Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 28, 2024, 09:04:19 pm

Author Topic: Community and Family Studies: Literature review  (Read 1321 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jemaecherish

  • Fresh Poster
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Respect: 0
Community and Family Studies: Literature review
« on: February 11, 2019, 12:16:20 pm »
0
LITERATURE REVIEW: How does the HSC impact on a students physical and emotional wellbeing?

The HSC (Higher School Certificate) is the highest level of achievement you can reach at school. This literature review focuses on the impact the HSC has on a students overall physical and emotional wellbeing. Wellbeing is the “degree of satisfaction that an individual or group experiences when needs are met” (Beattie, A & Girvan, B & Rayner, B $ Rayner, K & Bell, K 2009, Preliminary and HSC Nelson Community and Family Studies: 2nd Edition, Barnes) Emotional and Physical are two of the many factors affecting wellbeing that relate to the individuals feelings, physical health and safety. Using the research found from the three articles chosen, this literature review will cover the multiple ideas/ themes of stress, pressure, the use of artificial sleep hormones, the fact that the HSC is seen as a threat to students future, major health issues and mental instability. Although there are a variety of themes within the articles chosen, they all link to the physical and emotional wellbeing of a student completing the HSC and will help to identify the ways in which it does affect students.

There has been a multitude of different speculation regarding the stress year 12 students obtain during the completion of their HSC that negatively impacts both their physical and emotional wellbeing. Within the article ‘Study confirms HSC exams source of major stress to adolescents’ written by Ben North, Miraca Gross and Susen Smith, there is a strong amount of evidence to support the fact that the HSC is causing major destruction to the year 12’s students physical and emotional wellbeing. North, Gross and Smith provides us with the insight that ‘16% of students reported extremely severe levels of anxiety and 37% registered above average stress levels’ (North, Gross & Smith 2015, p. 2) These findings were consistent across a wide range of cultural groups and schools, therefore it is unbiased. This idea really demonstrates that year 12 is highly stressful. Research was also conducted through surveys that were distributed to 722 year 12 students across Sydney. The results came back with 42% of students showing “high level anxiety symptoms” (North, Gross & Smith 2015, p. 2). Year 12 students also feel academic pressure due to the feeling of not being able to achieve the expectations from those around them. The article states that “Students can feel academic pressure when the perceived level of expectation or consequence exceeds what they believe they can achieve.” (North, Gross & Smith 2015, p. 1)In this article, year 12 students have also identified the certain sources that cause the pressure they feel which triggers their stress. 44% of the students see themselves as the greatest source of pressure, 35% say family cause their pressure and 21% say that it is school and their teachers that contribute to the amount of stress they feel. This is all due to the fact that “In general, 54% of students felt that too much was expected of them in Year 12. The main causes of pressure identified were workload (50%), expectations to perform (26%) and importance of exams (22%)”(North, Gross & Smith 2015, p. 2) 

“Sleepless in HSC: Expert highlights a stress crisis” speaks about how the students that are to sit the HSC are turning to sleeping aids and artificial sleep hormones due to the stress the HSC is providing having a negative impact on a student's physical and emotional well-being. Through the words of patriotic and adolescent sleep physician (Bagshaw 2016, p. 1),Seton, it is evident that our students in emotional and physical well-being is damaging due to the amount of stress they are dealing with and the way they are dealing with it Seton provides us with Insight as to how many drug related police incidents there were in 2014. (The highest in 11 years) (BOCSAR 2015 p. 2-3)  This suggests that not only are there been sleeping aids used but it illegal drugs are also being used this shows what Students have resorted to just to feel calm and not stressed during the HSC time period.


The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is seen as a threat, therefore leaving students feeling stressed, causing major health issues and effects to their mental stability. This is because of the pressure they are put under to reach the standards those surrounding them e.g. parents and teachers set for them. Throughout the article “HSC students ‘sick, stress, anxious’ as exams continue” By Samantha Poate, there are large amounts of evidence regarding the fact that the HSC is a threat to their entire future. Although “HSC students ‘sick, stressful, anxious’ as exams continue’ is truly  purely based on an individual at Lismore making it biased, there is reason to believe this is happening to multiple students all over NSW  based on what other two articles state. “ The stigma around this for weak exam block has become more and more intense” (Poate 2017, pg 1)  “HSC students ‘sick, stress, anxious’ as exams continue” also  talks about the major health issues that students are suffering from caused by the stress of the HSC. A Lismore student stated that she has “seen her peers struggle significantly as they prioritise their marks over mental and physical well being” (Lismore Student 2017, pg 1) Another Lismore student also stated  “I know there has been a lot of kids who have been having really severe symptoms of sickness and illness of different types they wouldn't be having if they weren't feeling so stressed out and anxious” (Lismore Student 2017, pg 1) Another idea that the article explores is that students mental stability has been affected of due to speculation of strict parents and some schools. (Poate 2017, pg 2) The article has a series of quotes (which do not state where they are from) that suggest that kids competing against each other can really damage them(Poate 2017, pg 2). It also says that “Elitism also plays a significant role in the way these young adults compare and see themselves” (Poate 2017, pg 2). “I’ve seen plenty of kids who’ve said their parents told them if you don’t get above a certain score don’t bother coming home, or they wouldn’t support them through university if they didn’t get them in the right sort of course”(Poate 2017, pg 2).