Exploring Perceived Parental Anxiety and Students’ Academic Stress at the Secondary School Level in Gujrat: A Diagnostic Study

Abstract

The current study covered the theme of parental anxiety and academic stress in high school students in Tehsil Gujrat. The levels, patterns, and intensity of their levels were analysed with the help of a quantitative diagnostic methodology. The population was all grade 10 students of the government high schools of District Jhelum, and 500 (250 boys and 250 girls) students were stratified randomly and selected among 20 schools. Parental anxiety and academic stress were measured with two self-constructed questionnaires on a five-point Likert scale. The two instruments were highly valid and reliable, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.921 and 0.901, respectively. The means of finding gender-based differences in response were the data analysis; the data analysis included descriptive statistics, analysis of class intervals, and t-tests. The results showed that most of the parents were found to have moderate to high anxiety, and most students were found to have high academic stress levels. The parents of female students were found to be more anxious than the parents of male students. However, there were no gender differences in student academic stress levels. The results indicate that parental anxiety is a key variable that characterizes the academic climate and may increase the stress level among the students. Schools should also consider creating parent counselling, student-parent-teacher workshops, and parent awareness programs.