Education Commons^™

Benefits Of Alternative Assessment For College Students’ Academic Success And Mental Well-Being, Calista Gabriel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Assessments play an imperative role in evaluating a student’s knowledge within the classroom. Traditionally, educators have relied on traditional assessments to measure students’ comprehension of course material. However, in contemporary education, there has been a shift towards alternative assessments for a variety of reasons. This senior capstone research project examines students’ and professors’ perspectives and how alternative assessments could affect them. Through the use of literature review, surveys with professors and students, and interviews, the findings underscore the importance of integrating alternative assessments in educational practices, not only for enhancing students’ academic success, but also for nurturing their mental well-being.

Meta-Analysis Of Therapeutic Interventions For The Treatment Of Test Anxiety., Thomas Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to be a practitioner-focused review of the current research into interventions for the treatment of test anxiety. As testing continues to be a large part of students’ academic experiences and the stakes of that testing grow for students, teachers, and schools, there is a need for a synthesis of the literature to provide teachers and schools with some guidance on how best to help their students succeed. In this review, I describe the phenomenon of test anxiety and the current theoretical questions concerning the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. I also …

Helping Students Reduce Test Anxiety For Success On Standardized Tests, Nicholas Iveson

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has revealed important information about test anxiety and the strategies that students can use to cope during an exam. School counselors can foster these coping strategies within students through classroom lessons. This project explores the history of high stakes testing and how this has led to students experiencing test anxiety as well as offers high school counselors a four-week lesson plan that will help ninth grade students in their first semester learn coping strategies. Strategies include mindfulness, test preparation and test taking strategies, and positive self-talk. These lessons are to be taught in classrooms as a tier 1 intervention.

Analysis Of Test Anxiety In Human Anatomy And Physiology I Students At The University Of Mississippi, Anne Piazza

Honors Theses

Student anxiety, specifically test anxiety, is common hindrance to student performance in various courses including Human Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Mississippi. Through a sequence of three surveys we collected demographic information, anxiety data related to the course, and test anxiety in general We researched factors that could potentially influence student anxiety such as at what point in the semester the student is evaluated, when students feel the most stressed, outcomes on previous evaluations, and perceived outcomes of the course. We also examined what effect the anxiety has on the student such as lowered performance, lowered test scores, …

Open-Ended Problems: How Much Time Is Enough Time?, Kaitlyn Solymosi

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research is to observe and analyze students’ responses to open-ended questions, examine student engagement in assessment, and to gauge a reasonable timetable of how long students are predicted to work through them. A great amount of research has been conducted regarding the benefits and impact of open-ended problems in K-12 classrooms, but very little research has focused on the proper amount of time that should be allotted for them. This action research aims to establish a general rule for determining the proper amount of time allotted for open-ended problems. Implications for mathematics teachers will be …

Decreasing Test Anxiety In Nursing Students Using Cute/Funny Animal Videos, Lynn Kelso

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background: Stress, test anxiety and worry continue to increase in nursing students. As successful completion of course exams is required for nursing students to complete their program of study, these increased levels of stress, anxiety and worry can hinder their ability to perform at their best. Purpose: The aim of this project is to show that using cute/funny animal videos prior to an exam can decrease test anxiety (TA) and improve performance. Project Improvement Framework: The plan-do-study-act, PDSA, quality improvement framework was used for the final, modified project. Method: A video was embedded into three of …

Taming Test Anxiety About Multiple-Choice Questions In Academic-Track Esl Students: A Test-Taking Skills Workshop Series, Lori Selke

Master's Projects and Capstones

Test anxiety among students at all levels is a well-documented phenomenon. Academic English learners, however, such as those who enroll in for-credit academic classes in California community colleges, face issues specific to their situation. Most notably, these students are often unfamiliar with the multiple-choice question (MCQ) test format, which is common in the United States but not as frequently utilized in in other countries. Students thus lack knowledge of the specific strategies and approaches that can help them successfully complete an assessment offered in this format. Both test anxiety and cultural unfamiliarity with assessment formats can prevent students from exhibiting …

