Academic Expectations Stress Research Articles

The Role of Attitude toward Mathematics, Fear of Negative Evaluation and Stress Level for Academic Expectations in Predicting Mathematics Achievement

The aim of this study is to determine to what extent the emotional factors such as attitude, fear of negative evaluation and stress level for academic expectations predict students’ mathematics achievements. In this quantitative study a prediction research design, type of correlational design, was used to anticipate results by using particular variables as predictors. The study was conducted on 352 middle school students attending a middle school in Bursa. Students’ mathematics scores, Mathematics Attitude Scale (MAS), Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale Short Form (FNES) and Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI) were used for data collection. In order to determine participants’ level of attitude toward mathematics, fear of negative evaluation and stress level for academic expectations descriptive statistics were used. Secondly to compare participants’ score on three measurements according to their gender, class level, and mathematics scores, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed. According to results gender did not make a significant difference on mathematics attitude, fear of negative evaluation and stress level separately, as well. Class level increases, students’ positive attitudes towards mathematics decreases. Students with high mathematics scores had significantly more positive feelings towards mathematics than students with low mathematics scores. The results of correlation analysis indicated that mathematics success was significantly and positively associated to mathematics attitude while it was significantly and negatively associated to fear of negative evaluation and stress for academic expectations.

Effects of Academic Expectations Stress on Academic Achievements

High academic expectations tend to be one of most significant features of Asian families, compared to non-Asian families. Parents expectations for high academic achievement of their children leads to high academic stress on students. Academic expectation stress (AES) is an important variable that reflects on-campus students mental state. However, relatively few studies specifically examine the impact of AES. Thus, the present study focuses on the effect of AES on academic achievements. Moreover, the relation between family educated level and academic achievements is also examined. The statistics are collected by questionnaires, and differences between groups were analyzed. Results show that academic expectation stress might affect academic achievement. In addition, family educated level might also have an impact on academic achievements. The results emphasize the influence of AES on students. Future research could focus on whether stress-relieving interventions are effective in reducing students academic expectation stress levels. Educators should focus on helping students develop reasonable academic expectations to avoid the effects of stress.

Academic Expectations and Well-Being in School Children

The current study aimed to explore health behaviour, quality of life and well-being in older children in relation to social background, parental academic socialisation and academic expectation stress, and the role of emerging constructs of self-compassion and psychological capital as potential protective factors. A survey was administered to a sample of 373 children (150 males and 223 females) aged between 11 and 15 years. Children were assessed on academic expectations stress, home and social background, parenting experience, psychological capital, self-compassion, health behaviour, well-being and quality of life. Academic expectation stress was inversely predictive of well-being and quality of life and through its impact on self-compassion and psychological capital, to health behaviour. Findings from this study would suggest that positive psychology interventions to build self-compassion and psychological capital may be efficacious in reducing the negative impact of academic expectation stress in children.

Adölesanlarda Akademik Beklentilere İlişkin Stres ile Reçetesiz Ürün Kullanımı Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi: Analitik Kesitsel Çalışma

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the stress experienced by adolescents in relation to their academic expectations and the use of nonprescription products. Material and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional research design was employed. Simple randomization was utilized to select the participants who included 707 students from science, social science, vocational, and Anatolian high schools. The participants completed the Adolescent Information Form, Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: No significant statistical relationship was found in any of the subscales of the MSPSS and AESI (p>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed usage of red/green prescribed medication, nonprescription medication, and medication acquired from friends was high among those participants who were unable to talk about their problems to their families. Considering the relationship between environmental factors and adolescent's nonprescription medication usage; presence of friends using medication, vitamin supplements, and nonprescription medication product use was found to increase the risk of nonprescription medication usage among the participants. Furthermore, usage of nonprescription medication was high among those who attended science and Anatolian high schools. Conclusion: Approximately 10% of adolescents was consumed tea/coffee above the daily safe dose. The use of products in the immediate vicinity was increased the risk of vitamin supplement use. Test anxiety was increased the risk of usage of nonprescription medication. School type and grade level were effective for adolescents usage of nonprescription drugs, drugs acquired from friends and take vitamin supplements.

