A multicomponent treatment programme for text-anxious elementary schoolchildren

Baddeley, Gillian Mary

A multicomponent treatment programme for text-anxious elementary schoolchildren

Doctoral Thesis

1988

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The efficacy was assessed of multicomponent treatment in reducing test anxiety, and improving self-concept and examination performance, in test-anxious elementary schoolchildren. A core programme was devised, comprising three components: systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring and informal study skills training. Two further components, one each for teachers and parents were added, giving a 'contextualised' programme. Three complementary studies compared either the contextualised programme with a no-treatment, non-identified, control condition (Study 1: n = 40; Study 3: n = 24), or the core programme with an attention-placebo control condition (Study 2: n = 26). It was hypothesised that Studies 1 and 3 would show significant between-group differences at post-test, with experimental subjects showing a significant decline in test anxiety and gains in achievement and self-concept. In Study 2, no significant between-group differences were hypothesised: subjects receiving the core treatment or attention-placebo programme being expected to show a similar degree of reduction in test anxiety and gain in self-concept, but no improvement in achievement.