Topic: Test Anxiety

Type of paper:	Research Paper
Subject area:	Education
Academic level:	College
Style:	APA
Size:	28.0 kB
Word count:	834
Mark awarded:
Date submitted:	2008-11-21 18:52:39
Rating/Votes count:	4.00 / 1

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Tags:

anxiety, health, test, stress, concept, disorders, genetic, narrative, chromosome, wellness, wrong, Reduce Test Anxiety, Hoffman Barlow

Running head : ANXIETY
Test Anxiety : An Extreme Response to an Academic Stressor
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Test Anxiety : An Extreme Response to an Academic Stimulus
Stressed out ? Feeling anxious ? Worried about the final exam ? It comes
as no surprise that students , especially those facing midterm or final
exams , would probably answer yes to these few questions . However , the
levels of stress induced by tests can escalate and last so long that
they produce crippling anxiety for some individuals . Such powerful
stress responses to tests can leave students with detrimental grades and
low self confidence . The students receive poor grades even though they
have studied hard and are familiar with the material they are being
tested on . How exactly does this happen ? Most students feel some degree
of nervousness before a test , but do not have such a strong reaction .
This essay will thus look at the various causes and effects of test
anxiety , as well as some of the techniques available to overcome such
obstacles .
Stress occurs in a series of stages . The first stage happens when the
body reacts to an external stimulus , or stressor , that is perceived as
threatening . In the case of test anxiety , the test itself becomes the
stressor . While a piece of paper and questions about study material may
not seem intrinsically threatening at first glance , the consequences of
failing said test can induce a great deal of worry . As Greenberg (2002 )
mentions , such symbolic stressors hold threats to an individual 's ,
``loss of status , threats to self esteem , [creates a sense of] work
overload . Students with test anxiety will start to wonder and agonize
over what types of questions will be on the test , whether or not they
are studying the right material or just trying to memorize unimportant
details .
Similarly , stress turns into anxiety when the state of biological
arousal remains for an extended period of time and results with an
unrealistic fear response accompanied by behavioral symptoms of trying
to avoid or escape a situation (Greenberg , 2002 . The Gale Encyclopedia
of Childhood and Adolescence states that specific symptoms of test
anxiety include ``rapid heartbeat , dry mouth , sweating , stomach ache ,
dizziness , and desire to urinate (Gale Research , 1998 . These symptoms
come as a result of the body 's ``flight or fight ' response , which
prepares an individual to either stand ground and face a threat or turn
and run from the problem .
In a brief summary , the biological response to a test occurs as the
stressor is cognitively appraised in the person 's mind as a potential
threat . Understanding the exam as a threat the cerebral cortex releaseas
neurotransmitters so that hormones and adrenaline are then released into
the body . The adrenaline speeds up the heart , and heavier breathing
comes from increase in dialation of bronchial tubes which feel greater
need for oxygen consumption . Also the thyroid gland secretes thyroxin .
This paricular substance increases gastrointestinal motility , which can
result in stomach ache or diarrhea . The gastrointestinal system is
affected too ,with a decrease in...

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