Assessment Project:

Stress Management Assessment

The Problem:

  • Problem: College students have a lot on their plates between work, classes, and other obligations. Stress can become a debilitating issue and college students are at a risk. Managing stress is an important skill not just needed in college but throughout life. When someone faces continuous stress without any relief stress can cause negative effects on the body such as: headaches, upset stomach, increased blood pressure, chest pain, sleeping problems, and even cancer. Sometimes people try to relieve their stress through use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs.Since stress poses such a huge problem which is often overlooked I have created a program to help students learn how to mange their stress.
  • Purpose:The purpose of this assessment is to ensure Rowan University students are able to effectively manage their stress.
  • Objective:The objective of this assessment is to measure the student’s ability in managing their stress and to track the students’ progress in becoming more efficient in managing their stressors. This assessment should be used to help students reach their goals of managing their stress. It should be checked weekly to see if there has been improvement.

Refining the Problem:

  • Description of student population:
  • Age: Early 20’s to late 20’s
  • Gender: Male and Female
  • Grade level: College students (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
  • Ability level: Varies upon student
  • Amount of exposure to activity: Frequent
  • How and why you could/would use the rating scale:
  • Our group would meet weekly. Each week they will learn about stress and what causes it, as well as how to mange their stress. We will teach stress reducing techniques, time management and organization, as well as goal setting skills.
  • In the first group meeting students will take a questionnaire to see if their stressors are affecting their physical/mental health. Questions would be on subjects such as headaches, muscle aches and tension, changes in sleeping/eating habits etc.
  • They will take the assessment initially to see where they are at with managing stress. Then they will take it weeklyto see if they are progressing in their stress management skills. This rating scale would be used to see how well they are managing their stressors in healthy ways. They will take a final assessment as well which will be compared to their pre-test.
  • Components/characteristics of managing stress:
  • Time Management: This is very important in managing stress especially for college students. Most college students have to juggle time between classes, work, clubs, and sports.
  • This will be tested by seeing if they are making it to class on time and completing homework assignments on time.
  • Goal setting: Goal setting is important for getting things done. Especially for college students. This relates with time management as well.
  • Their goal setting skills will be tested to see if they are completing their goals they set for themselves.
  • Sleep: It is very important to get the right amount of sleep. If a person does not get the right amount of sleep this can affect their health.
  • This will be measured to see if they are getting the right amount of sleep each night and if they are having trouble sleeping.
  • Physical activity: This is important as well. Besides keeping one healthy, physical activity can help burn of the excess energy generated by stress.
  • This will be measured by rating how often they engage in physical activity.
  • Practice of relaxation techniques: Techniques such as progressive relaxation or meditation can help to significantly relieve stress.
  • This will be measured by seeing how often these techniques are used weekly.
  • Identify your stress triggers: Know what is causing your stress. This includes reducing or avoiding things such as caffeine, smoking, drinking, overeating, andprocrastination etc.)
  • This will be measured by avoidance of things that trigger stress for these students.

Instrumentation and Methodology:

  • For each component, the students will be rated on a scale from 1-5. 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.If students are not progressing (scoring lower than 3 in several categories) they will be re-evaluated. Problems within their daily routine will be assessed and modified.
  • The test administrator would need to be educated on stress management and have the ability to assess with the students certain problem areas if they are scoring lower than 3 in several categories.

Analysis of Results:

  • A passing grade would be an average score of at least 4 in all categories with no answers less than 3. The answers under the columns 4 and 5 show that the student havelearned the skills of managing stress and how to use them properly to manage their stressors. They are properly managing their time and goals. They are engaging in habits that reduce their stress such as avoiding things that trigger their stress, practicing relaxation techniques, getting the right amount of sleep, and engaging in physical activity regularly.
  • This is formative initially but summative as well. There is a pre-test and the assessment will then be given out several times after that. It is formative initially because of the pre-test and checking of progression weekly.We will be monitoring students’ improvement weekly to see if they have improved their skills in managing stress. If students are not improving we will address the areas they are struggling in. It will be summative when the students take the final assessment which we will compare to their first assessment taken.

Bibliography:

Campus Mind Works. Managing Stress During College. Retrieved November 14, 2015 from

WebMD.The Effects of Stress on Your Body.Retrieved November 14, 2015 from.