With a strong research interest in the areas of science education and positive education, Dr Imelda Caleon is Principal Investigator of a newly awarded research project by the Office of Education Research that looks into the influence of stress mindsets on the well-being, resilience and school outcomes of adolescents. She hopes to utilize and develop approaches rooted in positive psychology to facilitate learners’ conceptual and mindset change, and build resources (emotional, psychological, social and cognitive) that can help learners, especially those identified to be at-risk, to thrive in school and beyond. In this interview, she shares with us more about the concept of “stress” in our young learners today and how it affects them.
How would you define “stress”?
Stress is a state during which the relationship between a person and his or her environment is disturbed or unfavourable. It usually occurs when someone perceives the demands of a situation exceed his or her available resources. Stress is also experienced when someone perceives that his or her valued personal resources are threatened. A related concept, which is coping, refers to the efforts or strategies used to change the unfavourable state to make it more favourable, at least in the way it appears to the person. For example, someone will feel stressed before taking an examination when he/she thinks that he/she does not have enough knowledge to do well in it. To cope with this unfavourable state, this person may spend longer time to study, or if that is not possible, may ask help from someone. Others may cope with this stressful situation by thinking that the examination may not be that difficult.
What kinds of stress are common in our youths today?
The typical forms of stress experienced by the youths of today are academic and relational in nature. Studies show that the most stressful domain of life for youths is the school. This is perhaps because a major proportion of their lives is spent in schools and a common yardstick that they use to represent success is academic performance. Problems that may thwart achievement of academic goals have been reported to be the most common source of stress for students. The youth, particularly those in the adolescent stage, also face greater strains in relationships. As they strive to be more autonomous, they begin to distance themselves from their parents and gravitate towards their peers. Many of them find difficulty in balancing these two forms of relationships. Others also experience difficulties in gaining peer acceptance.
Having worked with many adolescents in the line of your research work, in what ways does stress affect them?
The adolescent stage is considered as one of the most trying phases of life. During this period, students experience a barrage of physiological, social and psychological challenges, and experience heightened stress reactivity. Some review studies reveal that adolescents are more susceptible to stressors than adults and that the effects of stress during the adolescent stage are long-lasting. Recent brain-based studies also suggest that stress can impair memory and learning. Several studies linked high level of academic stress to various negative outcomes, such as poor health, depression, and poor academic performance. A few studies conducted in Singapore also support the negative effects of academic stress on students’ well-being and school outcomes.
However, stress need not be considered as a purely negative concept. A few studies also suggest the potential benefits of stress, such as in enhancing concentration, increasing performance and facilitating the development of resilience.
Why do you think this is an important area of research?
I think doing research on stress is valuable given the ubiquity of stress and its purported negative effects in the lives of adolescents. I am particularly interested in the situations during which stress may lead to productive outcomes.
My study focuses on the nature of stress experienced by adolescents and how they deal with stress. A relatively novel aspect of the study is its focus on the mindsets that students adopt about stress. Mindsets are beliefs or mental representations—they function as our lenses in viewing the world. Studies show that mindsets influence the way students set goals, and react or cope with obstacles to achieve their goals. Our research team intends to examine the link between students’ stress mindsets and how they tackle stress. The insights that our team can glean from this study are useful in supporting and guiding MOE’s efforts to support students in dealing with stress productively and accordingly promote better school and psychological outcomes.
SOURCE
https://www.nie.edu.sg/about-us/news-events/news/news-detail/researcher-in-the-spotlight-dr-imelda-caleon-office-of-education-research
