ulasan jurnal tekanan

EDU 3024

PEMBELAJARAN DAN PERKEMBANGAN PELAJAR

TAJUK :

ULASAN JURNAL

KUMPULAN KULIAH : D

PENSYARAH : ABDUL AZIZ BIN ABDUL SHUKOR

DISEDIAKAN OLEH :

NAMA : SITI ZUBAIDAH BT IBRAHIM

NO MATRIK : D20091035632

SEMESTAR : TIGA

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Isi kandungan

Bil Isi kandungan Muka surat

1.0 Pendahuluan 1

2.0 Ulasan jurnal 2 - 6

3.0 Penutup 6

Biblografi 7 - 8

Lampiran

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1.0 Pendahuluan

Masalah stress merupakan satu masalah kormesial yang menggangu setiap pelajar di

institusi pengajian tinggi. Masalah stress ini terlalu sukar untuk ditanggani akan tetapi gangguan

stress ini boleh dielakkan melalui dua cara iaitu melalui cara reaktif dan proaktif. Isi kandungan

jurnal ini akan membincangkan cara menanggani masalah stress melaui cara proaktif yang lebih

berkesan berbanding dengan cara reaktif. Pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi banyak mengalami

stress dari segi kognatif, emosi dan psikologi yang akan menggugat prestasi pembelajaran

mereka.

Pelbagai takrifan yang dibuat mengenai stress. Antaranya ialah D’Aurora dan Firman

(1998), memberi takrifan stress sebagai ketegangan emosi yang akan meningkat daripada

peristiwa yang lalu dan merasakan peristiwa itu sebagai satu ancaman kepada kehidupan mereka.

Manakala menurut Roney dan Cooper (1997), menyatakan bahawa stress sebagai reaksi pesakit

yang mengalami masalah tekanan yang tinggi dan mereka bimbang jika mereka tidak mampu

untuk mengatasi tekanan tersebut. Murdock dan Scott (1993), menyatakan stress merupakan

satu reaksi ketidakseimbangan antara permintaan dan kemampuan untuk menanggani stress.

Secara keseluruhanya, stress merupakan satu reaksi masalah yang berlaku ekoran daripada

pelbagai masalah yang timbul dan menyukarkan untuk mereka mengatasinya.

Setiap peristiwa yang berkaitan dengan stress seharusnya kita lebih peka bagi

membolehkan sebarang tindakan yang diambil tidak akan menjejaskan pesakit. Oleh sebab itu,

seseorang mampu untuk belajar menangani stress secara proaktif. Setiap peristiwa yang berlaku

seharusnya boleh dijadikan sebagai panduan menanggani stress agar masalah stress ini tidak lagi

berulang. Masyarakat di sekitar pelajar yang menghadapi masalah ini juga seharusnya lebih

peka akan perubahan yang berlaku pada setiap individu di sekeliling mereka agar tidak

menghadapi masalah stress yang keterlaluan. Individu yang mengalami masalah stress ini akan

mengunakan pendekatan reaktif bagi mengatasi masalah ini akan tetapi mereka mengunakan

kedua-dua pendekatan iaitu pendekatan reaktif dan juga pendekatan proaktif dalam menanggani

masalah stress.

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2.0 Ulasan Jurnal

Stres :- Jenis dan Klasifikasi

Stress mempunyai dua kategori iaitu stress yang bersifat sebagai pembina dan stress yang

bersifat negatif. Davidson (1999), telah menyifatkan stress sebagai satu stimulasi dan cabaran

yang penting dalam pembangunan, pertumbuhan dan perubahan. Tanpa menghadapi masalah

stress manusia akan lalai dengan setiap kemewahan yang mereka perolehi. Oleh sebab itu,

mereka akan alpa dan tidak akan berusaha uantuk mendapat satu titik kehidupan yang lebih baik.

Strees yang bersifat sebagai pembina ini sangat penting dalam kehidupan manusia dan

seharusnya setiap pelajar IPT memerlukan stress yang bersifat sebagai pembina untuk mendapat

kejayaan dalam pembelajran dan kehidupan mereka. Makala stress yang bersifat negatif pula

akan menyebabkan seseorang itu manjadi cepat marah, gelisah, merendahkan semangat

seseorang dan seterusnya akan menyebabkan kehidupan mereka menjadi singkat. Hal ini akan

merugikan mahasiwa tersebut kerana mereka akan hilang fokus dalam pembelajaran seterusnya

akan menyebabkan kehidupan mereka menjadi tidak terurus dan pembelajaran mereka juga akan

merosot.

