Listen to Robert Bailey as he speaks with Matt, a current high school student taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and navigating the resulting stress and pressure. Matt covers the expectations and the mental health implications of students who take AP classes and how schools can work to support them.
A few statistics on students in AP classes
- Research has shown that students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs experience higher levels of stress compared to students in general education classes. Elevated stress can serve as a risk factor for students' academic and mental health problems. (Source)AP students, including those with average scores of 1 or 2, are more likely to enroll in a four-year college compared to academically similar students who did not take AP in high school. (Source) AP students who earn a score of 1 or 2, or average a score of 1 or 2 across their AP Exams in high school, have better college outcomes than academically similar college students who did not take an AP course and exam. (Source)
(1:13) Issues facing students
Advanced Placement or AP classes are college-level courses students can take in high school that allow them to earn college credits and placements while helping them save money and stand out to colleges.
While these programs have many benefits, including notoriety on college applications, preparation for college-level courses and learning higher-level material, they also have negative implications for learners. Students face mental health issues such as stress, anxiety or depression and can burn out from taking these high-level courses. Many students take AP classes, which can open many doors for them, but they must learn how to manage their mental health and their class load. This action is complex since most schools don't have enough social-emotional support for their students.
(1:52) The negative effects of AP classes
In the quest for students to take AP classes, they can face peer or parental pressure. Many parents, often with good intentions, pressure their children to succeed in their AP classes or to take on more work without realizing it. Parents want their students to keep outshining themselves, so the pressure on learners to study and continuously improve is constant.
For example, Matt explains that even though his parents have their best intentions at heart, they pressure him quite a bit. While he notes that not all of the pressure is bad, it does result in stress and often creates anxiety. In addition, Matt brings up a good point because AP classes can foster overly competitive environments for students in school that can also trickle down to their home life.
(2:55) Teachers can help combat stress
Last year, Matt had an AP Euro teacher who he found extremely supportive when dealing with stress. Outside of school, she organized study and review sessions, which were helpful and thoughtful for students preparing for their tests. He mentions that she was also very positive and helped the learners get through the anxiety leading up to the actual AP tests. For example, a week before the AP test, Matt explains that his teacher positively reinforced them every day. She affirmed that they would do well and get a top score, which boosted morale and helped the students through mental roadblocks.
For Matt, having his teacher there supporting him was an important factor in his success. He goes on to say that while his class is taking college courses, they're still high school students, so they might not grasp everything they're learning and it's important to acknowledge that.
(4:27) Breaking down the information in AP classes
For more complex or vague subjects, Matt had teachers who would compare the information to real-life scenarios the students were familiar with. This method is one of the teachers' most powerful ways to connect students with the learning material. By using meaningful or relevant information with the students, they're more likely to care or be interested in what they're learning. Still, they're also more likely to understand and remember the information. It puts the information into an even playing field for the students by forging meaningful connections, making learning relevant and providing students with a sense of belonging. Matt explained how his teacher made learning these high-level topics relatable easier by tying in the material with pop culture.
(5:27) Mental health during remote learning and COVID-19
Matt explains that while he was learning remotely during this time, it was very "do it yourself" because they didn't have reliable meetings, and everyone was going at their own pace, among other factors. He said that it was very challenging and stressful to end the school year and then carry on that knowledge from middle to high school. Once he entered high school, they used Google Meets for class, which became more reliable for learning.
(6:51) Staying motivated during remote learning
During both times of remote learning, Matt mentions the constant distractions and lack of motivation. He said that his friends would text each other for motivation and direct the group to focus on the upcoming summer vacation or having a more normal next school year. Regarding distractions, Matt would set reminders and make notes for himself to stay on task. However, he did notice that other students weren't as lucky and some became very distracted or unmotivated during this time, whether it was from issues related to COVID-19 or learning at home.
(7:54) Navigating learning in class on a computer
In the transition from middle school to high school, Matt started using Google Chromebooks. At first, this change was a little weird for him, but he found it beneficial as it restored a sense of normality to the classroom and helped everyone get back on track for high school. For the first semester of school, the teachers gave students a transition phase where they didn't have hard deadlines and were more flexible. Then, in the second semester, everything returned to normal and to almost a pre-pandemic environment.
(10:10) What decisions would you make to have a big impact on students?
If Matt was in a leadership position, he explained that he would first focus on mental health issues due to taking higher academic level classes. Then, he would make students feel like they're not alone in their situation, provide resources, and the overall sentiment that things will get better. Matt would also set up programs or clubs to help students help each other and for the administration to provide resources to them. Providing these extra resources could also encourage students who may not think they're capable of taking AP classes to do so, which will further help their success in college.
About Matt
Matt is a high schooler and teen from Arizona and is currently in 11th grade. He loves listening to music, creating art and hanging out with friends. Aside from school, he participates in swim and dive, HOSA and Environmental Alliance. As an adult, he would also like to pursue medicine and become a cardiologist since he has a strong interest in medicine and all things bio-related. He chose to do the podcast since he wants to share his opinion and voice with the world and educate others about mental health and how it relates to the school system.
Host: Robert Bailey
Producers: Lindsay Dixon-Garcia and Joshua Rodriguez
Intro/Closing voice: Tessa Garcia
Intro/Closing music: "Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/