Effect of the Students’ Test Anxiety Prevention Program on Students’ Experiences of Test Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Experiment

• Published in: SAGE open Vol. 14; no. 4
• Main Authors: Abdulbaqi, Jvan, Uzun, Gizem Oneri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2024; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Anxiety; Behavior modification; College Students; Control Groups; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Focus groups; Group Discussion; Intervention; Mixed Methods Research; Modeling (Psychology); Pandemics; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Prevention programs; Research Design; Test Anxiety; University students; Iraq; state anxiety; COVID-19; social interaction; test anxiety; cognitive–behavioral interventions; mixed-methods experiment
• ISSN: 2158-2440; 2158-2440
• DOI: 10.1177/21582440241296609

This study aims to introduce the Students’ Test Anxiety Prevention Program (STAPP), an intervention for test anxiety for university students in Iraq. We also evaluated its effectiveness against test and state anxiety. The STAPP is a short three-session intervention program comprising expressive emotional dialog, psychoeducation, and educational and cognitive–behavioral therapy techniques. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of cognitive–behavioral techniques among other populations; however, most interventions in Iraq focus on posttraumatic stress disorder. In this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, we used an experimental design in the quantitative phase and conducted a focus group discussion in the qualitative phase. The study was conducted among a sample of Iraqi university students, as there is scarce research on test anxiety interventions among the Iraqi student population. Convenience sampling was used to select 60 participants—35 women and 25 men—randomly assigned to the control or intervention groups. The test-retest approach was used to compare test scores and state anxiety for both groups. The focus group discussion included seven members from the intervention group. The results suggest that STAPP is effective in reducing test anxiety. However, no significant changes were observed in state anxiety in the post-test phase. State anxiety is transient, whereas test anxiety represents a persistent trait. Participants displayed elevated levels of state anxiety, which may be attributed to coronavirus disease 2019-related stressors. Intervention programs should include exercises that facilitate transferring and generalizing learned material in various anxiety-provoking situations. Plain language summary The purpose of this study was to introduce and evaluate the effectiveness of the Students’ Test Anxiety Prevention Program (STAPP), an intervention designed to reduce test anxiety among Iraqi university students. The program consists of three sessions that employ education, psychoeducation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, including an experimental quantitative phase and a qualitative phase involving a focus group discussion. A convenience sample of 60 participants, was randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Test scores and state anxiety were compared using a test-retest approach. The results revealed that the STAPP was effective in reducing test anxiety, while no significant changes were observed in state anxiety in the post-test phase. However, participants showed elevated levels of state anxiety, which could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of this study suggest that the STAPP can be an effective intervention for reducing test anxiety among Iraqi university students. The study also highlights the importance of incorporating exercises that facilitate the transfer and generalization of learned material in various anxiety-provoking situations. The limitations of this study include the use of a convenience sample and the focus on two universities in Iraq. Future research could involve a larger and more diverse sample, and the program could be adapted to suit the cultural and contextual nuances of different student populations. In conclusion, this study contributes to the scarce research on test anxiety interventions among Iraqi university students. It provides evidence for the effectiveness of the STAPP in reducing test anxiety and highlights the need for interventions that address the specific stressors faced by university students in Iraq, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the STAPP could be a valuable tool for university educators and mental health professionals in promoting student well-being and academic success.