CC BY
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ISSUES FACED BY ACADEMIES ATTENDING STUDENTS ALONGSIDE SCHOOL CLASSES: A SURVEY STUDY AT SECONDARY LEVEL
1DR. FARIHA GUL, 2ASMA ISHTIAQ, 3FAISAL AMJAD, 4DR. SIDRA ASLAM, 5HAFIZ MUHAMMAD
AFZAAL, 6SOHAIL AHMAD,
1Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of Management and Technology, Lahore Pakistan ,
fariha.gul@umt.edu.pk 2Lecturer Department of Education, Government College University, Faisalabad, ishtiaqrajpoot1122@gmail.com 3M.Phil Scholar, Department of Education, University of Management and Technology, Lahore,
f2021189002@umt.edu.pk 4Lecturer, Punjab Group of Colleges, sidraaslam4700@gmail.com 5PhD Scholar, Institute of Special Education, University of the Punjab, afzaaldse@gmail.com 6M.Phil Scholar in English Linguistics, School Education Department Punjab (SED), ahmad.sohail664@gmail.com
Abstract
The aim of this survey study was to identify and analyze the various problems faced by secondary level students who attend academies in addition to their regular school classes. The study focused on understanding the challenges encountered by students as they strive to balance their academic commitments between school and academy attendance. A sample of secondary level students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds was selected for the survey. The data collection process involved administering a five point Likert scale questionnaire that addressed key areas such as time management, academic workload, psychological stress, social interactions, and overall well-being. The responses were collected, analyzed, and interpreted using the quantitative method. The findings of this study revealed several common challenges faced by students attending academies alongside school classes. The results indicated that time management was a significant issue, as students struggled to allocate sufficient time to both school and academy assignments. Additionally, the survey highlighted the increased academic workload and the resulting pressure on students, leading to higher stress levels and financial issues. Moreover, social interactions were found to be negatively impacted as students' limited time availability restricted their engagement in extracurricular activities and personal relationships. Understanding these challenges is crucial for educators, parents, and policymakers to develop effective strategies that support students in managing their dual academic responsibilities. By acknowledging the difficulties faced by these students, appropriate interventions can be implemented to promote their overall well-being, mental health, and academic success.
Keywords: secondary level, academies, school classes, challenges, time management, academic workload, psychological stress, social interactions, well-being
INTRODUCTION
The majority of parents in Pakistan provide their children with tuition services to help them do better in school. For a variety of reasons, they arrange for their children's tuition. Some parents are educated, but they lack the time or are too preoccupied to make changes to their financial condition, in addition to some parents who are uneducated or illiterate. They thus get home late. Although parents do invest a lot of money in their kids' education, they are sometimes unable to monitor their academic progress. It has been demonstrated that parents' participation in research as parents has a considerable impact on the educational success of the children of those parents (Khalid & Singal, 2022). In order to help their kids catch up on missed assignments and improve their academic abilities, parents employ some tutors to work with their kids in their homes. In order to do this, parents engage tutors to work with their children in their homes, and over time this practice of tutoring is starting to feel more like a ritual than a necessary academic practice (Rahman, Hasan, Namaziandost, & Ibna Seraj, 2021).
Today, both in urban and rural areas of Pakistan, home or private tutoring is a common practice. This is especially true with mathematics and English, subjects that are more challenging than others. The lacks of math and English teachers in educational environments, poor teacher performance, and pupils who participate in too many extracurricular activities are the main contributors to this tendency. As a result, the majority of parents, especially those who reside in cities, sign their children up for private classes to improve their academic performance, make up for any academic deficiencies, and keep them occupied (Ahmed, Mahmood, Elahi, & Nawab, 2020). Private tuition is defined as paid supplementary instructions regarding academic subjects outside the mainstream educational institution. It is a common practice throughout Pakistan. The students belonging to all socioeconomic classes (low, middle, and higher income groups) and all educational levels (from primary schools to the university classes) join private tuitions in Pakistan (Mughal, 2020).