Menurut Charles (2000), stress mengandungi empat jenis iaitu:-

1. Stress yang disebabkan oleh pemikiran mengenai masa depan.

2. Stress yang hadir pada masa berkenaan yang memerlukan jalan penyelesaian yang

cepat.

3. Stress yang berterusan dari semasa ke semasa.

4. Stress daripada pengalaman yang lalu.

Menurut pengelasan yang telah dibuat oleh Charles (2000), beliau telah mengelaskan

bahawa stress mempunyai empat peringkat dalam kehidupan manusia. Permulaan stress adalah

daripada pengalaman masa lalu yang memerlukan seseorang itu menjadi lebih prihatin agar

mereka tidak akan mengalami masalah stress yang sama pada masa akan datang. Pengakhiran

stress adalah mengenai pemikiran mengenai masa depan mereka yang menyebabkan terjadinya

masalah stress kerana mereka tidak mahu kegagalan dalam kehidupan pada masa akan datang.

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Kajian mengenai stress

Masalah stress dalam kalangan mahasiwa berpunca daripada pengurusan masa yang tidak

berkesan. Menurut kajian daripada Samsiah Jayos (2005) antara 155 pelajar matrikulasi

dijumpai mendapati bahawa 91% daripada bilangan pelajar mendapati bahawa tidak memiliki

masa yang cukup untuk menyelesaikan tugas yang diberikan. Selain daripada itu juga, kajian

juga mendapati bahawa terlalu banyak tugasan dan mata pelajaran yang diambil akan

menyebabkan stress yang tinggi. Disamping itu juga, punca stress ini berlaku kerana mereka

banyak memikirkan mengenai peperiksaan yang bakal mereka hadapi. Perubahan gaya hidup

juga boleh menyebabkan berlakunya stress kerana kebanyakan pelajar yang datang dari

pendalaman tidak biasa dengan kehidupan di bandar dan akan menyebabkan stress kerana

mereka perlu menyesuaikan diri dengan perubahan persekitaran yang berlaku.

Bagi menanggani masalah stress ini pelbagai langkah proaktif perlu diambil agar masalah

stress ini tidak akan menggangu pembelajaran mereka. Oleh sebab itu, semua pihak seharusnya

lebih peka akan masalah ini dan cuba membantu golongan yang mengalami masalah stress.

Langkah mengatasi stress

Terdapat dua kaedah yang digunakan untuk mengatasi masalah stress iaitu kaedah reaktif

dan kaedah proaktif. Kaedah reaktif kurang berkesan berbanding dengan kaedah proaktif tetapi

masih ramai pelajar yang menggunakan kaedah reaktif. Kaedah reaktif akan menyebabkan

pelajar akan mengalami kegopohan dalam menyelesaikan masalah tanpa memikirkan masalah

tersebut secara mendalam dan matang. Sekiranya emosi seseorang tidak stabil, tindak balas akan

menjadikan keadaan atau sesuatu itu tidak stabil. Kalau emosinya resah dan kacau jalan

berfikirnya penuh dengan kekacauan. Faktanya mungkin tidak lengkap. Analisisnya tidak tepat

dan kesimpulan yang diambil juga tidak membayangkan adanya pemikiran yang mendalam

terhadap sesuatu isu atau perkara. Oleh sebab itu, langkah mengatasi stress secara reaktif kurang

berkesan.

Kaedah yang kedua untuk mengatasi stress ialah melalui kaedah proaktif. Kaedah ini

dikata lebih berkesan berbanding dengan kaedah reaktif. Orang yang berjaya ialah mereka yang

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melihat masalah melalui perspektif yang betul dengan sikap yang betul. Dengan cara demikian

ujian bertukar menjadi cabaran, masalah bertukar menjadi peluang, tekanan menjadi rangsangan.

Tekanan mempunyai kebaikannya. Sebagai contoh, peperiksaan menyebabkan tekanan, namun

ia menyebabkan seseorang membuat persiapan yang rapi untuk menghadapinya. Tekanan yang

berbahaya ialah yang tidak dapat dikawal sehingga membuat seseorang mengalami kesugulan,

putus harapan, keinginan untuk membunuh diri dan seumpamanya. Tekanan yang seperti ini

dikenali sebagai tekanan yang memudaratkan. Tekanan yang baik kerana melahirkan

rangsangan dan tindakan yang positif dikenali sebagai eustress. Oleh sebab itu, pelajar yang

mengalami masalah stress ini perlu berfikir secara matang dan menjadikan setiap tekanan itu

sebagai cabaran untuk mencapai kejayaan.

Adakah mahasiswa/siswi kita proaktif?