Role of Peer Relations and Family System on Academic Expectations Stress among Adolescents

The present study explored the role of peer relations and family system on academic expectations of adolescents. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant relationship among peer relations, family system and academic expectations of adolescents. A sample of 364 adolescents, boys (n=139) and girls (n=225) with the age range of 15-19 years was taken from different universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Measures included Academic Expectations Stress Inventory by Ang and Huan (2006), and Index of Peer Relations by Hudson (1982), with use of correlational method. Results suggested significant correlation among study variables. A positive correlation of academic expectations was found with peer relations. Results showed non-significant difference in study variables with respect to gender. Regression analysis revealed that 23% variance was produced by peer relations in academic expectations. Results of One Way ANOVA showed significant difference between nuclear and joint family adolescents on peer relations, others expectations and self-expectations.

Examining test anxiety in terms of academic expectations stress and motivation to study

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the exam anxiety level of middle school students, their academic expectations stress, and level of motivation to study lesson. The study group consisted of 364 (184 female and 180 male) 7th and 8th grade secondary school students. Three instruments were used for data collection; Academic Expectations Stress Inventory, Motivation to Study for Adolescences Scale and Exam Anxiety Scale. Exam anxiety was chosen as dependent variable while academic expectations stress and motivation to study lesson were set as independent variables. In the current study, the relationship between variables was examined by Pearson correlation coefficient and whether independent variables predict dependent variable or not was tested by multiple regression analysis. As a result of correlational analysis, a positive and significant relationship was observed between teacher/parental expectations, self-expectations, amotivation and exam anxiety. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation were not associated with exam anxiety. As a result of regression analysis, it was concluded that family/teacher expectations, self-expectations, amotivation, and extrinsic motivation significantly predicted exam anxiety.

Stress regarding academic expectations, career exploration, and school attachment: The mediating role of adolescent–parent career congruence

The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of adolescent–parent career congruence in the relationships between academic expectations stress and school attachment, and academic expectations stress and career exploration. Data were collected from a sample of 476 adolescents. This study found that adolescent–parent career congruence predicted career exploration and school attachment, academic expectations stress predicted school attachment, but academic expectations stress did not predict career exploration. The results suggested that the relationship between academic expectations stress and school attachment, and academic expectations stress and career exploration, were partially mediated by adolescent–parent career congruence.

The Effects of Personal Susceptibility and Social Support on Internet Addiction: an Application of Adler’s Theory of Individual Psychology

The aim of the present study was to examine the addictive effects of personal susceptibility and social support from family, friends, and significant other on Internet addiction. In this study, 207 medical students completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Young’s Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet addiction. Participants were recruited via simple random sampling technique. Personal susceptibility variables such as loneliness, academic stress due to other expectations, and academic stress due to self-expectations were significantly positively correlated to, and all domains of social support were significantly negatively correlated to, Internet addiction. After adjusting for demographic variables, social support emerged as a significant predictor of Internet addiction in the hierarchical regression analysis. In support of Adler’s individual psychology theory, the present findings suggest that social support from family is a valuable adjunct to prevention and intervention programs aimed at alleviating Internet addiction in medical students.

A Cross-National Validation of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory With Chinese and Korean High School Students

The current study provided evidence for the factor structure of the Academic Expectation Stress Inventory (AESI) in a sample of 213 Mainland Chinese and 184 South Korean high school students. We examined cross-national invariance of the AESI using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis across two Asian cultural samples. Results suggested a unidimension rather than two-factor structure (self and teachers/parents) in both settings. Results also showed evidence of reliability, convergent validity (significant correlations with depression, emotional exhaustion, and cynicism), and divergent validity (nonsignificant correlations with amotivation and efficacy reduction). ANCOVA results indicated that perceived overall academic expectation stress was significantly higher among Mainland Chinese students than for their South Korean counterparts. Furthermore, there were no differences between males and females for the Korean adolescents while females reported higher expectation scores than males in the Chinese adolescent sample.

