School-based intervention for academic stress management and school adjustment among industrial technical education students: Implications for educational administrators

Abstract

Background: The high level of academic stress and maladjustment in the school environment led to this study to investigate the management of academic stress and school adjustment among university students using rational emotive behavioral therapy. Methods: The study adopted a pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 97 students participated in the study and were measured using an academic stress scale and academic adjustment scale at 3 points. Results: The results of the multivariate statistics indicated the improvement in the management of academic stress and academic adjustment among Industrial Technical Education students following their participation in the rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) treatment and those in the waitlisted control group (WCG) at 3 points. After the treatment, a second assessment shows that the REBT treatment had a significant effect on improvement in academic stress management and academic adjustment among Industrial Technical Education students and was subsequently sustained at follow-up assessment. It was also found that there is no interaction effect of groups and gender. Conclusion: This study suggests that the reduction in academic stress and improvement in the academic adjustment were due to exposure to rational emotive behavioral therapy. Therefore, school counselors should reach out to students that experiencing a high degree of stress and maladjustment and assist them using rational emotive behavioral therapy.