Parent Presentation April 13, Dr. Virginia Nusca, Registered Psychologist

Transcription

1 Parent Presentation April 13, 2013 Dr. Virginia Nusca, Registered Psychologist

2 Overview What is test anxiety? Who gets test anxiety? Signs of test anxiety Anxiety-reducing strategies Who can help your child Test anxiety resources Perfectionism

3 What is Test Anxiety? A type of performance anxiety Worried about performing well Worried about how will be judged by others Interferes with test performance A certain level of arousal important to effective test performance If arousal or anxiety is too high, it can impair the ability to effectively demonstrate knowledge

4 Who Gets Test Anxiety? Poorly prepared Didn t study Lacks knowledge or skills, e.g., test-taking skills, content knowledge History of poor test performance Has failed in the past Has learning difficulties or disability that affects test performance Generally worried or anxious Perfectionist

5 Signs of Test Anxiety Physical Behavioural Cognitive

6 Physical Signs Nausea and/or vomiting Sleeping problems Muscle tension Headaches Perspiration Rapid heart rate Flushed Shaking Dizzy

7 Behavioural/Emotional Signs Motor Restlessness, fidgety Mood Irritable, crying Avoidance Not studying Not attending on day of test Preference for easy, familiar tasks

8 Cognitive Signs Poor concentration Blanking out Negative thoughts about Past performance Consequences of failure Comparison to others Self-worth and ability

9 Thoughts and Feelings Thought I ve studied and will pass. I m going to fail. I never do well on tests. If I don t get a good mark, I will fail the course. Everyone will think I m stupid. I should never make mistakes in my schoolwork. I m good at math tests. I know the content well. Feeling

10 Importance of Good Listening Listen to Your child Yourself Other important people in your child s life Identify thoughts that can lead to feelings of anxiety; e.g., ask your child What are you thinking right now? What are you worried will happen? What bad thing do you expect to happen?

11 Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety Develop academic skills Content knowledge Learning and study skills Test-taking skills Develop anxiety-reducing skills Strategies to address physical symptoms Strategies to address cognitive symptoms Strategies to reduce avoidance

12 Before the Test Preparation Does your child have the skills and content needed to be successful on the test? Does your child have effective test-taking strategies? Organization Does your child devote the amount of time needed to prepare for the test? Practice Take practice tests Practice answering assignment or made up questions just like a test, e.g., no peaking at the answers, sitting for a period of time.

13 The Importance of Practice Tests Helps develop and test skills and knowledge needed to be successful Can you recall the information from memory? Where do you need to focus more study time? Repeated test-taking practice reduces anxiety Student becomes familiar with test demands Can practice test-taking strategies Can practice anxiety reducing strategies Can experience success

14 Getting the Most Out of Practice Tests Best practice tests Similar to actual test, e.g., same type of question, same content, same location Start simple One question to multiple questions Easy to challenging questions Where to get test questions Make them up From teacher From textbook and/or study guides From previous assignments or tests

15 Reducing Anxiety Symptoms Physical Preparation Relaxation strategies See Stress Lessons Toolkit for a demonstration at Sleep Regular healthy routine including exercise Cognitive Preparation Identify and challenge negative thoughts Identify and practice positive thoughts

16 Challenging Negative Thoughts Negative Thought I never do well on tests. I am going to fail this test. If I don t get a good mark, I will fail the course. Everyone will think I m stupid. I should never make mistakes in my schoolwork. Positive Thought

17 After the Test Emphasize and praise strategy use What strategies did you use? How did they work? How did that change your experience of the test, e.g., less anxiety vs. more anxiety? Help your child make a balanced evaluation of test performance NOT it was overall a good or bad test performance Relate success on specific questions to use of strategies and effort Focus on what went right vs. what went wrong

18 After the Test (continued) Use test performance to determine goals and next steps for upcoming tests Make goals realistic and specific Put less emphasis on grades and more emphasis on improvements in strategy use, preparation, etc. Set anxiety-reducing goals

19 Who Can Help Your Child? Parent/Guardian Older sibling; relative Peers Tutor Teacher Guidance Counsellor School Psychological Services Consultant

20 References AnxietyBC. Test Anxiety. Educational Testing Services (ETS). (2005). Reducing Test Anxiety. Princeton, NJ: Available: anxiety.pdf Huberty, T.J. (2009). Test and Performance Anxiety. In Principal Leadership. National Association of School Psychologists.

21 Dr. Anne McHugh Registered Psychologist

22 Types of perfectionism Self-oriented perfectionism: standards for yourself that are unrealistically high and impossible to attain. Other-oriented perfectionism: the tendency to demand that others meet your unrealistically high standards. Socially prescribed perfectionism: holding the assumption that others hold impossible expectations of you.

23 Perfectionistic Behaviours Overcompensating: Overdoing something to make absolutely sure that everything is just right Excessive checking & reassurance seeking: rechecking work, or checking with others, to make certain that the task is done well enough. Repeating & correcting: Going overboard in correcting your own or other s behaviour to ensure that you are understood. Excessive organizing & list making Difficulty making decisions: making a mistake is feared because it may be irreversible and catastrophic

24 Perfectionistic Behaviours Excessive slowness: doing things very slowly in an effort to prevent errors Procrastination: Perfectionists delay starting something to avoid the possibility that their work will be less than perfect. Not knowing when to quit: During exams too much time is spent on difficult items because you are determined to get it right. You run out of time to complete the task.

25 How to determine if your standards are too high Are they higher than the majority of people? Can you meet them with reasonable effort? Can others meet them? Do your standards help you achieve your goals? Or do they get in the way? What areas of your life are negatively affected by perfectionism? To what extent are your perfectionistic beliefs flexible or inflexible? What is the impact of your perfectionism on others? On your emotional health? Instead of adding order and control to your life they lead to anxiety, disorder and lack of control. If you can t be objective answering these questions you may wish to ask others who know you well.

26 Helping your child Challenge perfectionistic standards and demonstrate doing things less than perfectly yourself Challenge negative and self-critical thoughts. Do not model selfcriticalness yourself. Practice completing school work that is less than perfect, limiting redoing, re-checking and reassurance seeking behaviours. Reinforce and praise good effort versus praising high grades Reinforce enjoying the process, rather than purely working towards the finished product and outcome

27 References When Perfect Isn`t Good Enough (2009) Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., Richard Swinson, MD The Procrastination Workbook: Your Personalized Workbook for Breaking Free of the Patterns That Hold You Back. (2002) Knauss, W.

28 Online Anxiety Resources The ABC s of Mental Health: Information on typical development and mental health problems Teen Mental Health: Resources for teachers, families, students Animated video clips on various anxiety disorders Kids Health: Articles and information on a variety of mental health issues for children and teens For children: When tests make you nervous: For teens: Test Anxiety: Stress Lessons Toolkit: Stress reduction activities for Grades 4 to 6 Parent guide Video of relaxation and breathing exercises Test Anxiety. Good strategies for negative thoughts, preparation, test-taking skills, etc. Educational Testing Services (ETS). Reducing test anxiety. Princeton NJ: