Test anxiety has been described as an individual’s body, mind, and behavior response that stimulates negative feelings about a test or exam. Schools of nursing use test and examination as the primary means of evaluating student learning. In this high stakes environment, students frequently report that test grades do not accurately reflect their preparation or content understanding. Fear and worry about testing also has adverse effects on students ability to concentrate and recall material. Johnson (2014) identified test anxiety as one of the major barriers to student success in nursing education programs.
To identify successful strategies which can be used by nursing faculty to reduce test-taking anxiety in nursing students.
Design and Review Methods
A systematic review in line with PRISMA guidelines.
A literature search was done to identify methods of reducing test anxiety. Databases used were CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed (Medline), and Ovid Nursing Journals. Key words used included “test anxiety and nursing students”, “test anxiety and students”, “decreasing test anxiety and nursing students”, and “reducing test anxiety and university students”. The applied limits were sources published between 2000 and 2016.
The literature review revealed a gap which highlights opportunities for future research. The body of evidence about general test taking anxiety is large. Conversely, the evidence surrounding test taking anxiety among nursing students is extremely limited. Many of the strategies to reduce test anxiety reviewed proved to be beneficial, while some showed no statistical significance. After reviewing physical, psychological, and sensory intervention strategies, we recommend that nursing faculty consider implementing muscle relaxation, deep breathing, psychological and educational counseling, co-meditation, emotional freedom technique, music intervention and the use aromatherapy. These methods showed the greatest statistical significance in reducing anxiety and were the most feasible for nursing faculty to easily utilize.
The sensory methods, aromatherapy and music therapy, were the most feasible for nursing faculty to implement. They do not require any special training nor additional time prior to the exam to implement. They also present little to no cost to the faculty. With the aromatherapy and the music therapy, the essentials oils and music were easily made available in the classrooms by the faculty.
By incorporating these techniques in faculty development curriculum, nursing faculty will be equipped with the necessary tools to better prepare students and enhance their academic experience. These techniques were efficacious in relieving stress, lowering blood pressures and pulses, and substantially increasing academic performance which all correlate with decreased test anxiety.
Wasiwasi wa mtihani umeelezwa kama mwili wa mtu, akili, na majibu ya tabia ambayo huchochea hisia hasi kuhusu mtihani au mtihani. Shule za uuguzi hutumia mtihani na mtihani kama njia kuu ya kutathmini kujifunza kwa wanafunzi. Katika mazingira haya ya hatari kubwa, wanafunzi mara nyingi huripoti kwamba alama za mtihani hazionyeshi kwa usahihi maandalizi yao au uelewa wa maudhui. Hofu na wasiwasi kuhusu kupima pia una athari mbaya kwa uwezo wa wanafunzi wa kukaza fikira na kukumbuka nyenzo. Johnson (2014) alitambua wasiwasi wa mtihani kama moja ya vizuizi vikubwa kwa mafanikio ya wanafunzi katika mipango ya elimu ya uuguzi. Ili kutambua mikakati ya mafanikio ambayo inaweza kutumika na kitivo uuguzi kupunguza mtihani-kuchukua wasiwasi katika wanafunzi wa uuguzi. Mifumo ya kubuni na ukaguzi Mapitio ya utaratibu kulingana na miongozo ya PRISMA. Utafiti wa fasihi ulifanywa ili kutambua mbinu za kupunguza wasiwasi wa mtihani. Kwa mfano, CNAL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed (Medline), na Ovid Nursing Journals zilitumiwa katika utafiti huo. Maneno muhimu yaliyotumiwa ni pamoja na "uchunguzi wa wasiwasi na wanafunzi wa uuguzi", "uchunguzi wa wasiwasi na wanafunzi", "kupunguza wasiwasi wa mtihani na wanafunzi wa uuguzi", na "kupunguza wasiwasi wa mtihani na wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu". Vipimo vilivyotumika ni vyanzo vilivyochapishwa kati ya 2000 na 2016. Mapitio ya fasihi yalionyesha pengo ambalo linaangazia fursa za utafiti wa baadaye. Mwili wa ushahidi kuhusu wasiwasi wa jumla wa kuchukua mtihani ni mkubwa. Kinyume chake, ushahidi unaozunguka wasiwasi wa kuchukua mtihani miongoni mwa wanafunzi wa uuguzi ni mdogo sana. Mengi ya mikakati ya kupunguza wasiwasi wa mtihani uliopitiwa ilithibitika kuwa na faida, wakati baadhi haikuonyesha umuhimu wa takwimu. Baada ya kukagua mikakati ya uingiliaji wa kimwili, kisaikolojia, na hisia, tunapendekeza kwamba kitivo cha uuguzi kifikirie kutekeleza kupumzika kwa misuli, kupumua kwa kina, ushauri wa kisaikolojia na wa kielimu, kutafakari pamoja, mbinu ya uhuru wa kihisia, uingiliaji wa muziki na matumizi ya aromatherapy. Mbinu hizi zilionyesha umuhimu mkubwa wa takwimu katika kupunguza wasiwasi na zilikuwa rahisi zaidi kwa kitivo cha uuguzi kutumia kwa urahisi. Mbinu za hisia, aromatherapy na tiba ya muziki, zilikuwa rahisi zaidi kwa kitivo cha uuguzi kutekeleza. Hawahitaji mafunzo yoyote maalum wala muda wa ziada kabla ya mtihani kutekelezwa. Pia hazina gharama kubwa kwa walimu. Kwa kutumia aromatherapy na music therapy, mafuta muhimu na muziki zilipatikana kwa urahisi katika madarasa na walimu. Kwa kuingiza mbinu hizi katika mtaala wa maendeleo ya kitivo, kitivo cha uuguzi kitakuwa na vifaa muhimu ili kuwaandaa wanafunzi vizuri na kuboresha uzoefu wao wa kitaaluma. Mbinu hizi zilikuwa na ufanisi katika kupunguza mkazo, kupunguza shinikizo la damu na msukumo wa moyo, na kuongeza kwa kiasi kikubwa utendaji wa kitaaluma, ambayo yote yanahusiana na kupungua kwa wasiwasi wa mtihani.