Introduction: Academic stress is a major problem in higher education and can be a risk factor for future academic and mental health problems. Programs to reduce it have focused on psychological interventions (mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy, etc.), ignoring interventions focused on promoting study and learning skills. High academic…

This study examined the effects of bottom-up instruction (BI) on a high-stakes listening test for second language (L2) listeners and compared these effects with those of strategy instruction (SI) in relation to their proficiency levels. Two intact classes (48 L2 listeners) of different L2 listening proficiency levels received five weeks of BI and…

Use of high-stakes exams in a course has been associated with gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequities. We investigated whether offering students the opportunity to retake an exam makes high-stakes exams more equitable. Following the control value theory of achievement emotions, we hypothesized that exam retakes would increase students'…