Qualitative methods for social health research - Essay Example

Qualitative methods for social health Current education has taken dynamic form where struggle to manage a balance between study life, home life, and work life. In health-related programs, in particular, several scholar sources have identified that students have had multivariate experiences in relation to academic achievement, stress and coping strategies, all which are related to the other. In an attempt to understand the experiences of the current crop of students, this paper will analyze the themes of stress, academic performance and coping strategy through a focus on the interview results of four students who responded to questions that are related to the themes.

Theme of Academic performance Academic performance is the reason for studying to determine the level of intelligence. Motivation is a crucial aspect in validating the theme of academic performance. In the presence of adequate amount of motivation, there is a driving factor for academic performance. As responded by participant A, motivation will enable one to balance work and studies due to an impending aim of achieving results in both. When asked on How satisfied the participant is with academic achievement, participant A responds, that, “My study is going good beside my work time as I am a part time employee who is working only in the weekend and the rest of the weekdays I am a full time student so I manage my time to student during the weekdays”.

While when asked on the circumstances under which he feels academic achievement is linked to work load, participant C stated that, “If u work less u will do better in your study as you will have more time to study and do the work on time as if you have part time work it will be easy than full time work and full time study, it easy to make you feel stress and scared”. In the assessment of the implication of work on academic performance, participant D was responded that “work does not affect my studies to a certain degree, because I have less time to study for my subjects”.

Theme of Stress Stress is a normal reaction to actual or potential stimuli. Basing on the theme of stress, most literature sources agree that stress is a normal response to a stimulant, which may be an actual or a potential threat. When one is faced with more than one task to perform in the study, work and life, stress ensues. However, as responded by participant B, a well balance of time within the daily activities helps in the management of stress. When asked how stress affects in relation to study, participant B says “stress affects my performance ability and decrease my productivity both at work and my studies”.

While when asked on the effects of stress in relation to study, participant D stated that… “It affects me in a positive way, when I am stressed, I tend to study more.” Addition on the theme of stress and its implication on academics, participant C was asked the nature with which the university affects his level of stress which he responded as, “It always makes me feel stress because I always feel I have some work to do and it waiting for me to do it so I feel not relax all the time until I do them then I will feel I am safe.

”Theme of Coping Acclimatization to an environment or practice is important for effective performance. Coping is an important aspect of the achievement of success in the activities of daily living. An adequate coping strategy will enable an individual to effectively balance stress and academic achievement. The social setting has a critical role to play in aid of coping as said by participant D. it is important to acclimatize to the activities of daily living thus reduce stress for the achievement of results.

When asked on the nature of coping to study, work and life, participant C responded, “It is very hard but I make sure that I have enough time to balance between the three; work, life and study.” While when asked the role of social setup in performance, participant D responded that, “They (friends and family) motivate me to study. My mother doesn’t make me clean during my studies and she makes sure that she creates a good environment for me”. When asked on the avenues that encourage copping with studies while working, participant A responded that “if I need some studying support I always go to student support centre and ask for help or ask my tutor to explain anything it not clear for me.

”Conclusion The themes of academic achievement, stress and coping strategy are crucial ones in the identification of the experiences of undergraduates in health related programs. Through analysis of the themes in the form of an interview interaction with the students, it brings to life the divergence in strategies with which students uses to achieve academic performance, copy and manage stress. AppendixMethods commentsTranscriptPreliminary analysisNeed to assess the level of motivation she has on academicsInterviewer: MeHow satisfied are you with your academic achievement?

Participant: AThe participant responds, “My study is going good beside my work time as I am a part time employee who is working only in the weekend and the rest of the weekdays I am a full time student so I manage my time to student during the weekdays.”The student has a balanced academic and work life. Academic achievement for the student results from knowledge of the balance between school and works and use of time appropriately.Stress has a psychological implication and has a potentiality of affecting performance.

Need to determine the effect of stress on studies and workInterviewer: MeHow does stress affect you in relation to your study?Participant: BThe participant says that “stress affects my performance ability and decrease my productivity both at work and my studies”Stress has a direct relationship with the outcome of an activity. A person who schools and work concurrently has higher stress incidences, which can downgrade performance in both sectors.This is to assess the theme of copying to the life activities.

Interviewer: MeHow do you manage study, work and life?Participant: C“It is very hard but I make sure that I have enough time to balance between the three; work, life and study.”It is not always easy to copy to the three activities of study, work and life, thus come with challenges, which may have psychological impression of failure by an individual.Social surrounding is a critical influencer of copping to stress and academic performance. This is intended to assess the influence of social surrounding on copyingInterviewer: MeHow do your relatives and friends support you in your studies?

Participant: D“They motivate me to study. My mother doesn’t make me clean during my studies and she makes sure that she creates a good environment for me”There is evidently a key role played by social surrounding on copying to life activities. A cooperative social structure promotes copying.