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The effects of a school-based cognitive-behavioural intervention programme on test anxiety and well-being of secondary school students in Singapore
Author
Soh, Lin Ken
Supervisor
Yeo, Lay See
Abstract
Test anxiety is a debilitating problem for many adolescents in Singapore and abroad. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found in a 2018 study that most 15-year-old students fear failure in tests. With a fear of failure being so salient among adolescent students, a worrying problem is its negative implications on their well-being. The current study examined the effectiveness of a universal and comprehensive CBT-based classroom intervention in reducing test anxiety and improving the well-being of adolescents in Singapore. Taking a step further, the current study explored two possible mediation links: (i) coping skills as the mediator of the intervention-test anxiety link, and (ii) test anxiety level as the mediator of the intervention-well-being link, to shed light on the currently unknown mechanisms of change. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design, 175 secondary two and three students aged between 13 to 17 years (M = 14.54, SD = 0.67) underwent cluster randomisation by classes to either experimental or control groups. Experimental groups participated in six hourly intervention sessions, while control groups were put on a waitlist. Study results indicated that the current intervention reduces test anxiety and improves the well-being of adolescents, and that test anxiety level mediates the relation between the test anxiety intervention and students’ well-being. However, students’ use of coping skills was not found to mediate the relation between the intervention and test anxiety. This study fills existing gaps in the literature and provides a solution to the increasing concern of test anxiety and the well-being of adolescents. It also highlights the often-overlooked role that test anxiety has on adolescents’ well-being, as well as the strong need to address it. Limitations and possible future research are discussed.
Date Issued
2022
Call Number
LB3609 Soh
Date Submitted
2022