Psychoeducation on Coping Mechanism Strategies for Academic Burnout among High School Students

Background: The issue of academic burnout experienced by students may include excessive academic workload, overwhelming exams and assignments, feelings of hopelessness regarding academic performance, fear of failure, and ineffective self-management. This problem requires proper intervention, one of which is the application of coping mechanisms such as cognitive restructuring, relaxation, self-instruction, and games. The aim is to help minimize the perception of academic demands as urgent, complex, and overly stressful beyond students’ capacities. Methods: This community service activity was based on expertise in knowledge transfer, using training and mentoring methods through a psychoeducational approach. The program was carried out in three stages: first, an assessment study; second, the implementation of psychoeducation through group work, involving cognitive restructuring via seminars and group activities that utilized relaxation, self-instruction, and games; and third, monitoring and evaluation. Results: The pre-test assessment revealed that 17 students (22.2%) experienced high levels of burnout, 11 students (30.5%) fell into the moderate category, and 8 students (22.2%) exhibited low levels. Psychoeducation using the three coping strategies proved effective in reducing academic burnout among students at SMA Negeri 5 Kupang. Post-test results indicated