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Exam Stress and Anxiety:The quick high level guide to a school public health approach

Jim McManus, Director of Public Health, Hertfordshire County CouncilJim.mcmanus@hertfordshire.gov.uk

November 2016

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Content

• This tool – makes some key points on exam anxiety and

stress– Identifies some key components which can

contribute to or prevent it– Suggests a cycle of action for schools– Provides you with some further resources

and reading to address it

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A plug

Have you joined the whole school approach network to young peoples’ mental health in Hertfordshire? More schools are joining?This can provide you with a helpful approach and infrastructure to address issuesContact publichealth@hertfordshire.gov.uk jen.beer@hertfordshire.gov.uk

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The cycle of beating exam stress at a school approach

What is it?

Students

Parents

School environment (i.e. the systemic aspects)

Ownership

Understand what it is and the four dimensions

How will you support parents understanding and acting on

these?

How will you address the school environment to protect

and reduce exam stress

1. Write a plan2. Own it at governor level

Questions to ask What you need to do

How will you address cognitive, behavioural and

affective aspects

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What is it?• situation-specific trait • Some level of individual differences in extent to which people find

examinations threatening • broad and narrow definitions.

– Narrow - focus on fear of failure (emphasising how performance is judged), or evaluation anxiety (emphasising how test anxiety can be located with other, so called, subclinical anxieties including sports performance, public speaking, and so forth).

– Broad/systemic – individual factors and school factors and social factors contribute to stress

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Dimensions• cognitive:

– negative thoughts and deprecating self-statements that occur during assessments (e.g. ‘If I fail this exam my whole life is a failure’)

– performance-inhibiting difficulties from anxiety (e.g. recalling facts and difficulty in reading and understanding questions);

• affective: – person’s appraisal of their physiological state (such as tension, tight

muscles and trembling);• behavioural:

– poor study skills, avoidance and procrastination of work• Systemic:

– Factors in school which contribute to this• E.g. fear appeals by teachers

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“Take me to ‘the zone!”

• There are a number of factors that can increase your performance. In each case, we will be working on reducing stress to get you back into the zone.

• 1. Physical factors - relaxation, rest, etc.• 2. Rehearsal - practice, practice, practice• 3. Thought - what you think is what you get

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Some Anxiety is Good for You

• Look at this chart -

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What does it mean?• Everyone needs some “stress” to perform at the

peak of their abilities, so at the beginning, as stress increases, so does performance.

• But, if stress keeps increasing, there comes a point, for you, where your performance will drop off - that’s what you would call “test anxiety”.

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“The Zone”• The best place to be on this chart for optimal

performance is in the middle. Athletes call this “the zone”.

•

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Strategies – the key MUST dos1. Address the cognitive and behavioural aspects

1. Cognitive – thought framework, being in good physical state to think and perform

2. Behavioural – e.g. study skills, timetabling3. Affective – tension, trembling, panic

2. Address the systemic issues1. School day design, school environment2. Attitude and behaviour of teachers3. Spot the signs, intervene and refer4. Whole school approach

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The Role of Governance• Everything schools do and offer has been agreed by the

school’s Governing Body. • E.g. Schemes that have financial implications (e.g. the salary

costs for School Counsellor) have been discussed and agreed to by the Governors’

• E.g. The impact of services are reviewed by the Governors’ Community Committee as per its Milestones of Progress document.

• E.g. The impact of mental health and wellbeing support from the school on exam results is scrutinised by the Governors’ Teaching and Learning Committee.

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Governance in Action –the Circle of Accountability

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The cycle of beating exam stress at a school approach

What is it?

Students

Parents

School environment (i.e. the systemic aspects)

Ownership

Understand what it is and the four dimensions

How will you support parents understanding and acting on

these?

How will you address the school environment to protect

and reduce exam stress

1. Write a plan2. Own it at governor level

Questions to ask What you need to do

How will you address cognitive, behavioural and

affective aspects

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Resources

For students• http://

www.studentminds.org.uk/exam-stress.html

• http://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html?gclid=CP_vgMPKr9ACFVUo0wod2CcKjQ

• http://www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services/other-resources/ExamAnxiety

For schools• http://

www.youngmindsvs.org.uk/school_stress?gclid=CPrTj7DJr9ACFZQW0wodpH4OlQ

• https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-21/edition-12/examination-stress-and-test-anxiety

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Resources

For Parents • http://

www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents/worried_about_your_child/schoolwork_exam_stress?gclid=CJ3998HKr9ACFZQV0wodDA8LCw

• http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9E9C3630-AD7F-4C09-965C-B4464F515AB9/0/TestAnxietyHandoutEnglish.pdf

• http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/coping-with-exam-stress.aspx

• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/worriesandanxieties.aspx

•

For Teachers • http://

www.education.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/TestAnxiety.pdf

• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/worriesandanxieties.aspx

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Resources

Coping with panic attacks• https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/well-connected/academic-

pressures/stressed/managing-exam-anxiety/exam-panic-attacks

• Terrific tips for exams• http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/article10.html• Anxiety workbook for teens• http://www.ycentral.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/

Anxiety_Wkbk_for_Teens_1.pdf