Workloads, which seem to be the primary cause of today's students' stress, student justice, which seems to be the main topic of conversation, and indirect criticisms, which seem to be a significant indicator in today's teachers, are all factors that tend to contribute to today's students' stress. The national program for medium- and long-term education reform and development regularly uses the phrase "burden" as a result of the department of education's initiatives to advance curricular reform in response to strong public demand. The weight of homework has historically been compared in the modern world to the impossibly high pressure that is placed on a newborn (Jermsittiparsert, Petchchedchoo, Kumsuprom, & Panmanee, 2021).
Due to its historical roots and intended purpose, education does not burden many people. Few people now are aware of the positive connotations of the phrase "schoolwork burden," which has been killed by a stick. Many people present the "case" in favor of it. Because everyone is so impatient today, very few people are able to focus on a subject for an extended period of time. Many people refuse to assign homework to their children because they feel that there is too much coursework. We remain silent while claiming to be at a loss for words. Since time is a reliable witness, I don't wish to argue with them (Mei, Zhu, & Leng, 2021).
Teachers occasionally see kids who are even having trouble managing their homework, participating in sports and other forms of exercise, and who aren't smiling as much. The phrase "Let Each Student Have an Easy Life, Joyful Growth" was used in a PSA that ran on Shandong TV. The commercial's background featured a student hauling a bag that was getting heavier and heavier, making it obvious that the burden of their schooling was negatively affecting their growth as a whole (Cai & Hu, 2022).
Nobody disputes that in the current climate of intense competition, the weak may have high-quality lives. In this "dog eats dog" society, you cannot afford to be untalented or lowly positioned. The leisurely pursuit of family education has been a goal for thousands of years. Social rivalry inevitably has an effect on some people, but since youngsters are the innocent bystanders, this is a good thing. Through concept competitions, which frequently reveal, many different classes for the kids have previously been created. Much like their parents, children were putting forth a lot of effort. Consider this: what better way to teach youngsters good study habits than to help them build their time management skills (Shi, 2022)?
In the current competitive environment, where there is no replacement for excellence, students who are still in their academic years are under a lot of strain. When compared to the prior edition of the curriculum from a few decades ago, the number of subjects that a student must take in each standard has undoubtedly increased. However, this is inescapable and inevitable given the variety of disciplines that are currently available and the expectation that everyone have knowledge in the bulk of them. There is no denying that academic pressure on children is rising, and the best institutions are the only ones that can help them handle it (Zhang & Liu, 2022). Children as young as five years old have reportedly exhibited tension over their school schedule, according to recent studies. The problem gets worse as the child gets older and needs to take part in extracurricular activities for personality development (Ponguta et al., 2020). Academic pressure is intensified when a kid has to fit in sports or music sessions after a long day of school. However, if
it can be done during regular school hours, it will provide youngsters more time after school to relax or pursue other interests (Aurini, Missaghian, & Milian, 2020).
Exams that are less stressful and the inclusion of leisure activities may not be the only solutions to a student's rising academic stress, which can be brought on by a variety of variables at different levels. Stress might be brought on by situations involving your family, online activities, or peer pressure. These elements might interact negatively to affect learning, which might result in more work for academics. By bringing in qualified professionals to help students obtain coaching and deal with the cause of the unpleasant stress, schools may aid children in this scenario (Weber, Skodda, Muth, Angerer, & Loerbroks, 2019). Objectives:
1. To identify the specific problems faced by secondary level students who attend academies in addition to their regular school classes.
2. To understand the impact of attending academies alongside school classes on students' time management skills.
3. To examine the academic workload of students attending both school and academies and its effect on their overall well-being.
4. To investigate the psychological stress levels experienced by students attending academies along with school classes.
5. To explore the impact of attending academies on students' social interactions and engagement in extracurricular activities.
Research Questions:
1. What are the common problems encountered by secondary level students attending academies in addition to their regular school classes?
2. How does attending academies alongside school classes affect students' time management skills?
3. What is the impact of the academic workload on students attending both school and academies in terms of their overall well-being?
