As the first day of school approaches, parents and children gather their backpacks as educators finalize lesson plans and ready their classrooms. The new school year offers a fresh start for students as well as an opportunity for academic success. However, up to 40% of students suffer from test anxiety, which contributes to lower grade point averages and decreased scores in standardized tests. Test anxiety is a multi-dimensional experience associated with cognitive (excessive worry about performance the night before or during the test; worry just after taking the test), physiological (heart racing, difficulty sleeping before the test), and behavioral components (avoidance of study). The cognitive dimension of test anxiety can be exceptionally difficult for students to cope with and reconcile. For example, despite preparing, students may believe that, while taking the test, they aren’t ready for it, and that the content is too challenging for them. Experiencing these thoughts during tests can result in diminished concentration on test material, making it more difficult for students to retrieve the information that they have studied and do well on the test.
Students can experience text anxiety for a number of reasons. Some children have difficulty learning or struggle with paying attention, which intensifies anxiety about tests. Children who seem more concerned about making mistakes, such as playing poorly in sports, or performing in front of others, may also be at risk for test anxiety.
Share This Post!
SAMHSA Recognizes Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By Stacey Owens, M.S.W., LCSW-C, Military and Veterans Affairs Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services Although often associated with combat veterans, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [...]
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Cancer
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. Some people develop PTSD after [...]
Childhood Trauma Impacts Muscle Function in Later Life
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By Morgan Sherburne – University of Michigan Adverse childhood experiences can detrimentally affect muscle function in older adults by impairing mitochondrial activity [...]
The True Link Between Early Trauma and Adult Mental Health
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By David Rettew M.D., ABCs of Child Psychiatry The last decade of the 1990s was often labeled the “Decade of the Brain,” [...]
What’s the Best Treatment for PTSD in Children?
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By Joan Kaufman, PhD Joan Kaufman, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, discusses the different stages of trauma-focused cognitive [...]
Expert Consensus Regarding Indicators of a Traumatic Reaction in Autistic Youth: A Delphi Survey
CSF written article Your Content Goes Here By Connor M Kerns, Diana L Robins, Paul T Shattuck, Craig J Newschaffer, & Steven J Berkowitz It has been suggested that the sequelae of [...]