Mindfulness And Testing: An Exploration Of The Benefits Of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Meditation Practice On Test Anxiety, Anastasia Quirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Test anxiety is a growing concern for students as it can negatively impact student performance. Mindfulness is a practice of focused breathing meditation intended to increase awareness of oneself and the present moment and decrease anxiety. With the recent increase in mindfulness practices in schools, this research examines the potential impact of mindfulness-based cognitive practice on anxiety levels, test anxiety, and standardized test scores through the use of the ACT standardized placement test, the TAI-G, a self-administered Test Anxiety Inventory, and the Biodot, a device measuring physiological indications of anxiety. Using analysis of variance and paired samples t-tests, a significant …

The Effect Of Mozart’S Music On Test Anxiety, Emma Blevins

Honors Projects

Test anxiety is a multitude of negative responses to evaluation, which can have an adverse effect on student performance on examinations and student health. Research has found that listening to slow or classical music can help reduce student test anxiety by improving spatial-temporal reasoning, improving student focus, and reducing the physiological effects of anxiety. In my classroom, listening to Mozart’s music was shown to have a positive effect on students’ emotional well-being. However, the students in my classroom did not have a significant change in performance on mathematics exams when listening to Mozart’s music.

Test Anxiety And Mathematics Teaching Strategies In Youth Mathematics, Daniel Linder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This literature review analyzes the power of a math aversion, as well as the test anxiety that often coexists. Through the psychology of motivation, researchers have been able to establish correlation between motivation and test anxiety. In addition, research highlights the way in which instruction impacts students perception of mathematics. The review analyzes instructional techniques and how changing of instructional techniques can improve perception of mathematics.

Exploring The Utility Of Mindfulness In The Elementary School Classroom, Sarah M. Wells

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current evidence supporting the efficacy of mindfulness training in the K-12 setting is quite limited. In addition there is a lack of theory that is committed explicitly to explaining how a direct mindfulness-achievement effect might appear. This study builds a promising foundation for helping address this gap in the existing literature. Framed within the context of a limited source model of self-regulation, academic achievement and perceptions of third, fourth, and, fifth graders participating in a 3-week mindfulness training program were examined across variables of executive control, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness training produced observed emotional and cognitive benefits, including increased executive …

“Be Calm, Keep Calm”: A Study Of Fourth-Grade Students’ Experiences Of High-Stakes, Marcinda Asburry

Ed.D. Dissertations

The researcher examined the experiences of fourth-grade students as they prepared for and took the TNReady assessment, which is considered a high-stakes test. The sample size consisted of three boys and two girls who attended a private school located in rural Southeastern Tennessee. Through drawing protocols, interviews, and student writings. The researcher found the boys in this study experienced more anxiety as compared to the girls when it came to preparing and taking the TNReady assessment. The researcher also found that students emphasized the role of the teacher in helping them deal with anxiety that they experienced. Research regarding how …

Contemplative Practices And Post-Secondary Well-Being: Potential Methods For Reducing Test Anxiety, Shannon S. Hayden

MSU Graduate Theses

Students encounter numerous sources of stress in college from school work to examinations. A proposed method for reducing test related anxiety is contemplative practice (namely, mindfulness meditation and expressive writing). These interventions were used immediately prior to an exam to determine effectiveness on students’ mood and test grade. Although the study produced few statistically significant results, a promising trend in utilizing these interventions for increasing exam grades, increasing positive mood, and decreasing negative mood was uncovered. Each intervention appears to have dissimilar effects on different types of students (i.e., varying degrees of dispositional mindfulness and cognitive test anxiety; for example, …

Teacher Interventions Used To Reduce Test Anxiety: Does Free-Writing Before A Test Help Reduce Anxiety?, Kimberly E. Lentz

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to look at how common testing anxiety is among students and how teachers can work with their students to reduce this anxiety. The study examines and discusses past research to see what causes test anxiety and what methods have been effective in the past in reducing this anxiety. Then, based on past research, a similar study is completed in my high school honors geometry classroom to determine whether the suggestions given by past researchers will decrease reported test anxiety in my students.