4. What are the levels of psychological stress experienced by students attending academies along with school classes?
5. How does attending academies affect students' social interactions and engagement in extracurricular activities?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Due to the declining standard of instruction in traditional schools (especially in public schools) and a rising preoccupation with achieving high grades on academic exams in order to be admitted to universities and other professional institutions, a culture of private tuition is quickly taking hold in Pakistan. Over the past twenty years, private tuition schools have multiplied swiftly in Pakistan, and a robust commercial industry has developed around private education. Unquestionably, the reason for this increase is the growing number of Pakistani students' demand for extracurricular curriculum training outside of the basic educational institutions after school hours (Hussain & Ali, 2019).
The effect of workload on a student's physical and mental health is referred to as academic burden. The topic of academic load is rarely covered in international studies. Instead, they focus more intently on the impact of students' weekly study schedules and workloads, giving rise to phrases like "academic burden" equivalents like "academic burnout," "academic strain," "academic anxiety," and "academic depression (Mahmud, 2021)." In Southeast Asian nations, where it is particularly common even at the basic education levels, excessive academic pressure brought on by school admission examinations is a serious problem. Existing research demonstrates that while just the correct amount of academic stress may boost learning outcomes, levels that are too high will result in behavioral and psychological problems in kids. Therefore, scientific research and analysis rather than prejudicial judgments are needed for a logical assessment of student workload. This essay analyses various arguments for the weight of academic work from a global perspective and gives a rundown of alternative evaluation metrics. Reviewing the influences on student academic load at
the levels of students, families, teachers, and society allows for a full examination of both the benefits of a manageable academic load and the risks of an excessive one. We also offer suggestions for justifying the academic demands imposed on pupils by highlighting the whole development of individuals and enhancing teaching and learning methods (Thai, Nguyen, & Pham, 2021).
In different national educational environments and systems, the term "academic burden" has different implications. Research methodologies and sources vary among scholars as well. Academic burden is generally defined by scholars as the stressful process that students go through as they attempt to adapt to the current educational environment and the time and effort needed by students to complete their exams and homework in Southeast Asian countries like China, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, where student learning pressure is frequently high. There are also phrases like "student burden," "learning burden," and "schoolwork burden" that are utilized (Hosseinkhani, Nedjat, Hassanabadi, & Parsaeian, 2019).
In Western countries like the United States, Britain, and Finland where "happy learning" is advocated, academic stress is less frequently acknowledged by specialists. Instead, academics emphasize the negative effects of homework and study, including bodily problems, emotional changes, anxiety, depression, attitudes of pessimism and passivity, personality disorders, perplexity, and decreased productivity. Thus, phrases like learning burnout, academic burnout, academic strain, and academic anxiety were used in the 1980s by researchers from Western countries to characterize the physical and mental harm that long-term, excessively rigorous education brings to pupils. These phrases were modified from the phrase "job burnout" used in the workplace (Ashleigh, 2020).
Academic stress comes in two flavors: physical stress and mental stress. Physical load is the amount of energy used physically, which is negatively connected with learning time and intensity and has cumulative effects. Mental load is the term used to describe the usage of mental energy. It is closely tied to the psychological toll that education has on students, as well as how they are seen by others, particularly educators (including the psychological toll that parents' and teachers' expectations and demands have on them). It also has to do with how they fit in with their peers and how they perform within the group. The physical and mental responsibilities are closely related (Kassymova et al., 2019).
The rapid expansion of the private tuition market has had an effect on every aspect of Pakistani society. The main parties involved in this are the students themselves, their families, traditional public or private educational institutions, the state, and greater society. Private tuition has an effect on education quality, the efficacy of public school teachers, and the standing of traditional public educational institutions. Therefore, it has an effect on society as a whole by elevating private tuition to a status symbol and widening previously existing socioeconomic divides (Abbas, Aman, Nurunnabi, & Bano, 2019).
