The Effect of Relaxation Training on Test Behavior in a Thinking Skills Program.

Autor/in	Matthews, Doris B.
Institution	South Carolina State Coll., Orangeburg.
Titel	The Effect of Relaxation Training on Test Behavior in a Thinking Skills Program.
Quelle	(1987), (127 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Anxiety; Black Students; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Measurement; Critical Thinking; Junior High School Students; Junior High Schools; Relaxation Training; Skill Development; Stress Management; Stress Variables; Test Anxiety + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Angst; Denkfähigkeit; Kritisches Denken; Junior High Schools; Student; Students; Sekundarstufe I; Schüler; Schülerin; Entspannungstraining; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Stressmanagement; Stressbewältigung; Examination phobia; Testangst; Prüfungsangst
Abstract	Anxiety and tension are two affective factors which seem to interfere with measurement of instructional effects. Test anxiety respresents a possibly confounding effect in the measurement of any given knowledge. A study was conducted to examine the effect that relaxation training administered immediately prior to testing would have on academic achievement and to discern the consequences of such a program in today's schools in their efforts to mitigate the detrimental effects of test anxiety. Predominantly black seventh and eighth graders (N=67) were assigned to one of four groups. Group 1 was pretested on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) and received relaxation training; group 2 received relaxation training and took the CAT as a posttest; group 3 was pretested and untrained; and group 4 was untrained and posttested. The relaxation training consisted of guided imagery and deep breathing techniques. Although no effect was observed, data analysis revealed an optimum level of stress, below or above which test performance tended to suffer. The failure to observe a relationship between relaxation training and test performance seemed to originate when some students with initial low stress were relaxed beyond the optimum level so that their performance suffered, while other students with high initial stress moved toward an optimum level and improved their performance. Comparisons between relaxed experimental students and their controls revealed that experimental students outperformed control students on some subsets of the Cognitive Abilities Test. (NB)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC