TOPIC: The role of the institution in decreasing stress in the second and third year Human Resources Management students at the Faculty of Social Sciences

 

 

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool

 and unruffled under all circumstances."

Thomas Jefferson

 

 

 

DEFINING PROBLEM

Nowadays stress is a frequently discussed topic as  more and more people face different challenges and obstacles and they find it hard to handle the pressure. Stress has many pros and contras. One the one hand it can motivate and give energy, but on the other hand it can cause medical and social problems such as  depression and panic atacks. Many students experience stress with adjusting to a new living environment or developing friendships, but most students face stress when dealing with academic demands. In our research we decided to focus on students' stress, especially on two groups: second and third year HRM students at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. We will try to find out which group is more under stress and what the causes of the stress for each group are. Our main hypotesis will be that the students who are included in the Bolognian programmes experience more stress than the non-Bolognian students. We intend to find solutions to reduce stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                      Source: Cassidy,1999: p.134

 

 

 

 

 

HYPOTESES

 

 

Hypothesis 1:Students of Bolognian programmes (second year of HRM) experience more stress than non-Bolognian students (third year of HRM).

 

Hypothesis 2: Students' obligations have been increased by the Bolognian reform, which causes more stress among students of Bolognian programmes.

 

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

 

1. We want to find out what stress is and what causes it.

 

2. What is the students' stress?

 

3. We want to know which stressors cause student stress.

 

4. What is the role of the faculty as the institution in decreasing student stress?

 

GLOSSARY

 

  1. DISTRESS (noun): mental suffering which is caused by grief, unhappiness or lack of time. It is a negative stress.
  2. EUSTRESS (noun): is a positive stress which we experience situations like participation in a wedding ceremony. It increases mental alertness.
  3. COMPULSORY (adjectiv): necessary, required by an authority (in our case required by the faculty).
  4. REGULAR STUDY (adjective): doing something frequently, every day or every week.
  5. COPING SKILL: styles of coping with stress.
  6. STRESSORS (noun): causes of stress for individual
  7. HECTIC LIFESTYLE: a way of life where we do not have time for relax and to rest. People are constantly busy and hurried.
  8. ACADEMIC DEMANDS: demands related to education (obligated lectures, seminary work, reports etc.).
  9. LOCUS OF CONTROL: an important aspect of personality (in psychology differete two tipes of people – internals and externals).
  10. COMPLETE EXHAUSTION: a state of extreme tiredness.

 

 

LIST OF LITERATURE

 

1. Cassidy, Tony (1999): Stress, Cognition and Health. London. Routledge

2. Jogaratnam, Giri and Buchanan, Polly (2004): Balancing the demands of school and work: stress and employed hospitality students. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 16, p. 237-245.

2. Large, Rena (1999): Easing the strain of students` stress. NEA Today, vol. 18, p. 39.

3. Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J.G. and Osborn, R. (2005) ‘Organizational behavior’, New York, Wiley.

4. Selye, H.A. (1936): Syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents. Nature, Vol. 138, p.

5. Shaikh et al. (2004): Students' Stress and Coping Strategies: A Case of  Pakistani Medical School. Education For Health: Change in Learning & Practice, Vol. 17, p. 346-353

 

DISTRIBUTION OF TASKS

Tina will write the introduction and conclusion.

 

Jasna will write what stress in general is and what the causes for it are.

 

Aida will research the kinds of stress students experience.

 

Maja and Mirjana will focus on one theory of stress that is appropiate for our research.

 

After the practical part of the seminary work will be done (when we get the results from the survey and the answers from the interview), all members of the group will try to find the best solutions to the problem.

 

GROUP MEMBERS

 

1) Maja

2) Tina

3) Aida

4) Mirjana

5) Jasna

 

Distribution of roles

 

1) Chair: Aida

2) Secretary: Maja, Mirjana

3) Progress chaser: Jasna

4) Timekeeper: Tina

 

 

 

 "Happy people are less stressed. When you are happy, it’s usually as a result of what you’re thinking about. Make a happy of absorbing good news and limit your exposure to bad news. There are good things happening in the world, in our country and community and our lives."