In fact, the phenomenon has an impact on particular students and their families. These two are the main participants. There has to be a thorough investigation into the social, psychological, and financial repercussions of increased private tuition and students' disproportionate involvement in it on certain people and their families. However, a detailed analysis of the phenomenon and the development of legislative measures that would reduce its detrimental impacts are hindered by the lack of data on the many aspects of private tuition in Pakistan. In light of this, this study focuses on the current knowledge gap that pertains to Pakistani society and seeks to present original research findings based on factual information acquired by the researchers (Iqbal, Courtney, & Rashid, 2019).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The survey study employed a five point Likert scale questionnaire to collect data on the problems faced by secondary level students attending academies alongside their regular school classes. A diverse sample of 200 students was selected, and the questionnaire focused on areas such as time management, academic workload, psychological stress, social interactions, and overall well-being.
The data were collected through electronic distribution of the questionnaires, and the quantitative method was used for data analysis, including descriptive statistics and content analysis. Ethical considerations were followed, including informed consent and ensuring participant confidentiality. The limitations of the study, such as potential biases and generalizability, were acknowledged. The methodology aimed to provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by these students and inform the development of targeted interventions and support mechanisms. Data Analysis
The data has been meticulously analyzed and presented in the form of tables, enabling a clear and concise representation of the findings. Building upon these tables, the authors delve into detailed descriptions, providing a comprehensive understanding and insightful interpretation of the data. By combining the power of tables and descriptive analysis, the authors present a robust and comprehensive exploration of the research findings.
For Variable 1, students reported facing problems in time management, with a mean score of 4.2850 and a standard deviation of 0.84697. This suggests that, on average, students perceive difficulties in managing their time between school and academy commitments. Variable 2 indicates that students feel unable to cover school assignments and academy work simultaneously, with a mean score of 4.2050 and a standard deviation of 0.72498. This highlights the challenges students face in balancing their academic workload. In Variable 3, students reported confusion when receiving different perspectives from their tutors and school teachers on the same topics. The mean score is 4.2850, indicating a moderate level of confusion, with a standard deviation of 0.73926. Variable 4 reflects students being compelled by their families to take tuition in subjects they believe they do not require. The mean score of 4.3500 suggests that students experience this pressure to some extent, with a standard deviation of 0.70711. These descriptive statistics provide an overview of the responses from the surveyed students and offer insights into the perceived challenges of students.
Questions on Academic Issues N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
1. I face problems in time management. 200 0 5 4.285 0.84697
2. I am unable to cover school assignments and academy side by side. 200 0 5 4.205 0.72498
3. I become confused upon the same topics as get views of tutor and school teacher. 200 0 5 4.285 0.73926
4. I need no tuition in my few subjects but forced to take by my family. 200 0 5 4.35 0.70711
Valid N 200
Descriptive Statistics
Questions on Social Issues N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
5. I cannot spare time for my friends. 200 0 5 4.205 0.81628
6. I am unable to focus on my extracurricular activities. 200 0 5 4.25 0.72118
7. I have no time for my family as I remain busy in my academic activities. 200 0 5 4.33 0.80893
Valid N 200
For Variable 5, students reported that they cannot spare time for their friends, with a mean score of 4.2050 and a standard deviation of 0.81628. This suggests that students perceive a lack of time available for socializing with friends due to their academic commitments. Variable 6 indicates that students feel unable to focus on their extra-curricular activities, with a mean score of 4.2500 and a standard deviation of 0.72118. This highlights the challenges students face in balancing their academic workload with their involvement in non-academic pursuits. In Variable 7, students reported that they have no time for their family as they remain busy with their academic activities, with a mean score of 4.3300 and a standard deviation of 0.80893. This suggests that students perceive limited availability for spending time with their family members due to their academic commitments. These descriptive statistics provide insights into the perceived impact of attending academies alongside school classes on students' social interactions, extracurricular involvement, and family time. The mean scores and standard deviations highlight the overall trends and variations in the responses from the surveyed students.
Questions on Financial N Minimum Maximum Mean Std.
Issues Deviation
8. My parents face many
problems to arrange my 200 .00 5.00 4.2800 .71706
school and tuition fee.
9. Mostly I borrow money
from my fellows to meet 200 .00 5.00 4.3200 .72125
my academic necessities.
