HeartMath Study Finds 55% of High School Students Are Suffering from High Levels of Test Anxiety
Boulder Creek, California (PRWEB) November 10, 2005
Student’s test scores are suffering because of high test anxiety, according to a new study conducted by the Institute of HeartMath (http://www.heartmath.org ) and Claremont Graduate University’s School of Education Studies.
HeartMath researchers found that although anxiety was a significant learning and performing block, students’ who received specific interventions for this problem were able to overcome test anxiety. The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, involved students in a range of grade levels (grades 3-12) from schools in eight states.
Researchers at the Institute of HeartMath, which specializes in understanding the physiology of learning and optimal performance, say that one of the focuses of the study was to take a closer look at the link between test anxiety and academic performance — particularly in the 10th grade when students are first required to take high school exit exams. On the basis of this randomized controlled study, 55% of the nation’s 10th grade students have high levels of test anxiety often or most of the time.
HeartMath says that these findings are representative of the nation’s 10th grade students, as the study included over 900 high school students in both high- and low-performing schools and from a broad range of ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. Surprisingly, the number of students with high anxiety was the same regardless of their school’s academic status.
Another important finding was that the students who have high test anxiety scored 15 points lower in Mathematics and 14 points lower in English-Language Arts on high school exit exams, compared with those without high levels of anxiety.
HeartMath researchers say that these findings are alarmingly high and are cause for concern because standardized tests may not accurately represent the true ability of the students who have high anxiety and these students have a higher risk of failing their exit exams and dropping out of high school. Dr. Rollin McCraty, Director of Research for HeartMath says, “There is a specific physiology associated with anxiety that blocks learning and performance by interfering with the cognitive processes required for problem solving, abstract thinking and memory recall. The scientific community refers to this as ‘cortical inhibition.”
Dr. Robert Rees, Director of Education and Humanities for HeartMath, says, “To date there has not been any comprehensive research that quantifies the magnitude of test anxiety. With the NCLB legislation, it is vital that we better understand how stress and anxiety can interfere with student performance — and develop strategies for countering it.”
In the study, HeartMath introduced a program designed to minimize students’ test anxiety. Researchers investigated whether exposure to this kind of program would in fact lead to reductions in test anxiety.
Students were taught techniques from a program called TestEdge®. The techniques, based on more than fourteen years of research, were designed to reduce brain and nervous system chaos associated with anxiety, and to support optimal brain function — a state that researchers call “cortical facilitation.” By using the techniques taught in the classroom and reinforcing them by using a heart rhythm feedback monitor called the Freeze-Framer®, students were able to shift to an optimal performance state before and during classes, and before and while taking important tests. The students who participated in the TestEdge program had a significant reduction in test anxiety.
Many of the educators who were interviewed for the study say that even the youngest students’ are experiencing stress and anxiety. They emphasized that their students’ need tools to help them with this problem and that they should be taught this early on in their academic experience.
Jefferrey Lagozzino, Principal at La Primaria Elementary School in El Monte, California, says, “By providing a program that helps students reduce test anxiety, our school’s test scores soared — in Language-Arts our students’ proficiency grew from 26% to 47% and in Mathematics from 60% to 71%.”
HeartMath says their approach works because it’s about the physiology of learning and performance. It’s not only about reducing anxiety — you also have to help students get their whole system — the brain, the heart and the nervous system — working in-sync. It’s from this state of coherence that students, athletes, business professionals, or anyone can learn to improve their level of performance.
The Institute of HeartMath is known internationally for its work in two main areas: research and education. HeartMath’s work includes research on emotional physiology and heart-brain interactions, clinical studies, and research on the physiology of learning and performance.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For media interviews, photos, b-roll and additional information about this study and schools that are successfully using the TestEdge intervention CONTACT GABRIELLA BOEHMER AT (831) 338-8710.
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