Mahasiswa/siswi di pengajian tinggi dikatakan mempunyai sikap yang proaktif kerana

mereka bersedia menghadapi cabaran dalam kehidupan mereka. Mereka akan melakukan

pengubahsuaaian bagi menyesuaikan diri dengan persekitran mereka. Selain daripada itu juga,

mereka mempunyai semangat yang tinggi untuk berjaya dan bertanggungjawab dalam

menentukan kejayaan dan kegagalan hidup mereka. Oleh sebab itu pelajar di institusi pengajian

tinggi dikatakan proaktif dan hanya terdapat segelintir pelajar yang tidak dapat mengatasi

masalah stress.

Jenis-jenis proaktif

Proaktif menghadapi kemahiran meliputi perancangan, penetapan tujuan,

pengorganisasian, dan stimulasi mental (Aspinwall & Taylor, 1997). Kemahiran perancangan

membolehkan para pelajar untuk mencapai segala tujuan yang dirancangkan dengan

menggunakan strategi yang berkesan. Manakala penetapan perancangan pula akan

membolehkan para pelajar mengenali apakah tujuan utama mereka dan seharusnya apa yang

mereka perlu lakukan untuk mencapai segala tujuan yang telah ditetapkan. Kemahiran

pengorganisasian pula merujuk kepada cara bagaimana pelajar berkenaan mengendalikan segala

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perkara yang berkaitan dengan kehidupan mereka agar mencapai segala perancangan dan tujuan

yang mereka inginkan. Manakala stimulasi mental pula merujuk kepada keteguhan mental

pelajar dalam menjalani dan mengkoordinasikan segala kemahiran yang mereka ada.

Menurut Greenglass, Schwarzer, Jakubiec et al. (1999), terdapat tujuh jenis skala proaktif

bagi mengatasi perilaku dan persediaan mereka dan dinamakan sebagai Proaktif Mengatasi

Inventory (PCI). Antaranya ialah skala mengatasi proaktif, skala mengatasi reflectif , stategi

perancangan, jenis pencegahan, sokongan instrumental, sokongan emosional dan jenis

penghindaran. Perilaku proaktif ini perlu diajarkan oleh para kaunselor

dalam institusi pendidikan tinggi untuk melengkapkan teknik pengurusan stress yang biasa.

Kombinasi proaktif mengatasi sebelum dan reaktif mengatasi konstruktif selepas terjadinya

stress adalah strategi pengurusan stres terbaik.

Bagaimana pihak lain mampu menolong

Pelbagai pihak mampu menolong para pelajar yang menghadapi masalah stress ini

melalui pelbagai cara antaranya ialah melalui sokongan sosial yang diberikan kepada pelajar

yang menghadapi stress. Keluarga sememangya memainkan peranan penting dalam memberi

sokongan sosial kepada anak-anak mereka. Pelbagai tekanan yang dihadapi mampu diatasi

sekiranya keluarga memainkan peranan yang sempurna dalam memberi sokongan sosial seperti

memberi motivasi, nasihat yang membina dan cuba memahami masalah anak-anak sebelum

mengambil sebarang tindakan. Sokongan sosial juga diperlukan daripada kawan-kawan,

pensyarah dan masyarakat setempat.

Dorongan dan motivasi seharusnya diberikan kepada pelajar yang menghadapi masalah

stress. Mereka memerlukan semangat yang membina daripada rakan-rakan di sekeliling mereka.

Sebarang luahan perasaan yang mereka perkatakan seharusnya diberikan perhatian dan

menasihati mereka dengan cara yang berhemah agar perasaan mereka tidak tersentuh dan

menambahkan lagi masalah sterss yang mereka hadapi. Sekiranya mereka diberikan dorongan

yang membina segala risiko dan masalah yang mereka hadapi boleh diselesaikan dan perkara ini

tidak akan menggangu pembelajaran mereka. Di samping itu juga, berkongsi masalah dengan

orang yang mereka percayai juga mampu mengurangkan masalah tekanan yang mereka hadapi.

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Rakan-rakan mereka yang terdekat sangat memainkan peranan yang penting bagi mengurangkan

stress yang dihadapi.

Ida Hartina (2003), mengatakan bahawa pihak lain mampu mengurangkan bebanan stress

yang dihadapi oleh pelajar melalui beberapa cara antaranya ialah dengan mengurangkan bebanan

tugas yang diberikan kepada pelajar, pensyarah seharusnya mempunyai masa yang lebih banyak

dengan pelajar mereka, melalui persekitaran belajar yang lebih kondusif dan banyak peluang

untuk bertemu dengan kaunselor bagi berkongsi masalah dan pendapat.