 

Patricia Cameron-Hill & Dr. Shayne Yates

(http://www.chy.com.au/stress.htm)

 

 

MINUTES OF THE FIRST MEETING OF "PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PROJECT"

 

 

held on 1st March, 2007 at FDV library

 

Present: Aida, Maja, Tina, Mirjana, Jasna

Absent: /

 

 

Agenda:

1. The agreement concerning the exact topic

2. Literature and distribution of tasks

3. Any other business

 

 

Item 1: The agreement concerning the exact topic

 

 

Discussion: Last week  we chose our topic: "The role of the institution in reducing stress at the Faculty of Social Sciences". We asked for help professor Jana Nadoh who advised us to focus on students' stress and to compare two groups, for instance, two different study programmes. We decided to compare Bolognian and non-Bolognian programmes and to focus on HRM students (second and third year). After our conversation, we went to professor Černigoj-Sadar and discussed our topic. She suggested that we find out  what specific aspect of stress we would analyse. Then we asked prof. Zorko to help us to translate our title. We all agreed with her suggestion.

 Action:Our title is: "The role of the institution in decreasing stress in the second and third year Human Resources Management students at the Faculty of Social Sciences."

 

 

 

Item 2: Literature and distribution of tasks

 

 

Discussion: We found some literature last week. We checked it again and found some more articles and web-pages that will be useful for our seminary work. We also went to prof. Černigoj-Sadar who gave us two books which will help us to get more information about our topic (stress). Some articles which we found last week were not appropriate, so we excluded them.     

 

 

Action: We kept the articles, web pages and books that we found useful.

 

DISTRIBUTION OF TASKS

 

Assignments:

Tina will read the article no.3 and no.4 (see the list of literature).

Aida has to read the first chapter in the book Stress and Health.

Mirjana will contact professor Černigoj-Sadar and ask her for some advice.

Maja will remind  professor Černigoj-Sadar to send us the link of the website. She will also read article no.5.

Jasna will read  the book Stress, Cognition and Health (chapter 1).

Everyone has to look for more specific literature.

 

Action: Till the next meeting all group members have to search for more useful literature and read the articles or books assigned to them. 

 

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 8 March, 2007 at 11 AM at FDV library.

Minutes taker: Aida

Chair: Tina

 

 Girls, it's lunch time!

 

 

 

 

 

"You do not have to be a victim of stress. In any unsatisfactory situation you have choices: Improve it, Wear it, or Get out. Improve it: means fixing the problem.

Wear it: means accepting what you can’t change and stop complaining.

Getting out: is sometimes the only way to fix the problem."

 

Patricia Cameron-Hill & Dr. Shayne Yates

(http://www.chy.com.au/stress.htm)

 

 

MINUTES OF THE SECOND MEETING OF "PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PROJECT"

 

held on 8th March, 2007 at FDV library

 

Present: Aida, Maja, Tina, Mirjana, Jasna

Absent: /

 

 

Agenda:

1. Action-item follow up

2. The formation of the hypotheses and research questions 

3. Distribution of tasks

 

Item 1: Action-item follow up

 

 

Discussion: All members of the group completed their assignments. Last week we assigned different tasks to each member of the group. Everybody had difficulties with finding appropriate literature for our theme. At our meeting we all discussed and agreed that some of  them are too specific for our project.

 

 

Item 2: The formation of the hypotheses and research questions

 

 

Discussion: After reading the literature we formed two hypotheses and four research questions. We had a few different ideas about hypotheses and research questions, but at the end we all agreed what the best solution for our project is. 

 Action: Two hypotheses and four research questions were formed.

