An Exploration of Students’ Perceptions of Academic Stress in Assignment Completion

Nurfarah Farhana binti Ismail, Ummi Rosyidah, Rachmelya Salsabila Firdausy, Fikri Dwi Oktafiani

Abstract


This study examined students’ perceptions of bibliographic annotation assignments and their relationship with academic stress and coping strategies. The study focused on students in the Library and Information Science Program at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, where bibliographic annotation constituted one of the core academic tasks. It aimed to explore how students understood the purpose of the assignment and how the task affected their psychological condition. A descriptive quantitative approach was employed, using a survey administered through an online questionnaire to 46 respondents. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the support of spreadsheet and statistical software. The findings showed that most students perceived bibliographic annotation assignments positively, particularly in supporting their understanding of course materials and improving their academic skills. However, several students also reported feeling burdened by the volume of assignments. The level of academic stress was generally moderate, with fatigue and anxiety emerging as the most common but manageable responses. In dealing with these demands, students predominantly used adaptive coping strategies, especially problem-focused coping and distraction coping. These findings indicated that positive perceptions of academic tasks did not entirely eliminate stress, but they could help students manage academic pressure more effectively. This study contributed to a better understanding of students’ perceptions, stress levels, and coping strategies in relation to academic assignments and offered insights for designing learning activities that are more responsive to student well-being.

Keywords


Academic Stress, Bibliographic Annotation, Coping Strategies, Student Perceptions

Full Text:

PDF

References


Acosta-Enriquez, B. G., Ballesteros, M. A. A., Valle, M. D. L. A. G., Angaspilco, J. E. M., Lalupú, J. D. R. A., Jaico, J. L. B., ... & Castillo, W. E. J. (2025). The mediating role of academic stress, critical thinking and performance expectations in the influence of academic self-efficacy on AI dependence: Case study in college students. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100381.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100381

AlHamlan, A. W., AlDhafiri, D. A., AlHajri, N. A., AlHouli, A. H., AlHubaidah, S. M., AlJassar, A. M., AlMutairi, N. N., AlRabiah, A. S., Al-Sultan, A. T., & Qasem, W. (2025). The impact of academic stress on the lifestyle of university students in Kuwait. BMC Public Health, 25, Article 2338. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23569-4

Alias, N. F., & Abdul Razak, R. (2023). Meeting the demands of higher education: Examining teaching and learning practices and academic challenges. Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE), 19(4), 796-811. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v19i4.24795

Ansari, S., Khan, I., & Iqbal, N. (2025). Association of stress and emotional well-being in non-medical college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 368, 200-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.029

Babayiğit, O., Büyükkalaycı, F. N., & Altun, S. (2024). The interplay of academic procrastination, self-generated stress, and self-reported bruxism among medical and dental students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 12, Article 586. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02105-w

Benítez-Agudelo, J. C., Restrepo, D., Navarro-Jimenez, E., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2025). Longitudinal effects of stress in an academic context on psychological well-being, physiological markers, health behaviors, and academic performance in university students. BMC Psychology, 13, Article 753. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03041-z

Bertilsson, J., Niehorster, D. C., Fredriksson, P. J., Dahl, M., Granér, S., Fredriksson, O., ... & Nyström, M. (2019). Stress levels escalate when repeatedly performing tasks involving threats. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1562. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01562

Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Drummond, S. (2017). Lazarus and Folkman's psychological stress and coping theory. The handbook of stress and health: A guide to research and practice, 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118993811.ch21

Blindheim, S., Eriksen, H. R., & Langjordet Johnsen, T. (2025). Balancing expectancies: Academic stress and coping in teacher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 49(8), 1148-1162. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2025.2539881

Charan, I. A., Chongjin, W., & Soomro, S. (2025). The relationship between academic stress, anxiety, and cognitive behavioral outcomes among young adults: The moderating role of prosocial behavior. Acta Psychologica, 258, 105234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105234

Chongjin, W., Charan, I. A., & Soomro, S. (2025). Examining the effects of academic stress, self-efficacy, cognitive-behavioral outcomes, psychological distress, and prosocial behavior: A moderated-mediation model. Brain and Behavior, 15(10), e70907. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70907

Cobzeanu, A., Opariuc-Dan, C., & Vrabie, T. (2025). How does academic stress affect academic learning? The mediating role of internet addiction and the role of alexithymia. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2559448. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2559448

Elizondo, K., Valenzuela, R., Pestana, J. V., & Codina, N. (2024). Self-regulation and procrastination in college students: A tale of motivation, strategy, and perseverance. Psychology in the Schools, 61(3), 887-902. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23088

Harris, L. R., Brown, G. T., & Dargusch, J. (2018). Not playing the game: Student assessment resistance as a form of agency. The Australian Educational Researcher, 45(1), 125-140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-018-0264-0

Herman, K. C., Reinke, W. M., & Eddy, C. L. (2020). Advances in understanding and intervening in teacher stress and coping: The Coping-Competence-Context Theory. Journal of school psychology, 78, 69-74. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.01.001

