2021 IJRSE – Volume 10 Issue 3
Available Online: 24 January 2021
Author/s:
Capanzana, Carmela*
Philippine Normal University, Philippines (capanzana.co@pnu.edu.ph)
Abstract:
The study explored and described the non-STEM students’ stressful learning difficulties in general chemistry and their coping strategies to address them. A descriptive multiple case study design is revised as descriptive cross-sectional survey to gather students’ coping strategies in general chemistry. The sample of the study consisted of one intact section of non-STEM students (n=21) enrolled in an Engineering course program, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering under a state university’s Bridge Program in the Philippines. The quantitative data were gathered using the Ways of Coping Checklist as the instrument while focused group discussion and face-to-face interview were employed to gather qualitative data. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, weighted arithmetic mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the quantitative data while thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data and confirm the quantitative analyses. Results showed that among the eight coping strategies in the research instrument, accepting responsibility got the highest weighted mean of 2.83 with an SD of 0.98 followed by positive reappraisal with a weighted mean and SD of 2.10 and 0.89, respectively. These results imply that these strategies were more frequently used by students compared to other strategies. These results were confirmed by the emerging themes derived from the thematic analysis were students identified these two coping strategies they used more frequent that others. It is recommended that orientation on stress and coping strategies and appropriate intervention be employed to address students’ stressful encounter in general chemistry.
Keywords: learning difficulties; coping strategies; general chemistry; non-STEM students; engineering course program
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2021.5072
Cite this article:
Capanzana, C. (2021). Non-STEM students’ learning difficulties and coping strategies in general chemistry under an engineering course program. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 10(3), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2021.5072
*Corresponding Author