 

 

Item 3: Distribution of tasks

 

Discussion: After we read the literature we all found out that we still have to search for more articles and books. Then our conversation lead to our empirical work. We realized that we have to form a questionnaire as soon as possible and we also have to contact professor Zinka Kolaric for the interview.

Action: Till the next meeting all  group members have to form a few questions for the questionnaire (at least 3). Tina has to contact professor Zinka Kolarič by e-mail. We  also have to find a few articles (or books) about students' stress.

 

 

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 15 March, 2007 at 11 AM at FDV library.

Minutes taker: Jasna

Chair: Tina

 

 

The tasks are distributed...we have plenty to do girls!

 

 

 

"We all make mistakes.

If you make a mistake, get out of it as quickly as possible.

Don’t wait around to make sure."

 

Patricia Cameron-Hill & Dr. Shayne Yates

(http://www.chy.com.au/stress.htm)

 

 

MINUTES OF THE THIRD MEETING OF "PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PROJECT"

 

 

held on 15th March, 2007 at Net Caffe

Present: Aida,  Tina, Mirjana, Jasna, Maja
Absent: /
Agenda:
1. Action-item follow up
2. Dustribution of  tasks
3. Any other business
Item 1: Action-item follow up
Discussion: We found a few new articles. We did not form questions for the questionnaire yet, because professor Černigoj-Sadar advised us first to check the questionnaire on the Internet (she gave us the link). If this questionnaire is not appropriate, we will form our own questions.
Item 2: Distribution of tasks
Discussion: Tina said that she contacted professor Zinka Kolarič. Maja suggested that we should form questions for the interview with Zinka Kolarič till the next meeting.  Aida recommended that she and Tina should choose the best questions for the interview. Mirjana said that she already formed a few questions.
Action: Aida and Tina have to form all questions for the interview with Zinka Kolarič.

 

Discussion: Jasna proposed that she, Maja and Mirjana should focus on the questionnaire. We all agreed with that. Mirjana said that she will check the existing questionnaire on the Internet.

Action: If the questionnaire on the Internet is not appropriate for our topic, Jasna, Maja and Mirjana will form questions related to our topic.

 

Discussion: Jasna said that we still have not got an answer from our professors Jana Nadoh and Nevenka Černigoj-Sadar about our reserach questions. We all agreed that in this case we cannot distribute the tasks.

Action: The tasks will be distributed next week (when we get the answer from professors).

 

 

Item 3: Any other business

 

The next meeting will be held on 22th March at 11 o'clock at Net Caffe.

 

Minutes taker: Aida

Chair: Tina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "Controlling your breathing is an instant stress reducer.

Try this: Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. As you breathe in, think to yourself “cool in” then as you breathe out, think “warm out”. (The air is different. Have you noticed this before?) Repeat this several times and relax your body as your exhale. This works in the middle of the night if your mind is racing and you can’t sleep.

“Cool in” and “Warm out” becomes your mantra and can exclude the worry thoughts."

 

Patricia Cameron-Hill & Dr. Shayne Yates

(http://www.chy.com.au/stress.htm)

 

 

MINUTES OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF "PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PROJECT"

 

 

held on 4th April, 2007 at Net Caffe

Present: Aida,  Tina, Mirjana, Jasna, Maja
Absent: /

 

 

 

Agenda:

 

