SCHOOL CULTURE AND THE NORMALIZATION OF TOXIC PRODUCTIVITY: A REVIEW OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL LITERATURE ON PERFORMANCE PRESSURE AMONG STUDENTS
BUDAYA SEKOLAH DAN NORMALISASI TOXIC PRODUCTIVITY: KAJIAN LITERATUR SOSIOLOGIS ATAS TEKANAN KINERJA DI KALANGAN PELAJAR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v14i1.5697Keywords:
Budaya Sekolah, Toxic Productivity, Tekanan Akademik, Kesehatan Mental Pelajar, Sosiologi PendidikanAbstract
The phenomenon of increasing academic pressure in schools has normalized toxic productivity as the ideal identity of students. A culture of meritocracy and excessive competition forces students to constantly pursue productivity without considering mental well-being. This study aims to analyze sociologically how school culture shapes and legitimizes performative pressures that negatively impact students' emotional health. The method used is a systematic literature review with a qualitative approach based on the perspective of educational sociology and critical sociology. Data sources were obtained from relevant journal articles, academic books, research reports, and conference proceedings, especially publications of th years, through searches on Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and DOAJ. The analysis process is carried out thematically and narratively to identify conceptual patterns, using the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault. The results show that the ranking system, high expectations, and emphasis on academic achievement create a competitive atmosphere that triggers chronic stress, anxiety, and identity crises among students. The role of teachers and schools as agents of normalization reinforces this cycle, often unconsciously. In conclusion, a more balanced transformation of the educational paradigm is needed by emphasizing mindful learning, psychosocial support, and policies that prioritize students' mental health holistically. e last tenReferences
Abubakar, Z., & Maishanu, I. M. (2020). Adherence to Islamic principles of success and academic achievement. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 9(2), 401–406. https://doi.org/10.11591/IJERE.V9I2.20473
Adnan, A. D., Lestari, H., & Azim, L. O. L. (2023). Aspek Perilaku Adiksi Game Online Pada Siswa Sma Negeri 1 Unaaha KAB.KONAWE Tahun 2022. Jurnal Wawasan Promosi Kesehatan, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.37887/JWINS.V3I4.30042
Afandi, R. (2018). School Culture Shaping through School-Based Management: School Culture as the Basis of Character Building. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Intellectuals’ Global Responsibility (ICIGR 2017). https://doi.org/10.2991/ICIGR-17.2018.63
Akbar, P. N., Adawiyah, E. R., Alia, D. N., & Nurhafadhoh, L. Y. (2024). Dampak Penggunaan Gadget Terhadap Kesehatan Mental dan Karakter Peserta Didik di SMPN 2 Tanjungsiang. Archive: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 4(1), 86–92. https://doi.org/10.55506/ARCH.V4I1.125
Araki, S. (2023). Beyond ‘Imagined Meritocracy’: Distinguishing the Relative Power of Education and Skills in Intergenerational Inequality. Sociology, 57(4), 975–992. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385231156093/SUPPL_FILE/SJ-PDF-1-SOC-10.1177_00380385231156093.PDF
Batruch, A., Jetten, J., Werfhorst, H. Van de, Darnon, C., & Butera, F. (2023). Belief in School Meritocracy and the Legitimization of Social and Income Inequality. Social Psychological and Personality Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221111017
Browes, N. (2021). Test-based accountability and perceived pressure in an autonomous education system: does school performance affect teacher experience? Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 33(3), 483–509. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11092-021-09365-9
Calarco, J. M., Horn, I. S., & Chen, G. A. (2022). “You Need to Be More Responsible”: The Myth of Meritocracy and Teachers’ Accounts of Homework Inequalities. Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221111337
Caruthers, L., Poos, B., & Friend, J. (2021). Transitory Voices: The Journey From Urban High Schools to an Early College Academy Program. Urban Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085919873695
Chen, J. (2020). Self-abandonment or seeking an alternative way out: understanding Chinese rural migrant children’s resistance to schooling. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 41(2), 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2019.1691504
Clever, M., & Miller, K. S. (2019). “I Understand What They’re Going through”: How Socioeconomic Background Shapes the Student Service-learning Experience. Teaching Sociology, 47(3), 204–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X19832646
Doğan, D. N., & Doğan, D. N. (2023). School Burnout in Secondary and High School Students. Conhecimento &Amp; Diversidade, 15(40), 159–193. https://doi.org/10.18316/RCD.V15I40.11309
Doyle, L., Easterbrook, M. J., & Harris, P. R. (2023). Roles of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and teacher beliefs in academic grading. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 91–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/BJEP.12541
Elmgren, H. (2019). Merit-based exclusion in Finnish music schools. International Journal of Music Education, 37(3), 425–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761419843990