3.0 Kesimpulan

Masalah stress ini perlu ditanggani dengan berkesan agar pembelajaran tidak akan

terganggu. Bagi mengisi pengisian mengenai cara menanggani masalah stress ini para pelajar

perlu untuk manghadiri kursus dan seminar yang berkaitan dengan stress. Setiap pelajar

seharusnya pandai mengatasi masalah stress supaya tidak akan menjejeska pembelajaran mereka.

Pelbagai cara boleh digunakan untuk mengatasi mesalah stress ini dan semuanya bermula dari

dalam diri setiap pelajar. Masyarakat sekeliling hanya sebagai pembantu dan pendengar masalah

yang dihadapi oleh mereka sahaja tetapi segala tindakan bagi mengatasi masalah stress ini akan

dilakukan sendiri oleh pelajar berkenaan.

Hasil daripada pembacaan jurnal ini dapat disimpulkan terdapat dua cara bagi

menanggani masalah stress yang boleh dilakukan oleh setiap pelajar. Segala cara yang diambil

bagi mengatasi masalah stress ini mempunyai kelebihan dan kelemahanya yang tersendiri dan

ianya bergantung kepada cara bagaimana pelajar itu sendiri yang menanggani masalah stress

yang dihadapi oleh mereka.

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Bibliografi

Arthur, H., & Hiebert, B. (1994). Investigating gender differences on coping. Paperpresented at the annual meeting and the exhibition of the American ResearchAssociation. CD-ROM. No. ED 373848.

Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1997). A stitch in time: Self-regulation and proactivecoping. Psychological Bulletin, 121,417-436.Charles, C. L. (2000). Why is everyone so cranky? New York: St. Martin's Press.

Compas, B. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. PsychologicalBulletin, 101, 393-403.

Corey, G., & Corey, M. S. (1997). / never knew I had a choice (6th ed.). Pacific Grove,CA: Brooks/Cole.

Dacey, J., & Kenny, M. (1997). Adolescent development (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

D'Aurora, D. L., & Fimian,M. J. (1988). Dimensions of life snd school stress experiencedby young people. Psychology in the Schools, 25,44-53.

Davidson, J. (1999). The complete idiot's guide to managing stress (2nd ed.). New York:Alpha Books.

Greenglass, E., Fiksenbaum, L., & Burke, R. J. (1996). Components of social support,buffering effects and burnout: Implications for psychological functioning. Anxiety,Stress, and Coping, 9, 185-197.

Greenglass, E., Schwarzer, R., Jakubiec, D., Fiksenbaum, L., & Taubert, S. (1999, July12-14). The Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI): A multidimensional researchinstrument. Paper presented at the 20th International Conference on Stress anAnxiety Research Society (Star), Cracow, Poland.

Greenglass, E. R. (2001), Proactive coping, work stress and burnout. Stress News, 13(2),5-8.

Greenglass, E. R., Schwarzer, R., & Taubert, S. (1999). The Proactive Coping Inventory(PCI): A multidimensional research instrument. On-line publication, available athttp://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/greenpci.htm

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http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/greenpci.htm

Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Journal ofPsychosomatic Research, ii, 213-218.

Ida Hartina Ahmed Tharbe (2003, Oktober 19-21). Memahami stres di kalangan remajadi pusat pengajian tinggi. Prosiding Seminar Kebangsaan Memperkasakan SistemPendidikan. Fakulti Pendidikan, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

McFarlane, A. H., Bellissimo, A., Norman, G. R., &Lange, P. (1994). Adolescent depressionin a school based community sample: Preliminary findings on contributing socialfactors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 23(6), 601-620.

Murdock, A., & Scott, C. (1993). Personal effectiveness. London: Heinemann.Peach, L. (1991). A study concerning stress among high school students in selected ruralschools. Paper presented at the Annual Education Conference, Cookeville, TN.

August, 12, 1991. (CD-ROM). ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED336253. 66 Masalah Pendidikan 2006, Universiti Malaya

Roney, A., & Cooper, C. (1997). Professionals on workplace stress: The essential facts.New York:Wiley.

Samsiah Jayos (2005). Tekanan di kalanganpelajar Matrikulasi di sebuahpusatpengajiantinggi. Unpublished Project Paper, Masters of Counseling, University of Malaya.

Schwarzer, R. (1999). The Proactive Attitude Scale (PA Scale), [Online publication]Available at http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/proactive.htm

Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1994). Positive illusions and wellbeing revisited: Separatingfact from fiction. Psychological Bulletin, 116,21-27.

Weiten,W., & Lloyd, M. A. (1994). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the90s (4th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/ Cole.

West, C. K., & Wood, E. S (1970). Academic pressure on public school students.Educational Leadership, 3(4), 585-587.

