Date of Award
8-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education, Leadership and Public Service
Program
Educational Instruction (MAE)
First Advisor/Chairperson
Dr. Sharon Bohjanen
Abstract
Students in secondary and post-secondary classrooms are openly exposed to stressors that can be considered impactful in their day-to-day lives.These stressors can be categorized as either “positive,” which serve as motivators, or “negative,” which often cause anxiety. In order to understand the stressors that students experience, students in a rural teacher education program at Northern Michigan University were asked to respond anonymously to a survey asking about stressors at the secondary and post-secondary levels. The survey was given to students enrolled in the Winter & Fall semesters of 2023, and the Winter semester of 2024. Students identified stressors from their secondary setting retrospectively and their current stressors during their post-secondary setting.
In conducting a qualitative analysis of the responses from the survey, patterns and themes emerged from the data of reported stressors. These stressors came from a variety of different areas, but they could be grouped into one of nine categories: Academic Performance, Social Standing, Abuse, Family Related, Extra Curricular, Identity, Responsibility, Wellbeing, and Other. This paper serves as an in-depth look at self-reported stress in the secondary and post-secondary classroom.
Recommended Citation
Alter, Benjamin S., "Identifying and Examining Stressors in the Secondary and Post-Secondary Classroom" (2025). All NMU Master's Theses. 900.
https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/900
Access Type
Open Access
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