Stress management strategies and their influence in enhancing discipline among secondary school students in Elburgon Division, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Educationists are currently paying more attention to the effects of stress on students in relation to school discipline. Inability to cope with stress culminates to indiscipline behaviour that has rocked many schools in Kenya. Stress management strategies are a set of techniques and programme intended to help people experiencing stress to acquire appropriate measures to avert harmful behaviour. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the influence of these stress management strategies in enhancing students’ discipline in secondary schools in Elburgon Division, Nakuru County, Kenya. The study adopted the correlational research design. A total of 317 students and 14 teacher counsellors were randomly selected. A structured questionnaire with 21 items was used to collect data using a 5 point Likert scale. The responses were converted into scores and added together to form an index of stress management with a Cronbach alpha of .801. Four stress management strategies were assessed, they included: avoiding stressful situations, altering stressful situations, accepting stressful situations that cannot be changed, and adapting a healthy life-style. Six variables were used as indicators of student discipline, they included: medical check-ups, feeding habits, drug abuse, negative experiences, relaxation and physical exercises, and unhealthy relationships. The data collected was analysed using descriptive (Means and frequencies) and inferential statistics (t-test and regression analysis). The mean age of the respondents was 16.9 years. Female students were 54.6 %, while the male were 45.4 %. The female students were found to have a higher level of stress management (mean 4.38) than the male student (mean 4.08) and these differences were statistically significant. The stress management strategies significantly (β=.841, p=.01) enhanced student discipline. Specific strategies significantly (p<.05) influenced discipline as follows: avoiding stressful situations influenced β=.397, adaption of a healthy life style β= .345, acceptance of situations that one cannot change β=.017, and altering the situations β=.016. The study concluded that the application of stress management strategies in secondary schools significantly reduced stress among students and enhanced their discipline. The study recommended that stress management strategies be taught to secondary students to control their stress and enhance their discipline. If the recommendations of this study are applied to secondary school students by teacher counsellors, school administrators and parents, then stress would be minimised and discipline would be enhanced.