Youngs, B. B. (1986). Helping your teenagers deal with stress. New York: St Martin'sPress.

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http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/proactive.htm

LAMPIRAN

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Masalah Pendidikan 2006, Universiti Malaya 57

COPINGWITH STRESS: ARE OUR STUDENTS PROACTIVE?Ida Hartina Ahmed TharbeDepartment of Educational Psychology and CounselingFaculty of EducationUniversity of Malaya

Stres berlaku kepada semua orang termasuklah pelajar di institusipengajian tinggi disebabkan oleh pelbagai jenis cabaran yang timbulsemasa proses pembelajaran. Walaupun stres tidak dapat dielakkan,namun pelajar boleh mempelajari cara menguruskan dan menanganistres dengan lebih berkesan, untuk membantu mereka agar lebihcemerlang dalam pembelajaran. Secara tradisi, individu lebihberfokuskan strategi pengurusan stres secara reaktif yang mungkinbersifat membina atau memudaratkan. Namun, penyelidik-penyelidikmendapati strategi menangani stres secara proaktif adalah lebihberkesan dalam mengurangkan kesan stres sebelum berlakunya sesuatuperistiwa yang menyebabkan tekanan. Artikel ini membincangkan,antaranya jenis-jenis stres yang dialami oleh pelajar, pelbagai ciriciri' coping' secara proaktif dan bagaimana individu lain dapatmembantu pelajar menjadi proaktif dalam usaha menangani stres.

Living life as students in an institution of higher education is never an easy task. Here,students will face the harsh realities of life which challenge them not only cognitively butemotionally and psychologically as well. Hence stress is not uncommon among studentsin higher learning institutions. By understanding how these students cope with stress, theparents, lecturers, advisors and administrators can assist students in managing it.Stress has been defined in several ways. D'Aurora and Firman (1988) defined stressas an emotional tension rising from life events, or as a feeling of threat to someone'ssafety or self-esteem. Meanwhile, Roney and Cooper (1997) stated that "stress is thereaction people have to excessive pressures and other types of demands placed on them.It generally arises when they worry that they are not able to cope" (p. 5). Murdock andScott (1993) defined stress as the imbalance between the perception of demand and theperception of the ability to cope with it.Despite the various definitions, the fact remains that a person has to cope with stresswhenever it arises. Although one cannot eliminate stress, one can learn to monitor andmanage stress effectively. This will require some stress coping skills. Individuals caneither react to a stressful event or prepare for the stressful event before it happens. In theformer scenario, individuals will most probably use the reactive coping skills to managethe stressful event while in the latter, they use the proactive coping skill to preparethemselves for the effect of the stressful event. This article will discuss stress and copingamong students and how others can help the students to become more proactive in copingwith stress.

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58 Masalah Pendidikan 2006, Universiti Malaya

Stress: Types and Classification

Although we often speak of stress in a negative manner, it is helpful to know that thereare two types of stress, namely good stress and bad stress. Good stress is also known aseustress. According to Davidson (1999) such stress provides stimulation and challengeand is essential to development, growth and change. Good stress can also be relatedto motivation, without which human beings will not strive to achieve greater heights.Meanwhile, the bad stress or distress makes one anxious and irritable, dampens the spiritand shortens one's life (Davidson, 1999), due to its adverse psychological and physicaleffects. For the purpose of discussion in this article, stress will refer to bad stress ordistress.Charles (2000) categorizes stress into four types:

1. Anticipatory stress or stress caused by concern over the future. Anticipatorystress can be negative if it causes unnecessary anxiety. However, anticipatorystress can be productive if a person takes the initiative to plan for the futureas a result of anticipating any stressful event.2. Situational stress or stress of the moment. This type of stress comes togetherwith the event and requires immediate management. Managing it effectivelymeans keeping the pressures of the moment at a challenging but containablelevel. The failure to manage situational stress immediately might result in theother types of stress - chronic or residual stress.3. Chronic Stress or stress that persists over time. It might be the result of theinability to cope effectively or a tough experience over which an individualhas no control such as death or loss of a loved one or an accident.4. Residual stress or stress of the past. It represents the inability or unwillingnessto let go of old hurts or bad memories. Individuals who tend to repress theirfeelings have the tendency to experience residual stress due to the failure toface reality.Stress results from positive and negative events. Holmes and Rahe (1967) havedeveloped a scale called the Social Readjustment Rating Scale which measures the lifeevents which are likely to produce stress. The scale includes both positive and negative lifeevents. All of these events, whether positive or negative, involve changes which requirea period of readjustment for the individual. This scale implies that stress is unlikely theresult of a single event but rather a combination of several events which occur in a limitedperiod. The inability of a person to cope with all these stressors at once will lead toharmful stress.

