THE EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES TO REDUCE ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG STUDENTS AT SMA NEGERI 18 MAKASSAR

Students at SMA Negeri 18 Makassar with high academic stress—marked by emotional symptoms, exam anxiety, concentration difficulties, and feelings of incompetence—received a mindfulness intervention through group counselling. Before the intervention, all 9 students in the experimental group were in the very high stress category; afterward, all moved to the low stress category. The intervention included conscious breathing exercises, emotional and cognitive awareness, and mindful movement with self-reflection. The findings indicate that mindfulness techniques effectively reduce academic stress and can serve as a preventive and curative strategy for maintaining emotional balance in school.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study examines the application of mindfulness techniques through group counselling to reduce academic stress among students at SMA Negeri 18 Makassar. The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe the level of academic stress experienced by studenst at SMA Negeri 18 Makassar; (2) to determine how the application of mindfulness techniques can help students manage academic stress; and (3) to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness techniques in reducing academic stress among students. This research employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design, specifically the Randomized Pretest-Posstest Control Group Design. The population of this study consisted of 54 students from grade XI who were identified as having high academic stress levels. The sampling technique used was Systematic Random Sampling, resulting in a total of 18 participants, divided into two groups: 9 students in the experimental group and 9 in the control group. Data were collected through observation and the administration of an academic stress likert scale. Data were analyzed using parametric statistic through a t-test. The findings of this study indicate that: (1) the students’ academic stress levels before the intervention were categorized as high, characterized by emotional symptoms, exam anxiety, concentration difficulties, and feelings of incompetence in meeting academic demands; (2) the mindfulness intervention was implemented through three main stages conscious breathing exercises, emotional and cognitive awareness, and mindful movement with self -reflections; and (3) the results show that before the intervention, all students in the experimental group (100%) were in the every high stress category, while after the mindfulness treatment, the stress level decreased to the low category (100%). Thus, the application of mindfulness techniques proved to be effective in reducing students’ academic stress and can serve as a preventive and curative strategy to help students maintain emotional balance within the school enbironment.