Exploring Academic Stress among Tribal Adolescent Girls during the Transition from Village Life to Residential Schooling

Hemlata Mahawar, Dr. Monica Dungarwal

Authors

Hemlata Mahawar, Dr. Monica Dungarwal

Keywords:

academic stress, tribal adolescent girls, residential schooling, educational transition, resilience, supportive relationships, qualitative research

Abstract

The transition from village life to residential schooling can provide tribal adolescent girls with greater access to education. However, it may also involve changes in language, learning expectations, daily routines, relationships, and contact with family. These changes may influence how girls experience academic stress and adjust to school. This paper reviews literature on school transitions, academic stress, resilience, supportive relationships, Indigenous residential schooling, and the wellbeing of boarding students. The reviewed studies come from India and other settings, so their findings are used as context rather than assumed to apply directly to every tribal community in India. The paper is conceptual and does not report original fieldwork or participant data. It proposes an exploratory qualitative design using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis to understand girls’ experiences in their own words. The literature suggests that academic stress is shaped not only by academic demands but also by teacher support, peer relationships, cultural identity, language, belonging, and the wider living environment. The paper identifies a need for focused qualitative research on tribal adolescent girls’ experiences during the transition from village life to residential schooling. It concludes that schools should combine academic support with culturally respectful relationships, safe hostel routines, and meaningful opportunities for students to express their needs.

References

Benner, A. D., Boyle, A. E., & Bakhtiari, F. (2017). Understanding students’ transition to high school: Demographic variation and the role of supportive relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46, 2129–2142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0716-2

Burrage, R. L., Momper, S. L., & Gone, J. P. (2021). Beyond trauma: Decolonizing understandings of loss and healing in the Indian residential school system of Canada. Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12455

Choi, S.-M., Yoo, I., Kim, D., An, S., Sung, Y., & Kim, C. (2023). The moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between academic stress and school adjustment in Korean students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 941129. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.941129

Franck, L., Midford, R., Cahill, H., Buergelt, P., Robinson, G., Leckning, B., & Paton, D. (2020). Enhancing social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal boarding students: Evaluation of a social and emotional learning pilot program. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), Article 771. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030771

George, M. S., Ramu, K. A., Prasad, R., Prashanth, N. S., Kenjoor, S., & Grant, J. B. (2024). “How can our children learn from us about our way of life or understand who they are?”: Residential schools and their impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous youth in Attappadi, South India. Transcultural Psychiatry, 61(4), 557–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615231213834

Jiang, Y., Zhang, L., Govindasamy, P., Mohd Isa, N. J., Zaremohzzabieh, Z., Roslan, S., Che Amat, M. A., Binti Puad Mohd Kari, D. N., & Du, L. (2026). The impact of perceived stress on school adjustment among Chinese boarding students in rural junior high school: A moderated mediation model of teacher support and self-esteem. Educational Studies, 52(2), 209–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2025.2479590

Kyeremeh, R., & Abomah, P. W. (2025). Students’ psychological adjustment to shift-schooling ecosystem in Sub-Saharan African urban communities. Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.12928/jehcp.vi.30179

Lama, R., Matergia, M., Giri, P., Mukhia, D., Aragon-Menzel, I., Rai, R. P., & Cherewick, M. (2026). Socially situated stress and support among adolescents in the Darjeeling Himalaya: A qualitative study of social suffering and resilience. SSM - Mental Health, Article 100689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2026.100689

Mahata, H. (2024). An assessment of the educational problem in relation to academic performance of the tribal adolescent girls students. Bharati International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2(8). https://doi.org/10.70798/bijmrd/02080001

Makarova, E., & Birman, D. (2016). Minority students’ psychological adjustment in the school context: An integrative review of qualitative research on acculturation. Intercultural Education, 27(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1144382

Mander, D. J., Cohen, L., & Pooley, J. (2015). ‘If I wanted to have more opportunities and go to a better school, I just had to get used to it’: Aboriginal students’ perceptions of going to boarding school in Western Australia. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 44, 26–36. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2015.3

P., A. (2025). Stress in relation to socio-emotional adjustment: A comparison of tribal and non-tribal secondary school students. International Journal on Science and Technology, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.71097/ijsat.v16.i3.7671

Parikh, R., Sapru, M., Krishna, M., Cuijpers, P., Patel, V., & Michelson, D. (2019). “It is like a mind attack”: Stress and coping among urban school-going adolescents in India. BMC Psychology, 7, Article 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0306-z

Redman-Maclaren, M., Klieve, H., McCalman, J., Russo, S. L., Rutherford, K., Wenitong, M., & Bainbridge, R. (2017). Measuring resilience and risk factors for the psychosocial well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boarding school students: Pilot baseline study results. Frontiers in Education, 2, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2017.00005

Redman-Maclaren, M., Benveniste, T., McCalman, J., Rutherford, K., Britton, A., Langham, E., Stewart, R. M., Saunders, P., Kinchin, I., & Bainbridge, R. (2019). Through the eyes of students: The satisfaction of remote Indigenous boarding students’ with a transition support service in Queensland, Australia. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 50, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2019.3

Rutherford, K., Britton, A., McCalman, J., Adams, C., Wenitong, M., & Stewart, R. M. (2020). A STEP-UP resilience intervention for supporting Indigenous students attending boarding schools: Its development and implementation. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v30i2.254

Sharma, A., Jeenger, D., Desai, S., & Acharya, C. (2026). Prevalence of abuse, perceived stress, and resilience among tribal girls: A comparison with girls attending government schools. Cureus, 18, Article 105483. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.105483

Slee, V., & Allan, J. F. (2019). Purposeful outdoor learning empowers children to deal with school transitions. Sports, 7(6), Article 134. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7060134

Soni, S., M., H., N., S., H. R., V., & Jayaprakash, J. (2026). Resilience and coping in rural South Indian students: A comparative mixed-methods study of residential versus day boarding environments. Adolescência e Saúde, 21(5s), 1006–1012. https://doi.org/10.67440/ahj.v21i5s.1909

Wilk, P., Maltby, A., & Cooke, M. (2017). Residential schools and the effects on Indigenous health and well-being in Canada—A scoping review. Public Health Reviews, 38, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-017-0055-6

Nagabharana, T. K., Joseph, S., Rizwana, A., Krishna, M., Barker, M., Fall, C., Kumaran, K., & Krishnaveni, G. V. (2021). What stresses adolescents? A qualitative study on perceptions of stress, stressors and coping mechanisms among urban adolescents in India. Wellcome Open Research, 6, Article 106. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16818.1

Rentala, S., Nayak, R. B., Patil, S. D., Hegde, G. S., & Aladakatti, R. (2019). Academic stress among Indian adolescent girls. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 8, Article 158. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_116_19

Trevethan, M., Jain, A. T., Shatiyaseelan, A., Luebbe, A. M., & Raval, V. V. (2022). A longitudinal examination of the relation between academic stress and anxiety symptoms among adolescents in India: The role of physiological hyperarousal and social acceptance. International Journal of Psychology, 57(3), 401–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12825