Althea Medical Journal (Aug 2014)

Differences of Anxiety Levels between Students of Natural Sciences and Social Studies Major Based on School Environmental Factors in Senior High Schools with Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional Scheme

  • Arviana Adamantina Putri,
  • Leonardo Lubis,
  • Tatang Muchtar Sutaryan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15850/amj.v1n2.348
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 2
pp. 60 – 64

Abstract

Read online

Background: Senior High Schools with Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) scheme are senior high schools that pilot international standards in learning methods and high curriculum targets. This factor may lead to a rise of anxiety amongst students, both for students in Natural Sciences major and Social Studies major. There are three factors which cause anxiety in the school environment, namely: dissatisfaction towards the curriculum, the teacher, and the school management. Methods: This study used retrospective cohort design. Subjects were selected using the convenience sampling method. Natural Sciences students (n=32) and Social Studies students (n=14) had their anxiety level measured using the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. The dissatisfaction towards the school environment factors was assessed using a school evaluation questionnaire. Results: The anxiety measurement showed that students in both Natural Sciences and Social Studies major experienced severe anxiety (Natural Sciences vs. Social Studies: 75% vs. 86%). The study results based on the school evaluation questionnaire showed dissatisfactions towards the three school environmental factors (curriculum factor, Natural Sciences vs. Social Studies: 59% vs. 64%; teacher factor, Natural Sciences vs. Social Studies: 3% vs. 43%; school management factor, Natural Sciences vs. Social Studies: 3% vs. 14%). The chi-square test results showed that the difference in the anxiety levels between the students of Natural Sciences and Social Studies majors was insignificant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Students of Natural Sciences and Social Studies majors of senior high schools with RSBI scheme experienced severe anxiety. However, there is no strong evidence that the school environment causes this severe anxiety.

Keywords