Effects of Stress on Learning

In addition, the students have also been faced with managing another identity in the digital world where social media has brought about stress-inducing comparisons, bullying, and gossip. Therefore, this paper will focus on evaluating the different ways in which stress has affected learning in schools. Stress is usually inevitable in life and has become part of our daily lives but it important to improve how we respond and change or avoid some situation that may create negative stress. It is important to note that stress is key for survival but too much stress consequently can be very detrimental. In the classroom environment, stress usually affects the likelihood of students in exhibiting problems in learning such as difficulties with flexibility, task persistence, and attentiveness (Pillay & Ngcobo, 2010).

It is important to note that the key word here is "little. " Studies indicate that when one is stressed out, the body usually releases certain chemicals to the brain that attempts at helping it to focus and also pushes the adrenaline into the bloodstream that consequently heightens the senses. When the senses are heightened, a person can hone in and focus on the task at hand (Schwabe et al. In addition, when the level of stress reaches a certain level, it consequently erodes the performance of students. For instance, the stress hormones such as the noradrenaline and cortisol reach high levels hence flooding the brain and shutdowns self-regulation. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens are supposed to sleep for at least eight hours to ensure they function at peak performance.

However, the foundation indicates that only an estimated 15 percent of teens can get an adequate amount of sleep. Therefore, poor sleep makes it more difficult to manage stress as well as negatively impacting problem-solving, memory, listening, learning and concentration in school. The second effect of excess stress on learning is that it makes students angrier. In most cases, stress is the culprit of students who are prone to bullying others. Another reaction is that stress triggers hostility. When a student is exposed to certain stressors from home or classroom environment, their instincts are stimulated hence in most cases they may start misconstruing other stimuli as possible stressors. This is the reason why you may find some students in school becoming irritable even to the slightest provocation and may rush out in self-defense due to frustrations.

This, in turn, may make one be hostile to even to his or her closest friends. Another possible effect of stress is that it may cause memory loss. At this point, the brain starts fighting against itself when you need to work hard. It is ironic that the feeling of having to work hard in school may be the main cause of stress for many students hence stress becomes a self –defeating cycle (Alzahem et al. As pointed out earlier, students are usually overwhelmed by the sheer amount of coursework they are supposed to cover and other personal commitments. When one is stressed the emotional reactions and attention are affected. In most cases, it may result into a headache, fatigue, irritability forgetfulness, insomnia and problems with digestion among other effects.

It is important for the educators to recognize that stress has a significant impact on the performance of the students not only academically but also socially hence work towards creating a calm and supportive school environment (Alzahem et al. Therefore, for students to excel academically, school administrators should have regular check-ins with their students and direct them to counselors or when necessary to mental health programs. The classroom environments where students conduct their learning may also influence the level of stress and consequently affect learning. It is evidenced that improved classroom environment usually improves the learning in schools and reduces the emotional problems that children exhibit in school. A classroom environment that lacks essential materials for learning, like textbooks, air conditioning, and inadequate heating may produce negative feelings in children.

Some of these functions comprise of our self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. In simple terms, these executive functions are very critical in reasoning, problem-solving, planning and regulating emotions and attention (Schwabe et al. Therefore, when students are experiencing excess stress, these functions are altered with hence affecting their academic performance and learning in schools. In addition, students who have emotional stress affects their emotional intelligence making it hard to convey their feelings, communicate and interact with other students in school. The effects of stress on learning can be so many. The type of stress that affects learning in schools is the academic stress which usually causes emotional and mental tension, stress or pressure that occurs due to the demands in the school life.

In addition, the various domestic factor may also cause problems for students in that the unpleasant atmospheres at home may affect the academic performance of students. Therefore, academic stress grows due to family environments, personal difficulties and academic difficulties which in turn leads to low academic performance and achievement in school. Therefore, it is important for students to manage their levels of stress to ensure that their academic performance is not affected. Students should avoid or manage stress by making use of coping strategies such as humor therapy, positive thinking, meditation and physical excursive. , & Alfaris, E. A. Stress and its effects on medical students: a cross-sectional study at a college of medicine in Saudi Arabia. Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 29(5), 516.