1. Action-item follow up
2. Dustribution of  tasks
3. Any other business
Item 1: Action-item follow up
Discussion: All assignments from the previous meeting were carried out.
Item 2: Distribution of tasks
Discussion: At our last meeting we distributed assignments among the group members and we all agreed with the distribution. 
Action: Tina informed us that she got an e-mail from professor Zinka Kolarič. Prof. Zinka Kolarič agreed to give an interview. Tina and Aida already formed all questions so they both decided to interview prof. Kolarič in the following days.
Discussion: Jasna, Maja and Mirjana had to form the questionnaire. They looked for the questions on the Internet and in the books, and formed some questions on their own. They selected the best ones and finally made the questionnaire.   
Action: The questionnaire that was made by Mirjana, Maja and Jasna will be distributed between two groups: second and third year HRM students at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. Then we will analyse the received results and make a comparison for our further work.  
Discussion: Jasna said that she did not get any answer from professor about the research questions so they are probably quite well designed. Mirjana suggested that in this case we should write the final distribution of tasks. Some of them we already completed because we did not want to wait too long for an answer from professors. We also agreed on what each of us will write for the theoretical part of the seminary work.
Action: Tina will write the introduction and the conclusion because it is best to be done by one person. Jasna will write the definition of the stress in general and explain when it appears. Aida will focus on the stress caused among students. She will research what kinds of stress students experience. Maja and Mirjana's task will be to choose one of the theories about stress that we find the most appropriate for our work and try to apply it to our problem. The assignements for the practical work (an interview and the questionnaire) have already been assigned. When we have the results from our survey and interview, we will discuss them and try to find the solution to our problem.
Item 3: Any other business
Our next meeting will be held on 12th April at 11 o'clock at Net Caffe.

 

OK! It's lot of work to do but girls we are strong enough to do it the best way we can!!!

 

Minutes taker: Mirjana

Chair: Aida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEELING A LITLLE STRESSED?

 

 

 

 

Life getting on your nerves? 

 

 

 

Can't stand the pressure?

 

 

Here's a new relaxation technique that might help...

 

 

 

Now... sit comfortably...

 

 

 

Close your eyes halfway to dim the light.

 

 

 

 

Take a deeeeep breath...

 

 

 

Are you concentrating?

 

 

Clench and unclench your fists.

 

Feel the tension moving to your hands?

 

 

 

Now slowly...

 

pull your arms back as far as you can...

 

 

Now...

 

 

 

Whack the person next to you really hard!

 

 

 

DOESN'T THAT FEEL BETTER?!?

 

 

 

              

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

 

           

 

By unknown author; March 14, 2007 from (http://www.therealmartha.com/stress/)

 

 


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  • Recent comments:
    Vida Zorko:Hi, Good to see you added a glossary :-) Of the ten terms, distress, eustress and stressor are appropriate ones. Please don't forget to add Slovene translations. Try to find seven more key terms related to your topic. Avoid general vocabulary.
    Jana Nadoh Bergoč:Pozdravljene! Glede na pogovor z zadnjih vaj pri predmetu smo se z dr. Černigoj Sadarjevo in dr. Mesner Andolškovo pogovarjale o tem, da bi vaš prispevek uporabile za izhodišče pri oceni, v kolikšni meri ste študentje SOC KM 2. in 3. letnika dejansko obremenjeni. Če bi bilo mogoče to informacijo pridobiti že pred oddajo vaše naloge, bi bilo to super, saj bi lahko o tem razpravljali na katedri. Zato me zanima, kako daleč ste z raziskavo? Če sem prav razumela, ste se z dr. Černigoj Sadarjevo že dogovorili, kaj boste vključili v raziskavo, vendar pa ona zdaj za nekaj časa odhaja, v tem času pa bi vam pri vašem delu skušala pomagati sama. Ali vas lahko prosim, da se mi oglasite (npr. prek maila)? Lep pozdrav! Asist. Jana Nadoh Bergoč
    Vida Zorko:Hi Mirjana. Your group is not the only one having these problems. They are related to the new editor that PBwiki providers introduced a few weeks ago. Editing is easier than before but it will take some time until the PBwiki team can make it work perfectly. Perhaps this can help: 1) Go to your page and click 'edit'. 2) Then select the content you want to change and cut it out. 3) Paste the cut content into a Word document and edit the text there. 4) Then copy the Word text into your wiki page with CTRL+V. Try it out. If anything goes wrong you can still revert your wiki page to the previous version. Good luck! But let me say that your page looks great already.
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