Jamieson, J. P., Hangen, E. J., Lee, H. Y., & Yeager, D. S. (2018). Capitalizing on appraisal processes to improve affective responses to social stress. Emotion Review, 10(1), 30-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917693085

Jochmann, A., Gusy, B., Lesener, T., & Wolter, C. (2024). Procrastination, depression and anxiety symptoms in university students: A three-wave longitudinal study on the mediating role of perceived stress. BMC Psychology, 12, Article 276. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01761-2

Kahn, J. H., Fishman, J. I., Galati, S. L., & Meyer, D. M. (2023). Perfectionism, locus of control, and academic stress among college students. Personality and Individual Differences, 213, 112313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112313

Kayaoğlu, M. N., Erbay, Ş., Flitner, C., & Saltaş, D. (2016). Examining students’ perceptions of plagiarism: A cross-cultural study at tertiary level. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(5), 682-705. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2015.1014320

Klinkenberg, E. F., & Kappe, R. F. (2025). The student well-being monitor: Identifying trends in higher education in The Netherlands. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2595362. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2595362

Kraimer, M. L., Shaffer, M. A., Bolino, M. C., Charlier, S. D., & Wurtz, O. (2022). A transactional stress theory of global work demands: a challenge, hindrance, or both?. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(12), 2197. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/apl0001009

Kusumoto, Y. (2018). Enhancing critical thinking through active learning. Language Learning in Higher Education, 8(1), 45-63. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2018-0003

Lynam, S., & Cachia, M. (2018). Students’ perceptions of the role of assessments at higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(2), 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1329928

Majerová, N., & Sokolová, L. (2025). Well-being and academic stress in higher education students: Interview and diary study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 20(1), 2602369.

https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2602369

McCarthy, C. J., Lambert, R. G., Lineback, S., Fitchett, P., & Baddouh, P. G. (2016). Assessing teacher appraisals and stress in the classroom: Review of the classroom appraisal of resources and demands. Educational Psychology Review, 28(3), 577-603. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s10648-015-9322-6

Mitchell, M. S., Greenbaum, R. L., Vogel, R. M., Mawritz, M. B., & Keating, D. J. (2019). Can you handle the pressure? The effect of performance pressure on stress appraisals, self-regulation, and behavior. Academy of management journal, 62(2), 531-552. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.5465/amj.2016.0646

Newman, R. S. (2023). Adaptive help seeking: A strategy of self-regulated learning. In Self-regulation of learning and performance (pp. 283-301). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203763353

O'Connor, P., Nguyen, J., & Anglim, J. (2017). Effectively coping with task stress: A study of the validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue–SF). Journal of personality assessment, 99(3), 304-314.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2016.1226175

Palmwood, E. N., & McBride, C. A. (2019). Challenge vs. threat: The effect of appraisal type on resource depletion. Current Psychology, 38(6), 1522-1529. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s12144-017-9713-6

Pérez-Jorge, D., Boutaba-Alehyan, M., González-Contreras, A. I., & Pérez-Pérez, I. (2025). Examining the effects of academic stress on student well-being in higher education. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, Article 449. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04698-y

Putranto, A. R. A., Damayanti, Y., & Takalapeta, T. (2025). Problem-Focused Coping in Student Academic Stress. Journal of Health and Behavioral Science, 7(2), 704-717. https://doi.org/10.35508/jhbs.v7i2.21288

Raper, M. J., Brough, P., & Biggs, A. (2024). Is it all about the personal resources? The moderating role of resilience on daily stress appraisal and emotion. Work & Stress, 38(3), 248-269. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/02678373.2023.2283217

Scheffert, A. H. M., & Henson, J. C. (2025). A grounded theory study of student coping and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover Psychology, 5, Article 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-025-00438-0

Vansoeterstede, A., Cappe, E., Ridremont, D., & Boujut, E. (2024). School burnout and schoolwork engagement profiles among French high school students: Associations with perceived academic stress and social support. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 34(3), 969-986. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12991

Waterhouse, P., & Samra, R. (2025). University students’ coping strategies to manage stress: A scoping review. Educational Review, 78(2), 127-167.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2438888

Waugh, C. E., Shing, E. Z., & Furr, R. M. (2020). Not all disengagement coping strategies are created equal: Positive distraction, but not avoidance, can be an adaptive coping strategy for chronic life stressors. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 33(5), 511-529. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1755820

Yan, L. (2025). Are effects of academic stress on students’ learning motivation and screen device usage consistent in different stressful scenarios? Acta Psychologica, 257, 105108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105108

Zhang, J., Xie, J., Jiang, S., & Wang, Y. (2025). The relationship between stress and academic burnout in college students: Evidence from longitudinal data on indirect effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1517920. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1517920




DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/pdgia.v23i3.99022

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


INDEXED BY

 width=

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Web
Analytics