Perceived Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being of Non-Stem Students Enrolled in Stem Related Courses

This study examined the perceived academic stress and mental well-being of non-STEM students enrolled in STEM major courses in higher education. The transition from non-STEM senior high school strands to rigorous STEM programs often presents unique challenges for freshmen students, prompting the need to understand how they cope with academic demands. Specifically, this research determined the Levels of Perceived Academic Stress, Mental Well-Being as well as the significant relationship between these two variables. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was utilized to systematically describe and correlate the variables among freshmen students who had taken non-STEM strands in senior high school and are currently enrolled in STEM-related courses. The study employed the total enumeration method. The survey questionnaires along with the information letter and consent form was distributed through Google form links and face-to-face administration. After the data was collected, tabulated, and statistically analysed, results showed that non-Stem students enrolled in STEM-related courses experienced high levels of Academic Stress as indicated by the accumulated Grand Mean which totals to 3.491. In contrast to this, the Mental Well-being results showed a total mean score of 3.26 which indicates that their mental well-being has been used positively and can improve. Moreover, Pearson’s Correlational Coefficient was employed and results showed a Pearson’s r value of .0791, which is close to zero, indicating a weak positive correlation between the two variables. Therefore, the null hypothesis of the study is accepted. These findings provide important insight for educational sectors seeking to develop targeted intervention that can reduce academic stress and to enhance the mental well-being of the students transitioning to STEM related courses.