Students’ Academic Stress and Its Relationship with Prospective Memory Ability and Strategies

Enhanced memory retention is a crucial skill for students during their academic pursuits. Their capacity to recall future tasks is vital in effectively managing their schedules, workloads, and deadlines. However, academic stress can impair prospective memory functioning, which is responsible for remembering to perform future planned actions. This study examined the relationship between academic stress and students’ prospective memory ability and strategies. Three hundred eighty-seven (387) college students completed a self-report questionnaire to assess the correlation of studied variables. Using a descriptive-correlational analysis, the data gathered from respondents were analyzed. Furthermore, insights and experiences were collected from a focus group discussion comprising fifteen (15) participants to complement the quantitative results using a manifest content analysis. Results revealed that academic stress significantly correlates with prospective memory ability and the strategies employed. It suggests that students who experience academic stress grapple with lapses in remembering planned actions they need to perform in the future, leading to repercussions ranging from minor to significant. In contrast, their strategies help them effectively avoid forgetting tasks. Consequently, they develop specific external aids like notes, alarms, calendar reminders, and internal strategies such as mental task organization and rehearsal. These findings offer valuable insights into managing academic stress and its impact on memory retention. Thus, it underscores the need for proactive measures to enhance memory recall, addressing students' challenges.