By a show of hands, please

demonstrate if you have ever felt

anxious in an academic setting

http://apeiron.academy/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/focsuing-the-brain.jpg

TH E AVERAG E H IG H
SCH O O L STU D EN T H AS
TH E SAM E LEVEL O F
AN XIETY AS TH E
AVERAG E PSYCH IATRIC
PATIEN T IN TH E 1950s
Source: The Am erican PsychologicalAssociation

Se Rin Lee
Independent Research GT
Mount Hebron High School
Dr. John Klyap
HCPSS Certified Psychologist

Overview
- Research/ Factors that attribute to academic anxiety
- Reason for interest in topic
- Data Collection
- Final Product
- Future aspirations

Personal Interest in Topic

The feeling of being anxious is innate, but at one point I started to realize how
school was perpetuating this response from a motivational catalyst, into a negative
sentiment. I had experienced various instances relating to anxiety in school, and
was curious to what degree other students experienced the same things. After
coming across an alarming statistic from the APA, I wanted to uncover if this was
true based on the students around me. I wanted to inform and raise awareness
about this phenomenon, instead of having students experiencing certain negative
instances and being clueless as to what had occurred.

What is anxiety?
-

Anxiety is the sensation of worry, nervousness, or fear,

commonly evoked by an imminent event or unknown
outcome.

Increase in adrenaline (causing quickened heart rate)

Decrease in dopamine (a brain chemical that helps to
block pain)

Flight or fright response

High levels of anxiety may cause the body to run away
from the perceived threat
- causes adrenaline and epinephrine, or pure energy,
to run through the body
- excess adrenaline may cause symptoms such as
shivering, stuttering, or butterflies in the stomach

Cognitions
behaviors
emotions
physiological reactions
relational aspects

http://www.thinklikeahorse.org/images3/fight%202.png

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/09/cover-pressure.aspx

http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2015/05/26/how-successful-people-turn-stressand-anxiety-into-top-performance/

Academic Anxiety
-

Worrying
self predicaments of failure

Emotionality
biological symptoms (sweaty palms, muscle
tension, and increased heart rate)

Task generated interference

biological symptoms (sweaty palms, muscle
tension, and increased heart rate)

Study skill deficits:

Problems within the current study method that
may create anxiety (poor note taking skills
leading to confusion, or last minute cramming)

http://childcarephysicians.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bilde.jpeg

Attributes of School Related Anxiety

- Social factors
- Teacher Student Relationships and test anxiety inversely correlated
- High quality Student Student Relationships found to induce low anxiety environments

- High Performance Expectations

- Pressure to take AP/GT classes
- Multiple subject tests (ACT/SAT)
- Over obligations
- Competition for universities rising
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AoMRjW3NDxg/TyCqxE9zEI/AAAAAAAAAgM/nssnYHmEufg/s1600/competition.j

Attributes of School Related Anxiety

- Test Anxiety
- evaluation anxiety, associated with fear of failing academic testing and social consequences.
Cognition
(worry,intrusive/irrelev
ant thoughts)

Physiological

Behavioral factors

stress response
(tension, bodily
symptoms

(avoidance, task
focused study)

Females are more likely to experience test anxiety due to exposure, learning experiences, and appraisals.
Females tend to see the situation as more of a threat than a challenge.
Goal setting and test anxiety directly related

Impairs test performance

Increasing due to greater frequencies an emphasis on testing

http://www.seattleacademy.info/wp/wp-content/themes/arras-theme/library/timthumb.php?
src=http://www.seattleacademy.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/testing.jpg&w=630&h=250&zc=1

Attributes of School Related Anxiety

- Speech Anxiety (Oral Presentations)
- Accompanied by worry, nervousness, trembling or shaking, sweating, and/or dizziness

- Indirect factors that heighten anxiety caused by school

- Lack of sleep
- Exercise
- Lack of family time
- Eating habits
http://www.selfhelpzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tips-toovercome-speech-anxiety.jpg

Consequences
- Higher suicide rates
-

30% of students reported that they have considered attempting suicide at one point (According to PSU
psychologist Ben Locke, Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH)

- Inaccurate measure of performance

-

high levels of anxiety can interfere optimal performance by affecting memory and concentration
(Understanding academic anxiety, n.d)
Cognitive interference- diverting attention b/w exam related (problem solving) and non exam related
thoughts (self evaluation, worry) Anxiety consumes a portion of the processing capacity that would be needed
for task performance. Individuals who are highly tense and worried are more likely to have lower achievement
levels.

- Detriments on students mental health

Data Collection
- Distributed surveys to 50 Mt. Hebron sophomores

- Regular
- Male
U.S.
students:
Governme
26
nt: 10
students
students
- Female
- Honors
students:
U.S.
24 to school anxiety
Rate Governme
factors attributing
students
nt: 24
Rate students
prevalence of experienced symptoms
- AP U.S.
Governme
nt: 16
students

Sample of
Survey

Most to Least Prevalent Factors

1. Pressure to excel and
receive good grades
2. Test anxiety
3. Overcommitment
4. Speech anxiety
5. Elongated block
periods
6. Teacher student
relationships
7. Peer relationships

Most to Least Prevalent Symptoms

1. Consistent sense of worrying
2. Heightened self
consciousness
3. Restlessness
4. Racing/unwanted
thoughts
5. Hypervigilance (constantly
feeling tense and on guard)
6.
Trembling/sweating/shaking
7. Racing Heartbeat
8. Fear of Impending
doom
9.
Lightheadedness/dizziness
10. Shortness of breath

Future Works
Recently, the Howard County Council on Mental Health has raised the
question and is prompting for ways to turn the table and induce healthier and
practical alternatives, such as later start time, reduced homework, weekly inschool break times, etc. As a student panelist on the HCC on Stress and Anxiety, I
hope to continue to share my findings with parents, students, teachers, and
Board of Education members on this impending issue.

It is possible to eliminate
unnecessary stressors and sustain
the same degree of competence.

Questions?

References
Anxiety and shaking. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from Calm Clinic
website: http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/shaking
Bradberry, T. (2015, May 26). How successful people handle stress. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from Forbes website:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2015/05/26/how-successful-people-turn-stress-and-anxiety-into-top-performance
Flanagan, M. J., Putwain, D. W., & Caltabiano, M. L. (2015). The relationship between goal setting and students relationship
with test anxiety [PDF]. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 3(3), 189-201.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2015.1060910
Headley, C., & Campbell, M. A. (2013). Teachers knowledge of anxiety and identification of excessive anxiety in children.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1014052.pdf
Hoferichter, F., & Raufelder, D. (2015). Examining the role of social relationships in the association between neuroticism and
test anxiety- results from a study with German secondary school kids. Educational Psychology, 35(7), 851-868.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2013.849326
Novotney, A. (2014, September). College and university counseling center presenting concerns [Infographic]. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/09/cover-pressure.aspx
Understanding academic anxiety [PDF]. (n.d.). Cornell University Center for Learning & Teaching. Retrieved from
https://lsc.cornell.edu/Sidebars/Study_Skills_Resources/anxiety.pdf