Academic Motivation and Stress of Senior High School Students in a Rural Post-Quarantine Face-to-Face Learning Context

This study examines the relationship between academic motivation and stress levels among Senior High School students. The research employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 267 Senior High School students. The questionnaire included measures of academic motivation, such as intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation, as well as perceived stress levels. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, tests of significant difference, and correlation analysis. Findings indicate differences in perceived academic stress and academic motivation across demographic groupings. In particular, there is a gendered difference in perceived academic stress and amotivation. Further, differences were noted in the introjected regulation and amotivation subscales of academic motivation across grade levels and strands. However, the correlation analysis yielded insignificant results between perceived academic stress and the subscales of academic motivation. Key recommendations are for policies and programs to target female students when it comes to stress management, and for careful attention to be given to grade 11 students regarding their significantly higher level of amotivation than those in grade 12. Recommendations for future research are also included.