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Study and Stress

Virtually no one feels free from stress and each of us defines stress somewhat differently(Youngs, 1986). Studying can be as stressful as working. However, stress in learning isalso a subjective phenomenon. For some students, making a presentation in front of theclass is not stressful while, for others, it is the end of the world. Some students considerquizzes as good challenges to their potential while others find them hard to handle. Inother words, how one labels, interprets, thinks about and reacts to events in one's life hasa lot to do with determining whether those events are stressful (Corey & Corey, 1997).Moreover, students who prepare themselves for such events are most likely to experienceless stress than those who fail to do so.Many students reported experiencing stress during their studies. One of the causesof stress among college and university students is ineffective time management. Qualitytime is something often neglected by students whether good or average. The so-calledgood students often over-scheduled their time for study-related tasks while others underscheduledtheir precious time with unproductive activities thus increasing their stresslevel. A study by Samsiah Jayos (2005) among 155 matriculation students found that 91percent of the students regard not having enough time for revision as the main source ofstress. Meanwhile, 65.2 percent argued that they do not have enough time to completeassignments. Is this the sign of work overload or ineffective time management?Academic workload is undoubtedly another source of stress for students. The sameresearch reported that too many assignments and too many subjects to be taken havecaused stress for 73.5 percent and 72.3 percent of the students respectively (SamsiahJayos, 2005). Peach (1991) had studied 240 students in Tennessee and found that 65percent of female students and 56 percent of male students experience academic stressdue to assignment workloads. Similarly, a research study on 94 students of an institutein South Alberta found that among the stressors for both female and male students isacademic workload (Arthur & Hiebert, 1994).Another famous stressor among students is the expectation of academic achievement.This includes the expectation of examination performance and expectation of theacademic results. A survey conducted by West and Wood (1970) reported that 65 percentof 331 students in nine American high schools experience stress just by thinking about theexamination before they actually sit for it. Meanwhile, 59 percent of the students expressedthat low achievement in the examination also causes a high level of stress. If high schoolexaminations imposed so much stress, how would it be for university examinations?The list of stressors is endless. Research conducted by Ida Hartina Ahmed Tharbe(2003) using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) on 58 subjectsidentified several changes in lifestyle as the cause of stress for students. Among thechanges are: the change in eating habit (66 percent), change in sleeping and living habit(64 percent respectively), change in social activities and change in financial status (50percent respectively). Using the Teen Scene: Stress Test (Youngs, 1986) the same researchfound other stressors which include: not performing as well as expected (66 percent),putting too much hope on oneself (64 percent), not being as popular as one wanted (56percent), fear of being let down by friends (56 percent) and peer pressure (50 percent).60 Masalah Pendidikan 2006, Universiti MalayaTherefore, it is relatively true to say that stress is not merely caused by a single event butrather by a combination of life events.Perhaps one of the obvious flaws in stress management among students, besides timemanagement, is the inability to plan for upcoming obstacles in the study process. Studentsshould foresee challenges and problems and prepare themselves for anticipatory stresswhich is more manageable. They can gather information on possible stressors through

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various ways including discussion with their seniors, advisors, lecturers, counselors andother resources in the university. However, many students are unaware of the need toprepare in advance for academic challenges. This will lead to reactive stress coping styleonce they experience situational stress. If the students fail to manage the situational stresseffectively, it may later lead to residual or chronic stress.Frustration, conflict, change and pressure have been identified by Weiten and Lloyd(1994) as the main elements of psychological stress. Continuous stress can result in burnoutamong students; the students usually feel emotionally exhausted and lose interest in theirstudies, thus neglecting their pursuit of excellence. In other words, numbers of highereducation dropouts may increase if students do not learn effective stress management.According to Corey and Corey (1997), the problem with students is that they do not noticethe warning signs that they have pushed themselves to the breaking point. They give toomuch time to their studies and assignments that they fail to realize the importance ofmaintaining relationships and spending some leisure time for themselves

.What is Proactive Coping?

Compas (1987) denned coping as any effort used in response to a stressful event. It can bemanifested behaviorally, cognitively or emotionally. The type of coping method used willdetermine whether stress will have negative or positive psychological effects. Not everyoneknows how to cope effectively with stress. Some might leam coping skills from previousexperiences while others might have to resort to trial and error experimentation.For effective stress management, one may use the reactive or the proactive copingmethods. People are mainly more familiar with reactive coping methods whereby wereact in a certain way when a stressful event occurs. Although the reactive coping skillhas been argued as being less effective, it can help to manage stress significantly if it isdone constructively. Weiten and Lloyd (1994) identified constructive coping as behavioralreaction to stress that tends to be relatively healthy or adaptive.According to Corey and Corey (1997, p. 218) constructive coping skills have thefollowing characteristics:a) Involves direct confrontation with a problem;b) Entails staying in tune with reality;c) Based on an accurate and realistic appraisal of a stressful situation rather thandistortion of reality;d) Involves learning to recognize and inhibit harmful emotional reaction to stress;e) Entails a conscious and rational effort to evaluate alternative courses of action;andf) Is not dominated by wishful or dysfunctional thinking.

