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ERIC Number: ED539070
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan-28
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Test Anxiety Reduction and Confidence Training: A Replication
Bowman, Noah; Driscoll, Richard
Online Submission
This study was undertaken to replicate prior research in which a brief counter-conditioning and confidence training program was found to reduce anxiety and raise test scores. First-semester college students were screened with the Westside Test Anxiety Scale, and the 25 identified as having high or moderately-high anxiety were randomly divided into Intervention and Control groups. The Intervention students reviewed the procedure twice, while the controls received an information packet on managing anxiety. The anxiety scale was administered again the week before finals. The Intervention students showed a substantial drop in test anxiety, compared to the Controls (1.7 SD treatment effect size). Changes in the Westside scale correlated with final grades (r= -0.40) providing further confirmation that the scale measures an impairment. Intervention students scored an average 0.40 grade points above the Controls, or 8.7 percentile points, and intervention group grades adjusted for student high school grades was just short of statistical significance (p less than 0.06). The obtained grade gain is only slightly below prior findings, and further supports the benefits of the procedure. Implications for student retention were noted. (Contains 8 endnotes.)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A