title: Pupils' perceptions of and reactions to stress in schools
Creators: name: Macrae, Sheila
Publisher: name: The University of Edinburgh
Year: 1974
Subjects: subject: Annexe MSc Digitisation Project 2022 Block 36
subject: stress in schools
subject: coping in school
subject: pupils' constructs concerning stress and coping in school
subject: co-educational secondary schools
subject: Edinburgh
subject: Orientation Period
subject: Group Conversations
subject: Individual Conversations
subject: stress as perceived by pupils

description: In this thesis I have attempted to elicit pupils' constructs concerning stress and coping in school. The majority of studies in this area have not only expected pupils to orientate to the researcher's perspective; they have also tended to define stress in terms of major upheavals in pupils' lives, largely ignoring the day-to-day stressors experienced by pupils. The present study differs from past research in that it is conducted entirely from the pupils’ viewpoint and examines what pupils themselves say they find stressful as well as how they say they attempt to cope. Six classes in three, co-educational, Secondary schools in Edinburgh took part in the research. Of the 137 girls and boys in these six classes, 120 were seen in a total of 24 groups and 120 were seen individually. Of the 120 seen individually 115 had already been seen in groups. One of the six classes participated in a Pilot Study which was conducted during the pupils' second year. The remaining five classes were involved in the Main Study which spanned their second and third years. The study is divided into four phases. As the research was conducted naturalistically Phase One deals with the lengthy Orientation Period, including the non-participant Observation Sessions, which enabled me to become part of the school setting. Phase Two is concerned with Group Conversations whilst Phase Three covers Individual Conversations. Both types of conversation are based on Kelly’s (1955) philosophy which emphasises the uniqueness of each individual and is based on the ever present possibility of change. The conversations have a focus derived from the research questions but normative responses were neither sought nor expected. Instead, personally salient issues were expected to emerge from the pupils’ responses to the broad questions I posed. Phase Four involves my Attending Lessons with Selected Pupils in an attempt to discuss, with the pupils concerned, the ways in which stressful situations were coped with as they took place. The data were analysed qualitatively in an attempt to do justice to the rich variety of responses and, therefore, the findings from the thesis are illustrative rather than substantive. A thematic analysis was carried out in order to find patterns of stress which were common to the pupils. It was not my intention to look for differences between pupils on the grounds of, for example, academic ability, social class or gender. I was, however, open to the possibility of divergences between groups and was aware of the importance of noting individual exceptions. The present thesis makes a significant contribution to the understanding of stress as perceived by pupils during their second and third years of secondary education as well as providing a detailed examination of the ways in which pupils’ coping strategies are, or are not, developed during the course of one year.