10. Financial crises make
me worried and I cannot give proper attention 200 .00 5.00 4.2350 .87957
towards my studies.
Valid N 200
For Variable 8, students reported that their parents face many problems to arrange their school and tuition fees, with a mean score of 4.2800 and a standard deviation of 0.71706. This suggests that financial difficulties are a common concern for students' families when it comes to covering educational expenses. Variable 9 indicates that students often borrow money from their peers to meet their academic necessities, with a mean score of 4.3200 and a standard deviation of 0.72125. This suggests that students rely on external sources to fulfill their academic requirements, indicating potential financial strain. In Variable 10, students reported that financial crises make them worried and unable to give proper attention to their studies, with a mean score of 4. 2350 and a standard deviation of 0.87957. This highlights the impact of financial instability on students' ability to concentrate on their academic pursuits. These descriptive statistics provide insights into the financial challenges faced by students attending academies alongside school classes. The mean
scores and standard deviations highlight the overall trends and variations in the responses from the surveyed students.
DISCUSSION
The survey study conducted at the secondary level aimed to explore the problems faced by students attending academies alongside their regular school classes. The analysis of the collected data revealed several key findings and shed light on the challenges experienced by these students. The following discussion summarizes the main findings and their implications. The descriptive statistics showed that students reported facing problems in time management, inability to cover school assignments and academy work simultaneously, and confusion when receiving different perspectives from tutors and school teachers on the same topics. These findings indicate that students often struggle to effectively manage their time and reconcile the different approaches and expectations from their academy and school environments. This can lead to increased stress and pressure on students, potentially impacting their academic performance and overall wellbeing. Furthermore, the survey data highlighted the issue of forced tuition, where students expressed being compelled by their families to take tuition in subjects they believe they do not require. This finding suggests that some students may face conflicting expectations and pressures from their families regarding their academic choices. Such external influences can impact students' motivation and engagement with their studies. In addition to academic challenges, the survey data revealed that students attending academies alongside school classes face difficulties in maintaining social connections and participating in extracurricular activities. Many students reported not being able to spare time for friends and feeling unable to focus on their extracurricular pursuits. This indicates a potential trade-off between academic commitments and a balanced social and holistic development. Financial constraints emerged as another significant challenge faced by students attending academies. Students reported that their parents face difficulties in arranging school and tuition fees, and many rely on borrowing money from their peers to meet their academic necessities. These findings highlight the financial strain experienced by some students and its potential impact on their well-being and academic focus. The implications of these findings are substantial. Educators, parents, and policymakers need to be aware of the challenges faced by students attending academies alongside school classes and work towards developing targeted interventions and support mechanisms. Effective time management strategies, coordination between academy and school curricula, and providing comprehensive guidance to students and families can contribute to mitigating these challenges. Additionally, creating a supportive environment that encourages social interactions and participation in extracurricular activities can help students maintain a well-rounded educational experience.
CONCLUSION
The survey study conducted at the secondary level shed light on the problems faced by students attending academies alongside their regular school classes. The findings underscore the challenges associated with time management, academic workload, conflicting perspectives, forced tuition, social interactions, and financial constraints. These challenges can significantly impact students' academic performance, well-being, and holistic development. To address these issues, it is crucial for educators, parents, and policymakers to collaborate and develop targeted interventions. Strategies to improve time management skills, ensure coordination between academy and school curricula, and provide guidance and counseling support should be implemented. Additionally, efforts to promote a balanced lifestyle, facilitate social interactions, and address financial constraints can contribute to creating a conducive learning environment for these students. The implications of this research extend beyond the individual students and can positively impact the overall secondary education system. By addressing the challenges faced by students attending academies alongside school classes, stakeholders can work towards fostering a supportive and inclusive educational environment that enhances students' well-being and academic success. It is important to recognize that the findings of this survey study provide a snapshot of the experiences
and perceptions of students at the secondary level. Further research is needed to delve deeper into the underlying causes and explore potential solutions in more detail. Nonetheless, this study contributes valuable insights that can inform future initiatives aimed at addressing the needs of students attending academies alongside their regular school classes.
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