An Esl Instructor's Guidebook For Reducing Test Anxiety At The Community College Level Through Exploring Alternatives In Assessment, Allison D. Grant

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this project is to decrease test anxiety within ESL community college students by providing their instructors with a guidebook for implementing alternatives in assessment. Chapter one dives right into the problem of ESL students experiencing test anxiety. At the community college level, there are added pressures from family needs, work, legal issues, adjusting to a new culture, and more. Teachers could offset this external anxiety by eliminating test anxiety in their classrooms.

Chapter two outlines much of the relevant literature dealing with the topics of test anxiety, foreign language anxiety, ESL testing practices, ESL at the community …

"The Relationship Between Test Anxiety And Standardized Test Scores", Beth Ann Fulton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of standardized achievement tests that students in the United States are required to take has increased significantly during the past decade. Researchers have found that test anxiety is often a problem related to the increase in testing. This correlational study investigated the relationship between anxiety levels of 50 4th grade students and their standardized test scores. Test anxiety questionnaires and pulse rates were used as a measure of the anxiety level of each of the 4th grade students just before the standardized test was administered, and standardized test scores were used as a measure of academic performance. The …

Improving Math Performance In Adult Female Community College Students: An Evaluation Of Project Independence, Robin Tim Frodsham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project Independence (PI) is a community college immersion program dedicated to assisting women returning to college. The focus of this study and associated summative evaluation was to understand how the PI program addresses anxiety and other learning deficiencies associated with math. Knowle's andragogical models portray adults as motivated and self-directed, and the American college campus fosters a culture of independence. This culture is foreign to many minority, first-generation, and working class adults who learn through interdependence. This qualitative instrumental case study and evaluation is the first to examine the efficacy of PI. The guiding questions of this study concern early …

Junior Level Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Lived Experiences With Test Anxiety: Can Music Serve As A Means To Reduce Test Anxiety And Increase Self-Efficacy?, Keeley Clark Harmon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Test anxiety is a pervasive problem in education programs. Nursing education is not an exception as approximately 30% of nursing students are impacted by varying levels of test anxiety that can affect their ability to succeed. This mixed methods study utilizes concepts from Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, the Cognitive-Attentional (Interference) Model, and the Georgi Lozanov method to explore the lived experiences of junior level baccalaureate nursing students with test anxiety. The 39 participants in the quantitative portion of the study were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group (n=18) listened to a nine minute and 27 second …

Effects Of Aromatherapy On Test Anxiety And Performance In College Students, Jocelyn Marie Dunnigan

Theses and Dissertations

Test anxiety is a complex, multidimensional construct composed of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that have been shown to negatively affect test performance. Furthermore, test anxiety is a pervasive problem in modern society largely related to the evaluative nature of educational programs, therefore meriting study of its nature, causes, effects, and treatment. Aromatherapy is the skilled use of essential oils for physical and emotional well-being and has been used to increase relaxation, attention and memory. This study examined the effects of peppermint and rosemary aromatherapy essential oils and a control scent (apple) on self-reported test anxiety, emotionality and worry subscales …

Test Anxiety And Nursing Students., Brad Moore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Test anxiety has been a problem for many individuals not only in the workforce, but also in many schools and colleges (Driscoll, Evans, Ramsey & Wheeler 2009). According to Driscoll et al., when compared to high school students and the general public (17%), nursing students are shown to have over double (55-60%) the rate of moderately high to high test anxiety. Cognitive test anxiety can account for a 7 to 8% drop in test grades, which can drop test score’s an entire letter grade (Cassady & Johnson, 2001). The purpose of this research is to explore the level of test …

A School-Based Intervention For Third Grade Students Experiencing Test Anxiety, Laura S. Tenenbaum

