School schedules and how they impact student perceptions of stress

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the academic schedules of two Independent Day Schools and determine to what extent those schedules influenced student perceptions of stress. School A used a traditional seven-period, 50-minute schedule and School B used a modified block schedule. The goal, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, was to close the gap between the empirical problems of overscheduled and overstressed students and the normative condition of mitigating that stress.; The research on block scheduling and how it might relate to student stress is incomplete. This study attempts to close that gap in the research. With the prospect of stress manifesting itself in higher rates of depression and suicide in teenagers, discovering ways to reduce student stress should be a priority for school administrators. The results of this research may help produce a useful schedule model for high school administrators that would help to mitigate the stress level among their students while not diminishing student achievement.; This 2003--2004 study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. By using t-tests and regression analyses, the researcher analyzed quantitative data collected on The School Situation Survey (SSS) to assess sources of perceived student stress as it related to academic stress, teacher interactions, and peer interactions. The survey also assessed manifestations from the emotional and physiological impact experienced by the student. Through focus group interviews and observations, the researcher collected qualitative data on students' attitudes and feelings about stress as related to school schedules and the pace of the school day.; The Null Hypothesis of the study was: Students in School A (under the traditional seven-period schedule) perceived no difference in stress levels than did those students in School B (under a modified block schedule). Both the quantitative and qualitative research (allowing the researcher to reject the hypothesis) showed that stress is perceived by students to be higher, in a variety of forms, in the school with the traditional schedule (School A) than it is by students in the school with the modified block schedule (School B). An eight-day modified block schedule was recommended at the end of the study with the intent of reducing perceptions of student stress.