Test Anxiety Executive Summary

Introduction

Test anxiety has been observed to be a serious challenge that thousands of students grapple with. In addition to causing discomfort, test anxiety has also been linked to poor student performance. Given the damaging impact that the anxiety has on performance, schools are recognizing the need to take action. A number of interventions have been developed as part of efforts to ease the suffering that students endure and to ensure that their academic performance does not suffer as a result of the test anxiety. Counseling is among the interventions which have been implemented and has shown promise in reducing test anxiety. A school adopted a counseling program in a bid to help its students in grades 3-8 overcome test anxiety. Basically, this program involved a school counselor assuring the students that their anxiety is normal and that since they have prepared adequately for the exam, they have no reason to be concerned. To evaluate the impact of the counseling program, 14 parents and teachers were invited to participate in an assessment exercise. The assessment established that most parents and teachers felt that the counseling program reduced anxiety while improving the test scores of the students.

Primary Evaluation Question

The evaluation process was guided by a number of questions. Whether the counseling program had helped to lower anxiety among the students is the main question that was posed to the teachers and the parents. Phrased as a statement that the parents and teachers were to confirm or deny, the question read: “The child has witnessed significant declines in anxiety after participating in the program.” Through this question, it was expected that the participants would confirm that after the school adopted the counseling program, they witnessed a significant reduction in the level of anxiety reported by the students as they prepared to take exams. Apart from this question, the evaluation also included questions which sought to determine the views of the parents and teachers regarding the effect of the program on test scores. Moreover, the parents were asked to share their thoughts on the changes that can be made to the program to enhance its effectiveness and impact.

Evaluation Design, Collection, and Methods

The design of an experiment is critical as it determines the accuracy of the results obtained. For the evaluation described above, the evaluation process assumed a qualitative design. Essentially, instead of seeking to obtain figures, the focus of the evaluation was to acquire insights from the parents and teachers about the success that the school had achieved after it implemented the counseling program. A survey questionnaire was the main data collection method that was employed. The questionnaire was composed of a series of six open end and closed questions. By combining the two types of questions, the survey achieved structure and a standardized format while still accommodating the diverse and rich views of the parents and teachers. Since it was difficult to hold a face-to-face meeting with the participants, the survey was administered over the internet. This method proved to be reliable, convenient and effective.

Analysis Methods

With the data collected, the evaluation process proceeded to the analysis stage. At this phase, the data was scrutinized and examined closely for insights. Instead of using complex statistical techniques, the analysis process leveraged a simple approach. The approach involved the calculation of ratios and establishing common themes and emerging patterns. For example, during the analysis process, the proportion of the parents and teachers who confirmed that the counseling program had led to reductions in anxiety levels was determined. Furthermore, the analysis included the determination of the opinions and perspectives that the parents shared. For example, as will be revealed in a later section, a significant number of the parents and teachers proposed that the counseling program should be extended beyond tackling test anxiety while another group of parents recommended that this program should be run during the entire school year instead of administering it only when students are about to sit for exams. In summary, the analysis method combined a statistical approach with another method which allowed for common themes and ideas to be identified. This analysis yielded the results that are outlined in the following section.

Results

As noted above, by performing the analysis, a number of intriguing results were obtained. The main result was that a majority of the parents and teachers felt that thanks to the counseling program, the students were registering lower levels of anxiety. 10 of the 14 parents confirmed that the program was indeed effective. This result is summarized in the pie chart below:

Apart from the confirmation that there was an inverse relationship between the counseling program and test anxiety, the analysis also revealed that none of the parents or teachers observed any adverse effects that the students had suffered as a result of taking part in the counseling program. This result amounts to a resounding endorsement of the program as a highly effective and tremendously safe intervention. The chart below captures the views of the participants regarding the harmful impacts of the program:

The third insight that was gained from the evaluation of the counseling program is that the school should maintain its commitment to the counseling program. 64% of the parents and teachers strongly agreed with the statement that the school should be relentless in the implementation of the program. The other 35 percent registered a lower level of agreement with this statement. It became evident that all the participants believed that the program had yielded positive outcomes and that it should be made available to all students at all costs. In the following chart, a summary of the opinions of the participants concerning the need to relentlessly implement the counseling program is provided:

It is true that the primary purpose of the counseling program was to lower anxiety. However, it was felt proper to determine if this program also had a positive effect on test scores. According to the results of the evaluation, the program does indeed improve academic performance. As the chart below shows, 50% of the parents and teachers confirmed that they observed an improvement in test scores as a result of the counseling program. Only 14 percent of these participants raised questions about the effectiveness of counseling as a tool for enhancing academic performance:

The insufficiency of counseling is another result that was obtained from the evaluation process. An overwhelming majority (86%) of the parents and teachers expressed the view that counseling is not sufficient and that it should be supplemented with other initiatives. Only 2 of the participants (representing 14%) believed that no additional interventions were needed as the counseling program was sufficient. These results are summarized in the following chart:

Apart from seeking the views of the parents and teachers concerning the impact that the counseling program had had on student test anxiety and test scores, the evaluation process also aimed to challenge the participants to propose changes that can be implemented to make the counseling program more effective. The proposals that the participants issued were indeed insightful and inspired. Whereas five of the parents and teachers felt that no changes were needed, two participants recommended that the school should expand the counseling program to target more students. Five participants urged the school to use the counseling program as an intervention for other problems that the students face. The remaining 2 participants issued a call for the school to avail the program to all students during the entire school year. There is no doubt that the implementation of these recommendations will have a tremendously positive effect on the counseling program and the general wellbeing of the students.

Conclusion and Recommendations

In conclusion, test anxiety remains a serious challenge for many students. Despite adequate preparation for exams, students still grapple with anxiety. The counseling program that the school adopted indicates that educational institutions are not sitting idly as their students struggle with test anxiety. Through the program, the school hoped to lower anxiety among its students and improve their exam performance. The evaluation confirmed that the counseling program had indeed achieved its aims. As the parents and teachers established during the evaluation, the students had witnessed drops in anxiety levels and were performing better in exams. Another issue that the evaluation revealed is that the counseling program was entirely safe as none of the parents or teachers raised concerns among adverse impacts that the program had had on students.

Thanks to the evaluation, it is evident that the counseling program is a safe and effective approach to tackling student anxiety. It is recommended that the school should implement the proposals that the teachers and parents issued. In particular, the school should expand the program. An expansion of the program will allow of the school’s students to experience the benefits of counseling. Moreover, the school should recognize that the counseling program can be applied to various other challenges. For example, it could be offered to students who are experiencing grief resulting from the loss of a loved one or students who are the victims of bullying. Overall, counseling has proven to be a valuable technique whose effectiveness has been confirmed.