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), students are regularly faced with high stakes tests and classroom-based assessments to determine if they are meeting grade level educational standards. Estimates suggest that up to 40% of children may experience significant anxiety surrounding evaluations (e.g., McDonald, 2001; Turner, Beidel, Hughes, & Turner, 1993) and research shows that this test anxiety can negatively impact school performance (e.g., Abu-Rabia, 2004; Putwain, 2008) and mental health (e.g., Barksdale-Ladd & Thomas, Weems et al., 2010). As a result, test anxiety has become a topic of concern for researchers, educators, and mental …

The Effects Of Expressive Writing On Anxiety, Mathematics Anxiety, Stress, Cognitive Processes And Psychological Processes On The Virginia Standards Of Learning (Sol) On A Sample Of Urban High School Students Failing Mathematics, Claudia Lorene Hines

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

High school students who fail one or more mathematics' classes tend to be more likely to fail the Virginia Standard of Learning (SOL) tests and thus delaying their graduation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of expressive writing on general anxiety, math anxiety, stress, cognitive processes and psychological processes on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) on a sample of urban high school students failing mathematics. The participants (n=93) male and female students in grades 9-12, ranged in ages from 14 to 19 years of age, from various socio-economic backgrounds. The intact classes were used to …

The Impact Of Test Format Familiarity On Reducing Test Anxiety, William P. Aamodt

Theses and Graduate Projects

High school students have a variety of concerns when it comes to school; one manifestation of these concerns is test anxiety. Test anxiety in the science classroom is of special concern due to the perceived difficulty of specific topics and the class as a whole, as well as the importance of passing the course. I looked at reducing test anxiety and improving test scores by reviewing chemistry concepts in the same format as the test questions. The results indicate that the increase in test anxiety, immediately before a test, are minimized and test scores are increased when the review questions …

Test Anxiety, Working Memory And Verbal Sat Performance, Kareem Al-Khalil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between test anxiety, working memory, and verbal SAT performance. Test anxiety negatively affects performance because it decreases working memory space available for processing test information. However, the present study wanted to asses this theory with an experimental design to infer causation about test anxiety. Therefore, participants with high and low trait test anxiety were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants in the experimental group completed the assessments under conditions of elevated stress. However, these conditions had no effect on their performance. The only observed effect was that participants with high test trait …

Test Anxiety And Other Factors As Predictors Of Outcome For An Undergraduate University's Examination Of Writing Competency, Carrie D. Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Testing in American schools has increased dramatically in recent years (Cizek & Burg, 2006), increasing the need for research in test anxiety (TA). Writing apprehension, a subcategory of TA, may be of particular concern among students at all levels of education given the recent addition of writing assessments on the SAT and GRE tests.

Very few recent studies have examined demographic correlates of TA and the demographics of students in higher education have been changing for some time. These changes include an increase in all categories of nontraditional students. Nontraditional students, by definition, face a particular set of challenges in …

A Study Of Pre-Service Teachers: Is It Really Mathematics Anxiety?, Marsha Marie Guillory Bryant

Open Access Dissertations

This research study was motivated by a hypothesis, generated on the basis of formal and informal observations, personal and professional experiences, discussions with prospective teachers and a pilot study conducted by this author; that pre-service teachers have a high level of mathematics anxiety and negative attitudes about mathematics. The primary purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between mathematics anxiety and pre-service teachers. The secondary purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between anxiety and performance and to examine the relationship between math anxiety, test anxiety, and stereotype threat. A quantitative experimental research design was used …

A Comparison Of Student Characteristics In Traditional And Web-Based College Science Courses, Meghan Andrikanich

ETD Archive

Distance learning options at colleges and universities are increasing dramatically (e.g. National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 1998 NCES, 2001). Web-based courses create an interesting learning environment for study (e. g., Dupin-Bryant, 2004 Maki and Maki, 2003). Because science is a topic that induces anxiety for many students (e. g., Brownlow, et al., 2000 Greenburg and Mallow, 1982), and test anxiety has been linked to reduced academic performance (e. g., Bruch, 1981 Spielberger, 1979), the intersection of course format, science, and test anxiety is an area in need of research. Quantitative results found no significant difference between age, racial/ethnic background, …