{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T10:54:12Z","timestamp":1776682452477,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,7]],"date-time":"2025-02-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738886400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Data"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigates stressors in higher education, focusing on their impact on students and faculty at Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana (UPS) and using eight years of comprehensive data. Employing data mining techniques, the research analyzed enrollment, retention, graduation, employability, socioeconomic status, academic performance, and faculty workload to uncover patterns affecting academic outcomes. The study found that UPS exhibits a stable educational system, maintaining consistent metrics across student success indicators. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique stressors, evidenced by a paradoxical increase in student grades during heightened faculty stress levels. This anomaly suggests a potential link between academic rigor and faculty well-being during systemic disruptions. Stressors affecting students directly correlated with reduced academic performance, highlighting the importance of early detection and intervention. Conversely, faculty stress was reflected in adjustments to grading practices, raising questions about institutional pressures and faculty motivation. These findings emphasize the value of proactive data analytics in identifying stress-induced anomalies to support student success and faculty well-being. The study advocates for further research on faculty burnout, motivation, and institutional strategies to mitigate stressors, underscoring the potential of data-driven approaches to enhance the quality and sustainability of higher education ecosystems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/data10020022","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,7]],"date-time":"2025-02-07T04:00:28Z","timestamp":1738900828000},"page":"22","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Stress Factors in Higher Education: A Data Analysis Case"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6045-8692","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodolfo","family":"Bojorque","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Campus El Vecino, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador"},{"name":"Math Innovation Group, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1226-4479","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Moscoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Campus El Vecino, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1799-0795","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Pes\u00e1ntez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Campus El Vecino, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4057-4901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00c1ngela","family":"Flores","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Campus El Vecino, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Corrales Riveros, C.A., Rojas Polo, J.E., Atoche Diaz, W.J., C\u00e1ceres Cansaya, A.A., and Rodriguez Anticona, M.\u00c1. (2021). Caracterizaci\u00f3n del Nivel de Estr\u00e9s de Alumnos de Ingenier\u00eda Mediante Herramientas de Data Mining, LACCEI Inc.","DOI":"10.18687\/LACCEI2021.1.1.489"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"K\u00f6tter, T., Wagner, J., Br\u00fcheim, L., and Voltmer, E. (2017). Perceived medical school stress of undergraduate medical students predicts academic performance: An observational study. BMC Med. Educ., 17.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-017-1091-0"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"171","article-title":"Stressors of academic stress-a study on pre-university students","volume":"3","author":"Kadapatti","year":"2012","journal-title":"Indian J. Sci. Res."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"224","article-title":"Data mining for patterns detection stressors in higher education; [Miner\u00eda de Datos para detecci\u00f3n de patrones estresores en la educaci\u00f3n superior]","volume":"2024","author":"Bojorque","year":"2024","journal-title":"RISTI -Rev. Iber. Sist. E Tecnol. Inf."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"56","article-title":"Academic examination stress impairs self-control","volume":"55","author":"Oaten","year":"2003","journal-title":"Aust. J. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"278","DOI":"10.1111\/bjep.12104","article-title":"Effects of perceived school well-being and negative emotionality on students\u2019 attentional bias for academic stressors","volume":"86","author":"Scrimin","year":"2016","journal-title":"Br. J. Educ. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1244","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1992.03480090092034","article-title":"The concepts of stress and stress system disorders. Overview of physical and behavioral homeostasis","volume":"267","author":"Chrousos","year":"1992","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2923.2003.01405.x","article-title":"Perceived stress during undergraduate medical training: A qualitative study","volume":"37","author":"Radcliffe","year":"2003","journal-title":"Med. Educ."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mahalle, P.N., Hujare, P.P., and Shinde, G.R. (2023). Data Acquisition and Preparation. Springerbriefs Appl. Sci. Technol., 11\u201338.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-99-4850-5_2"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Unwin, A. (2009). Exploratory Data Analysis, Springer.","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-08-044894-7.01327-0"},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"442","article-title":"A qualitative assessment of personal and academic stressors among Korean college students: An exploratory study","volume":"39","author":"Lee","year":"2005","journal-title":"Coll. Stud. J."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Bojorque, R., Moscoso-Merch\u00e1n, F., and Pesantez-Avil\u00e9s, F. (2020, January 19\u201320). Correlations between Syllabus Schedule and Academic Achievement, a Case Study. Proceedings of the Conference Proceedings. New Perspectives in Science Education 2020, Florence, Italy."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bojorque, R., Plaza, A., and Moscoso, F. (2024, January 19\u201322). Predicting Student Success in Higher Education with Social, Economic, and Education Variables Using Machine Learning Techniques. Proceedings of the International Congress on Information and Communication Technology, London, UK.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-97-3302-6_17"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Syed Mustapha, S. (2023). Predictive analysis of students\u2019 learning performance using data mining techniques: A comparative study of feature selection methods. Appl. Syst. Innov., 6.","DOI":"10.3390\/asi6050086"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alghamdi, A.S., and Rahman, A. (2023). Data mining approach to predict success of secondary school students: A Saudi Arabian case study. Educ. Sci., 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci13030293"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dol, S.M., and Jawandhiya, P.M. (2022, January 8\u20139). Use of data mining tools in educational data mining. Proceedings of the 2022 Fifth International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Communication Technologies (CCICT), Sonepat, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/CCiCT56684.2022.00075"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.14445\/22315381\/IJETT-V72I11P116","article-title":"Exploratory Data Analysis and Feature Selection for Predictive Modeling of Student Academic Performance Using a Proposed Dataset","volume":"72","author":"Patel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Eng. Trends Technol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Otero-Escobar, A.D., and Velasco-Ramirez, M.L. (2023, January 23\u201326). Study on Exploratory Data Analysis Applied to Education. Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Engineering Veracruz (ICEV), Boca del R\u00edo, Mexico.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICEV59168.2023.10329702"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.5815\/ijmecs.2024.02.03","article-title":"Utilizing Random Forest and XGBoost Data Mining Algorithms for Anticipating Students\u2019 Academic Performance","volume":"16","author":"Kumar","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Mod. Educ. Comput. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Al-Shabandar, R., Hussain, A., Laws, A., Keight, R., Lunn, J., and Radi, N. (2017, January 14\u201319). Machine learning approaches to predict learning outcomes in Massive open online courses. Proceedings of the 2017 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), Anchorage, AK, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/IJCNN.2017.7965922"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"821","DOI":"10.1080\/07448481.2021.1908309","article-title":"Stressors and resilience are associated with well-being in young adult college students","volume":"71","author":"Hartson","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Am. Coll. Health"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.4067\/S0718-48082022000200197","article-title":"SISCO inventory of academic stress: Review of its psychometric properties in university students; [Inventario SISCO del estr\u00e9s acad\u00e9mico: Revisi\u00f3n de sus propiedades psicom\u00e9tricas en estudiantes universitarios]","volume":"40","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ter. Psicol."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hochschild Ovalle, H., Nussbaum, M., Claro, S., Espinosa, P., and Alvares, D. (2024). Happiness at School and Its Relationship with Academic Achievement. Educ. Sci., 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci14121321"},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"2115","article-title":"Academic stress among university students: A quantitative study of generation Y and Z\u2019s perception","volume":"26","author":"Ramachandiran","year":"2018","journal-title":"Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. Humanit."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"Barongo, S.M. (2023). Stressors Among Students at Higher Education Institutions, IGI Global."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2237285","DOI":"10.1080\/2331186X.2023.2237285","article-title":"Pedagogical aspects of the development of academic stress","volume":"10","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cogent Educ."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2156","DOI":"10.13189\/ujer.2020.080555","article-title":"Stressors and coping mechanisms of college scholarship grantees: A quantitative case study of an island higher education institution","volume":"8","author":"Esperanza","year":"2020","journal-title":"Univers. J. Educ. Res."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"367","article-title":"Role stressors as predictors of psychological strain among academic officers of ethiopian higher education institutions","volume":"38","author":"Kebelo","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Indian Acad. Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1080\/02673843.2019.1596823","article-title":"The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education","volume":"25","author":"Pascoe","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Adolesc. Youth"},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Younes, R., and Sadler, C. (2020, January 22). Simple Steps to Lower Student Stress in a Digital Systems Course While Maintaining High Standards and Expectations. Proceedings of the 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Online."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zapata-Garibay, R., Gonz\u00e1lez-Fagoaga, J.E., Asadi-Gonz\u00e1lez, A.A., Mart\u00ednez-Alvarado, J.R., Chavez-Baray, S.M., Plascencia-L\u00f3pez, I., and Gonz\u00e1lez-Fagoaga, C.J. (2021). Mental Health Stressors in Higher Education Instructors and Students in Mexico During the Emergency Remote Teaching Implementation due to COVID-19. Front. Educ., 6.","DOI":"10.3389\/feduc.2021.670400"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1080\/10911350802165536","article-title":"The relationship between academic life conditions and perceived sources of faculty stress over time","volume":"17","author":"Hendel","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Hum. Behav. Soc. Environ."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"597","DOI":"10.2147\/PRBM.S187295","article-title":"A research on sources of university faculty occupational stress: A Chinese case study","volume":"11","author":"Meng","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"G\u00f6regen, M.S., Tanghe, E., and Schelfhout, W. (2024). What Works to Retain Beginning Teachers in the Profession? A Mixed Methods Approach to Detect Determining Factors. Educ. Sci., 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci14121319"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1080\/10911350802165437","article-title":"Faculty time stress: Correlates within and across academic disciplines","volume":"17","author":"Lindholm","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Hum. Behav. Soc. Environ."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"2660","article-title":"Impact of non-academic work stress on faculty performance: A research on selected engineering institutes in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh","volume":"8","author":"Das","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Sci. Technol. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106079","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2023.106079","article-title":"The experiences of social and health care and health sciences educators of implementing hybrid teaching in higher education: A qualitative study","volume":"133","author":"Mensonen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nurse Educ. Today"},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"85","article-title":"Stress among University Staff. Is Working in Suburban Campus Better?","volume":"2021","author":"Salmi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Academia"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"760","DOI":"10.35940\/ijitee.J8895.0881019","article-title":"Effects of stress among the faculty working in private universities and colleges with special reference to Uttarakhand (India)","volume":"8","author":"Uniyal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Innov. Technol. Explor. Eng."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.1037\/str0000096","article-title":"An examination of stressors, strain, and resilience in academic and non-academic U.K. university job roles","volume":"26","author":"Johnson","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Stress Manag."}],"container-title":["Data"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-5729\/10\/2\/22\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T16:28:33Z","timestamp":1760027313000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-5729\/10\/2\/22"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,7]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]}},"alternative-id":["data10020022"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/data10020022","relation":{},"ISSN":["2306-5729"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2306-5729","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,7]]}}}