Ferdian, D., Hikmat, R., Zuqriefa, A. B., Ma’ruf, T. L. H., Noviana, M., Harahap, S. M. I., Sutanto, H., & Hutapea, M. R. R. (2024). Pengaruh Edukasi Kesehatan untuk Meningkatkan Pengetahuan tentang Kesehatan Mental. MAHESA : Malahayati Health Student Journal, 4(5), 2058–2067. https://doi.org/10.33024/MAHESA.V4I5.14585
Ghidina, M. (2019). Deconstructing Victim-Blaming, Dehumanization, and Othering: Using Empathy to Develop a Sociological Imagination. Teaching Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X19843978
Hanberger, A., Carlbaum, S., Hult, A., Lindgren, L., & Lundström, U. (2016). School evaluation in Sweden in a local perspective: A synthesis. Education Inquiry, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.3402/EDUI.V7.30115
Hsieh, C.-C., Tseng, H.-K., & Chen, R. J.-C. (2021). Transformation from traditional schools to alternative schools: curriculum leadership of the principals of Taiwanese aborigines. Asia Pacific Education Review 2021 22:1, 22(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12564-020-09663-9
Ismail, M., Khatibi, A. A., & Ferdous Azam, S. M. (2022). Impact of School Culture on School Effectiveness in Government Schools in Maldives. Participatory Educational Research, 9(2), 261–279. https://doi.org/10.17275/PER.22.39.9.2
Jamaludin, U., Akbar, M., & Sumantri, M. S. (2019). Investment of Islamic Based Cultural Values in Learning Social Knowledge Science. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 6(4), 340. https://doi.org/10.18415/IJMMU.V6I4.975
Krisnawati, E. (Ester). (2022). Meritokrasi dalam Film Parasit. Komunikatif, 11(1), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.33508/JK.V11I1.3387
Kuppens, T., Spears, R., Manstead, A. S. R., Spruyt, B., & Easterbrook, M. J. (2018). Educationism and the irony of meritocracy: Negative attitudes of higher educated people towards the less educated. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 429–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JESP.2017.11.001
Leithwood, K., & Sun, J. (2018). Academic culture: a promising mediator of school leaders’ influence on student learning. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(3), 350–363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2017-0009/FULL/PDF
Moksnes, U. K., Bradley Eilertsen, M. E., & Lazarewicz, M. (2016). The association between stress, self‐esteem and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 57(1), 22–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/SJOP.12269
Nogueiro, T., Saraiva, M., & Jorge, F. (2022). The Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the Impact Ranking: Quality Education in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions. Journal of Biomedical Research &Amp; Environmental Sciences, 3(12), 1353–1362. https://doi.org/10.37871/JBRES1603
Nyström, A. S., Jackson, C., & Salminen Karlsson, M. (2019). What counts as success? Constructions of achievement in prestigious higher education programmes. Research Papers in Education, 34(4), 465–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1452964
Rahmawati, D. S., & Khairina, R. L. (2021). Pengaruh Kualitas Udara Dalam Ruangan Bagi Performa Akademik Pelajar: Sebuah Tinjauan Literatur. Js (Jurnal Sekolah), 5(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.24114/JS.V5I1.22703
Ridho, M., Murtadlo, M., & Budayasa, I. K. (2018). Principal Leadership in Developing School Culture. Proceedings of Social Sciences, Humanities and Economics Conference (SoSHEC 2017). https://doi.org/10.2991/SOSHEC-17.2018.6
Rizki, A. P., Auliasari, K., & Prasetya, R. P. (2023). Transformasi Kesehatan Mental Melalui Inovasi: Pengembangan Aplikasi Mental Care Menggunakan Pendekatan Design Thinking. Prosiding SENIATI, 7(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.36040/SENIATI.V7I1.7872
Rouse, C. E., Hannaway, J., Goldhaber, D., & Figlio, D. (2013). Feeling the Florida Heat? How Low-Performing Schools Respond to Voucher and Accountability Pressure. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 5(2), 251–281. https://doi.org/10.1257/POL.5.2.251
Ruskandi, J. H. (2021). Kecemasan Remaja pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19. Jurnal Penelitian Perawat Profesional, 3(3), 483–492. https://doi.org/10.37287/JPPP.V3I3.530
Sun, X., & Shi, L. (2025). A qualitative study of Chinese teacher’s perceptions and practices of meritocracy. PLOS ONE, 20(4), e0321424. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0321424
Tan, P. K. W., & Kosat, O. (2024). Meritocracy, the Reproduction of Inequality, and the Academic Scandal in Indonesia: Philosophical Perspective of Michael Sandel. Indonesian Journal of Educational Research and Review, 7(1), 154–168. https://doi.org/10.23887/IJERR.V7I1.66253
Wajar, M. S. A. B. M., & Hamzah, R. (2020). Model Kebahagiaan Hidup Pelajar Universiti Berdasarkan Faktor Kesihatan Mental, Kecerdasan Spiritual dan Demografi. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 5(11), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.47405/MJSSH.V5I11.525
Zhang, F. (2021). Meritocracy in Singaporean Educational System: Inequality in Admission to Secondary Schools. Journal of Higher Education Research, 2(5). https://doi.org/10.32629/JHER.V2I5.506
Zuroida, A., Grahani, F. O., Menang, Y. R. K., & Suryaningsih, I. D. (2021). PPM Pelatihan Regulasi Emosi Bagi Kelompok Ibu PKK Terdampak Covid-19 Di Kalimlom Lor Baru Surabaya. Prosiding Konferensi Nasional Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat Dan Corporate Social Responsibility (PKM-CSR), 4, 1099–1103. https://doi.org/10.37695/PKMCSR.V4I0.1302
.png)
