coping strategy.

Keywords: English language related academic stress, students.

Introduction

Schooling and learning in yesteryears could have been a much more joyful and less stress creating experience. Students’ learning was more for the sake of self enrichment and less for the sake of personal achievements. The present highly competitive world throws many new academic challenges to the current generation. Constant exposure to academic commitments, heavier homework load, financial pressures, assessments, competitions and challenges batter the students with new stressors that were unseen before. Also, worrying about entry into a good course and need for sufficient credits to qualify them pressurizes many students. Stressors are defined as a situation that disturbs the day to day functioning which needs adjustment (Auerbach & Grambling, 1998). Similarly, a study done by Krishan Lal on the academic stress among adolescent in relation to intelligence and demographic factors academic stress defines academic stress as “a mental distress with respect to some anticipated frustration associated with academic failure or even unawareness to the possibility of such failure.” (2014)

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Cynthia Milton
Senior Lecturer in English
Department of AHS
Sri Ramachandra University
Chennai – 600116
Tamilnadu
India
mcm2@rediffmail.com
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