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A more effective method of stress coping has been identified as the proactive copingmethod. Proactive coping strategy is multidimensional and forward looking as it integratesprocesses of personal quality of life management with those of self-regulatory goalattainment (Greenglass, 2001). Greenglass also differentiates between the characteristicsof reactive and proactive coping as follows:a) Traditional or reactive coping mostly deals with stressful events that alreadyoccurred with the aims of compensating for loss or harm in the past; proactivecoping is more future orientated and consists of efforts to build up generalresources that facilitate promotion of challenging goals and personal growth.b) Reactive coping is regarded as risk management; proactive coping involves goalmanagement whereby individuals see risks, demands and opportunities in thefuture but they do not appraise them as threat, harm or loss.c) Reactive coping emanates from risk appraisal whereby environmental demandsare appraised as threats; the motivation for proactive coping is positive since itderives from perceiving situations as challenging and stimulating.Although both reactive and proactive coping are useful, reactive coping is onlysuitable for situational, chronic and residual stress while proactive coping method alsoincludes the management of anticipatory stress.

Are Our Students Proactive?

Our students face challenges everyday. They are struggling with assignments, attendinglectures and seminars, preparing for class presentations, participating in co-curricularactivities and many other related tasks. Apart from all these, they are also trying tonegotiate the period of transition into adulthood. The combination of these life eventsplaces a great deal of stress upon them. Therefore it is highly beneficial for students to beproactive in their daily life.The process through which people anticipate or detect potential stressors and actin advance to prevent them can be seen as a proactive behavior (Greenglass, Schwarzer,Jacubiec, Fiksenbaum, & Taubert, 1999) and it is potentially useful in eliminating agreat deal of stress before it happens. Students with proactive coping style tend to facefewer problems in their studies since they are well prepared for adverse events. Proactivestudents know how to plan strategies to help them reduce the effect of stress. At thesame time, they will make full use of available resources around them. They do not seethemselves as victims of the situation and do not put the blame on something or someoneelse. Cognitively, proactive coping involves reflection including envisioning successscenarios, anticipating future problems, planning how to deal with the situation and takingpreventive steps to avoid disaster (Greenglass, Schwarzer, & Taubert, 1999).Schwarzer (1999) listed the personality characteristics of proactive individuals asfollows:a) They believe that they possess sufficient resources, both internal and external;b) They take responsibility for their own growth, including responsibility for pastevents and responsibility for their future actions;c) They are driven by values and principles whereby they choose their path ofaction accordingly; and

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d) They have vision and create meaning in life by striving for ambitious goals.Some of the students are proactive by nature. They have learned through experienceand observation how to tackle a stressful situation even before it happens. However, otherstend to resort to reactive coping behaviors which are not constructive but destructive forthem. As a result, reactive students will perform less effectively than proactive students.Some of these destructive coping behaviors are:a) Avoiding or refusing to attend class for unrealistic reasons (e.g. not attendingclass because the lecture is boring);b) Involving in related activities for the wrong reason (e.g. involving in too manyco-curricular activities as a way to forget study stress);c) Wasting time by involving in unrelated activities (e.g. chatting or hanging outwith friends);d) Avoiding the source of the problem (e.g. if students do not understand thesubject, they tend to avoid revising it);e) Putting the blame on someone else for inability to perform (e.g. saying that "thecourse is too difficult" or "the lecturer has no teaching skills");f) Sleeping more than usual; andg) Spending too much time worrying but not doing anything about the situation.Proactive Coping SkillsProactive coping skills include planning, goal setting, organizing and mental stimulation(Aspinwall & Taylor, 1997). According to Greenglass (2001), proactive coping isdistinguished by three main features:a) it integrates planning and preventive strategies with proactive self-regulatorygoal attainment;b) it integrates proactive goal attainment with identification and utilization ofsocial resources; andc) it utilizes proactive emotional coping for self-regulatory goal attainment.Greenglass, Schwarzer, Jakubiec et al. (1999) include seven scales of proactivecoping behaviors in their inventory named the Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI). Theseven scales are: The Proactive Coping scale, The Reflective Coping Scale, StrategicPlanning, Preventive Coping, Instrumental Support Seeking, Emotional Support Seekingand Avoidance Coping. Descriptions of these proactive coping behaviors are as follows:a) Proactive Coping refers to the combination of autonomous goal setting withself-regulatory goal attainment, cognition and behavior;b) Reflective Coping refers to simulation and contemplation about a variety ofpossible behavioral alternatives by comparing their imagined effectiveness.This process includes brainstorming, analyzing problems and resources andgenerating hypothetical plans of action;c) Strategic Planning refers to the process of generating a goal-orientedschedule of action in which extensive tasks are broken down into manageablecomponents;