Validation of the internalization of the Model Minority Myth Measure (IM-4) and its link to academic performance and psychological adjustment among Asian American adolescents.

There is limited research examining psychological correlates of a uniquely racialized experience of the model minority stereotype faced by Asian Americans. The present study examined the factor structure and fit of the only published measure of the internalization of the model minority myth, the Internalization of the Model Minority Myth Measure (IM-4; Yoo et al., 2010), with a sample of 155 Asian American high school adolescents. We also examined the link between internalization of the model minority myth types (i.e., myth associated with achievement and myth associated with unrestricted mobility) and psychological adjustment (i.e., affective distress, somatic distress, performance difficulty, academic expectations stress), and the potential moderating effect of academic performance (cumulative grade point average). Results suggested the 2-factor model of the IM-4 had an acceptable fit to the data and supported the factor structure using confirmatory factor analyses. Internalizing the model minority myth of achievement related positively to academic expectations stress; however, internalizing the model minority myth of unrestricted mobility related negatively to academic expectations stress, both controlling for gender and academic performance. Finally, academic performance moderated the model minority myth associated with unrestricted mobility and affective distress link and the model minority myth associated with achievement and performance difficulty link. These findings highlight the complex ways in which the model minority myth relates to psychological outcomes.

The Role of Optimism, Self-Esteem, Academic Self-Efficacy and Gender in High-Ability Students

Optimism is a positive psychological trait which may help individuals to cope with stressful and adverse situations. This study examined the associations of dispositional optimism, academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, and gender on high-ability students’ stress perception of academic expectations. 298 high-ability senior high school students in Singapore participated in this study by completing a self-report questionnaire. Results revealed a significant negative association between optimism and academic stress perception among students. There were significant variations among variables, gender, self-esteem, academic self-efficacy and dispositional optimism, in predicting the two dimensions of academic expectations stress among high-ability adolescents. Possible explanations for the results were suggested and implications of the findings were discussed.

Parents/teachers and self-expectations as sources of academic stress

This study investigated expectations as sources of academic stress specifically among college freshmen. A total of 597 college freshmen enrolled in a state college in the Philippines during the First Semester of School Year 2011-2012 were asked to respond to the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI). AESI is a nine-item inventory with two domains: expectations of parents/teachers and expectations of self. This study specifically dealt on the responses to expectations as sources of academic stress and whether male and female college freshmen differed with reference to perceived parents/teachers’ expectations, self-expectations, and academic expectations in general. Statistical analyses revealed that the means of responses of the college freshmen to the items in the AESI ranged from 3.091 to 3.746 with 1 as the minimum and 5 as the maximum response in every item. Also, male and female college freshmen significantly differed in perceived parents/teachers’ expectations, self-expectations, and academic expectations in general.

The Link between Academic Achievement and Academic Expectations Stress

Academic achievements as reflected in the General Weighted Averages (GWAs) of 412 high school students from a state college in the Philippines were correlated with their scores in the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI). This was done to see if link exists between GWAs and AESI scores. GWA is the average of grades in all subjects taken, whether passed or failed and serves as an indicator of students’ academic achievement in a given school year. It is reflected in the report cards of high school students. On the other hand, AESI is a nine-item inventory with two domains: expectations of teachers/parents and expectations of self. Statistical analyses showed that there are positive significant relationships between GWAs and scores in the AESI and are significant at the 0.01 and 0.05 levels.

