Date post: | 14-Jan-2017 |
Category: |
Education |
Upload: | professor-jim-mcmanus-afbpssffphcsci-frsb-cpsychol |
View: | 77 times |
Download: | 0 times |
www.hertsdirect.org
Exam Stress and Anxiety:The quick high level guide to a school public health approach
Jim McManus, Director of Public Health, Hertfordshire County [email protected]
November 2016
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Content
• This tool – makes some key points on exam anxiety and
stress– Identifies some key components which can
contribute to or prevent it– Suggests a cycle of action for schools– Provides you with some further resources
and reading to address it
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
A plug
Have you joined the whole school approach network to young peoples’ mental health in Hertfordshire? More schools are joining?This can provide you with a helpful approach and infrastructure to address issuesContact [email protected] [email protected]
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
The cycle of beating exam stress at a school approach
What is it?
Students
Parents
School environment (i.e. the systemic aspects)
Ownership
Understand what it is and the four dimensions
How will you support parents understanding and acting on
these?
How will you address the school environment to protect
and reduce exam stress
1. Write a plan2. Own it at governor level
Questions to ask What you need to do
How will you address cognitive, behavioural and
affective aspects
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
What is it?• situation-specific trait • Some level of individual differences in extent to which people find
examinations threatening • broad and narrow definitions.
– Narrow - focus on fear of failure (emphasising how performance is judged), or evaluation anxiety (emphasising how test anxiety can be located with other, so called, subclinical anxieties including sports performance, public speaking, and so forth).
– Broad/systemic – individual factors and school factors and social factors contribute to stress
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Dimensions• cognitive:
– negative thoughts and deprecating self-statements that occur during assessments (e.g. ‘If I fail this exam my whole life is a failure’)
– performance-inhibiting difficulties from anxiety (e.g. recalling facts and difficulty in reading and understanding questions);
• affective: – person’s appraisal of their physiological state (such as tension, tight
muscles and trembling);• behavioural:
– poor study skills, avoidance and procrastination of work• Systemic:
– Factors in school which contribute to this• E.g. fear appeals by teachers
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
“Take me to ‘the zone!”
• There are a number of factors that can increase your performance. In each case, we will be working on reducing stress to get you back into the zone.
• 1. Physical factors - relaxation, rest, etc.• 2. Rehearsal - practice, practice, practice• 3. Thought - what you think is what you get
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Some Anxiety is Good for You
• Look at this chart -
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
What does it mean?• Everyone needs some “stress” to perform at the
peak of their abilities, so at the beginning, as stress increases, so does performance.
• But, if stress keeps increasing, there comes a point, for you, where your performance will drop off - that’s what you would call “test anxiety”.
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
“The Zone”• The best place to be on this chart for optimal
performance is in the middle. Athletes call this “the zone”.
•
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Strategies – the key MUST dos1. Address the cognitive and behavioural aspects
1. Cognitive – thought framework, being in good physical state to think and perform
2. Behavioural – e.g. study skills, timetabling3. Affective – tension, trembling, panic
2. Address the systemic issues1. School day design, school environment2. Attitude and behaviour of teachers3. Spot the signs, intervene and refer4. Whole school approach
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
The Role of Governance• Everything schools do and offer has been agreed by the
school’s Governing Body. • E.g. Schemes that have financial implications (e.g. the salary
costs for School Counsellor) have been discussed and agreed to by the Governors’
• E.g. The impact of services are reviewed by the Governors’ Community Committee as per its Milestones of Progress document.
• E.g. The impact of mental health and wellbeing support from the school on exam results is scrutinised by the Governors’ Teaching and Learning Committee.
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Governance in Action –the Circle of Accountability
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
The cycle of beating exam stress at a school approach
What is it?
Students
Parents
School environment (i.e. the systemic aspects)
Ownership
Understand what it is and the four dimensions
How will you support parents understanding and acting on
these?
How will you address the school environment to protect
and reduce exam stress
1. Write a plan2. Own it at governor level
Questions to ask What you need to do
How will you address cognitive, behavioural and
affective aspects
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Resources
For students• http://
www.studentminds.org.uk/exam-stress.html
• http://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html?gclid=CP_vgMPKr9ACFVUo0wod2CcKjQ
• http://www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services/other-resources/ExamAnxiety
For schools• http://
www.youngmindsvs.org.uk/school_stress?gclid=CPrTj7DJr9ACFZQW0wodpH4OlQ
• https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-21/edition-12/examination-stress-and-test-anxiety
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Resources
For Parents • http://
www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents/worried_about_your_child/schoolwork_exam_stress?gclid=CJ3998HKr9ACFZQV0wodDA8LCw
• http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9E9C3630-AD7F-4C09-965C-B4464F515AB9/0/TestAnxietyHandoutEnglish.pdf
• http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/coping-with-exam-stress.aspx
• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/worriesandanxieties.aspx
•
For Teachers • http://
www.education.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/TestAnxiety.pdf
• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/worriesandanxieties.aspx
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
Resources
Coping with panic attacks• https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/well-connected/academic-
pressures/stressed/managing-exam-anxiety/exam-panic-attacks
• Terrific tips for exams• http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/article10.html• Anxiety workbook for teens• http://www.ycentral.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/
Anxiety_Wkbk_for_Teens_1.pdf