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d) Preventive Coping deals with anticipation of potential stressors and makingpreparation before these stressors develop fully;e) Instrumental Support Seeking refers to the process of obtaining advice,information and feedback from one's social network when dealing withstressors;f) Emotional Support Seeking is the process of regulating temporary emotionaldistress by disclosing to others one's feelings, evoking empathy and seekingcompanionship from one's social network; andg) Avoidance Coping is the process of eluding action in a demanding situation.Tertiary level students should be made aware of these proactive coping behaviors formore effective stress management. These proactive behaviors can be taught by counselorsin the higher learning institutions to supplement the usual stress management techniques.The combination of proactive coping before and constructive reactive coping after thestressors occur is the best stress management strategy. At the same time, students can taketheir own initiative in becoming more proactive by:a) Learning to anticipate stress through valid information gathering. However,only realistic anticipation is encouraged since unnecessary worries will onlylead to higher stress levels;b) Learning to read their own biological signs of stress and finding ways ofcontrolling stress before the symptoms worsen;c) Joining counseling or growth groups in which they can learn new skills ofcoping, self-disclose and discuss their day-to-day concerns;d) Broadening their social network and improving communication style withothers;e) Arranging appointments with academic advisors or lecturers to discuss anyacademic difficulties; andf) Preparing themselves with the constructive stress management skills such as timemanagement, planning, brainstorming, relaxation techniques and so forth.How Others Can HelpAlthough proactive coping behavior is self-induced by an individual, other significantpeople can also help students to be more proactive. Dacey and Kenny (1997) identifiedsocial support as an important factor in a person's ability to remain composed and toadapt successfully to stressful situations. The most significant social support will be thestudent's own family. According to research by McFarlane, Bellissimo, Norman, andLange (1994), teens who viewed their parents and siblings as sources of support are atlow risk for developing adolescent depression.University students should also be encouraged to make optimum use of availablesocial support such as close friends, lecturers, advisors and other supportive personswhen coping with stress. By having supportive individuals around, students can sharetheir problems and find useful alternatives of coping. Greenglass, Fiksenbaum and Burke(1996) believe that close relationships will provide useful information and practical advicebesides boosting morale, thereby helping individuals to cope with stressful events.

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Ida Hartina (2003) pointed out that other parties such as the lecturers, managementand counselors should also take measures to help the students lessen the negative effect ofstress. Several suggestions have been given such as:a) Lecturers should consider reducing the amount of assignments or workload given.The course assignment should be based on quality instead of quantity. The bestassignment should be able to integrate the whole course information;b) Lecturers should spend some time getting to know the students individually toprovide consultation for them when required;c) The management should recognize potential stressors in the learning environment.Stressors resulting from ineffective academic staff, uncooperative support staff,uncomfortable learning environment, and lack of basic infrastructure can bemonitored or avoided; andd) Counselors can organize stress management workshops to help students identify,manage and anticipate stressors. Motivational and informative programs arehelpful in disseminating information to help students cope.However, as stated earlier, students have to take initiative to build their ownsocial support system. This will require them to be more confident, optimistic, opento experiences and willing to self-disclose and share their concerns with others. Selfconfidentand optimistic individuals have more social support and they may be moreeffective in mobilizing it when they experience high levels of stress (Taylor & Brown,1994). Meanwhile, Aspinwall and Taylor (1997) believed that individuals who have welldeveloped psychosocial resources, including a sense of personal control, high self-esteemand optimism, are more likely to cope proactively and minimize the effects of stress.

Conclusion

For effective stress management, students in higher learning institutes should learn toanticipate stressful events as soon as they enroll and during their course of study. Beingproactive means integrating the ability to foresee future challenges and obstacles andplanning to manage them effectively using all available resources. A person can benaturally proactive or learn to be proactive. Proactive stress management can help studentsreduce the negative effect of stressful events. By being proactive, students will be able toconcentrate more on their studies and achieve good grades rather that putting their energyinto unproductive behaviors and unnecessary worries. It will also produce psychologicallyhealthy individuals in the future.

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