Academic expectations as sources of stress in Asian students

Education is highly valued in Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) countries such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea but the expectations of parents, teachers and students themselves to excel academically can also be a source of intense stress for many students. The Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI), developed by Ang and Huan (Educ Psychol Meas 66: 522–539, 2006) to measure parent, teacher and self expectations as sources of academic stress in Asian adolescents, was administered to 176 Singaporean secondary and college students one month before their major examinations. Rasch analyses of the students’ responses to the AESI showed the nine items in the inventory formed a robust unidimensional scale of academic stress, with two separate unidimensional subscales of Expectations of Parents and Teachers and Expectations of Self complementing the factor analysis conducted by Ang and Huan (Educ Psychol Meas 66: 522–539, 2006). The item thresholds showed the AESI measured the student trait range adequately, and affirmed the inventory as a brief yet valid measure of academic stress for Asian students from a CHC background. The AESI is a valuable tool for teachers and researchers, as it provides an understanding of the role of parents, teachers and self expectations as sources of academic stress among students from a CHC background.

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2009)

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2009)

Cross-cultural invariance of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory: Adolescent samples from Canada and Singapore

We provide further evidence for the two-factor structure of the 9-item Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI) using confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 289 Canadian adolescents and 310 Singaporean adolescents. Examination of measurement invariance tests the assumption that the model underlying a set of scores is directly comparable across groups. This study also examined the cross-cultural validity of the AESI using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis across both the Canadian and Singaporean adolescent samples. The results suggested cross-cultural invariance of form, factor loadings, and factor variances and covariances of the AESI across both samples. Evidence of AESI's convergent and discriminant validity was also reported. Findings from t-tests revealed that Singaporean adolescents reported a significantly higher level of academic stress arising from self expectations, other expectations, and overall academic stress, compared to Canadian adolescents. Also, a larger cross-cultural effect was associated with academic stress arising from other expectations compared with academic stress arising from self expectations.

The impact of adolescent concerns on their academic stress

The objective of this study was to examine the contributing role of the different aspects of adolescent concerns on the academic stress of youths in Singapore. Data was obtained using two self‐report measures: the Adolescent Concerns Measure and the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory. The study examined four different aspects of adolescent concerns namely: family, personal, peer and school concerns. Gender differences were also explored in terms of these predictions as well as the academic stress experienced by the adolescents. Results obtained showed that only the scores on the Personal Concerns subscale were positively associated with the academic stress arising from self and other expectations, in both adolescent boys and girls. For the girls, school‐related concerns were also predictive of academic stress arising from other expectations. They also obtained significantly higher scores on the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory than boys did. Possible explanations for the obtained results were suggested and implications of the findings were also discussed.

Factorial Structure and Invariance of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory Across Hispanic and Chinese Adolescent Samples

Using confirmatory factor analysis, the current study provided further evidence for the two-factor structure of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory [AESI; Ang RP, Huan VS (2006) Educ Psych Meas 66:522-539] using a sample of 191 US Hispanic adolescents and a sample of 211 Singapore Chinese adolescents. This study also examined the cross-cultural validity of the AESI using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the invariance of the factor structure of the AESI across both samples. Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analysis suggested that while partial invariance was observed across the samples, the consistency of fit indices indicating either no change or a minimal loss of fit between the unconstrained basic model and the partially constrained models, provided support that partial invariance was acceptable. Analyses of covariance results indicated that perceived overall academic stress and academic stress arising from self-expectations were significantly higher among Singapore Chinese adolescents compared with US Hispanic adolescents.

Academic Expectations Stress Inventory

This article describes the development and initial validation of obtained scores from the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI), which measures expectations as a source of academic stress in middle and high school Asian students. In the first study, exploratory factor analysis results from 721 adolescents suggested a nine-item scale with two factors—Expectations of Parents/Teachers (five items) and Expectations of Self (four items). The data also revealed initial evidence of the reliability of AESI’s scores. Initial estimates of convergent validity for AESI’s scores were also reported. In the second study, data from 387 adolescents were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis that provided support for the factor structure derived from the first study. In the third study, data from 144 adolescents yielded evidence of AESI scores’ test-retest reliability. Additional evidence of AESI’s internal consistency estimates as well as convergent and discriminant validity for AESI’s scores were also provided.