By Jaya Carrier
I hope everyone had a good week so far! As this is the final week of our YR11s being with us, I was interested to read a summary of some recent research into exam anxiety and exam performance by the Institute of Education. Objectives: To understand the links between exam anxiety and exam performance for YR11s.
Summary:
- The study revealed no clear relationship between those students with high levels of exam anxiety and exam performance
- A maximum difference of one-fifth was found between the most and least anxious groups.
- There were no meaningful differences in subgroups - including prior attainment groupings and deprivation indexes.
- This is contrary to other literature which suggests a negative impact of anxiety on test performance. The authors conclude two possible reasons for this: 1) It is possible that the motivating elements of anxiety outweigh the negative impacts 2) It is possible that structures to alleviate anxiety, such as separate rooms or extra time, are already in place.
- This study highlights the need for more in-depth research into the impact of mental health on GCSE exam performance. It also proposes a more detailed examination of the long-term impacts of exam anxiety.
Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:
- How have I supported students who have exam anxiety? How can I encourage exam anxiety as a motivating factor?
- What understanding or support do I need to be able to help students who suffer from exam anxiety? Here are Paul Mulvihill’s tips for students with exam anxiety: 1. Prepare them well in advance - for example, talk them through the smaller details 2. Normalise anxious feelings or worries - e.g. if you are worried about an exam it shows you care about doing well! 3. Encourage students not to compare themselves to others and remember that exams are a tool to identify areas of development
- How might the ‘I don’t care’ attitude act as a proxy for exam anxiety? How might we deal with this?
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