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Sandra Bemis, BCH, CI
www.WholeHealthHypnosis.com
Offices Ipswich and Beverly, MA
Are Standardized Tests Making our Children
Sick?
What is Test Stress?
Test stress is the
uneasiness or apprehension that a student feels before, during or after a test
because of worry or fear of failure. Test stress is actually a type of
performance stress.
Most people
experience this stress from time to time. Low levels of this type of stress can
actually be good for motivation. Test stress can have impact in your head
(emotions) and your physical body. When stress interferes with test-taking and
learning it can cause students to freeze, have trouble paying attention, lose
recall, get physically ill and limit their ability to think clearly. Studies
have shown that it can lower test scores as much as 15 points.
In a recent US
Department of Education study done by the Claremont Graduate School in
California, it was found that 55% of 10th grade students are
suffering from test stress “often or most of the time.”
Further studies
went on to show that after completing a program aimed at easing performance
anxieties, it showed a 35% improvement in math scores and a 14% improvement in
reading scores on a standardized exit exam for high school diplomas. Based on
this finding, the US Dept of Education has funded further studies.
Many students as young as 3rd
grade have begun to exhibit the characteristics of test stress due to increased
emphasis
nationwide on high-stakes testing
Some, but not
all, possible symptoms:
Questions to ask
regarding test stress in determining proper scripts for client:
·
What do you think about when taking tests?
·
Do you have a hard time focusing during a test? What parts of the
test are you most anxious?
·
How does your body feel when taking tests? Sweaty, nausea,
headache, nervous, etc?
·
How do you sleep the night before a test?
·
Do you get nervous, lose focus or freeze before or during a test?
·
Do you seem to know the answers prior but can't remember them when
taking the test?
Suggestions that
could be incorporated into script:
-
Each and everything I read will be
totally and thoroughly interesting
-
I am focused
-
Readings will keep my interest
allowing me to be focused and enthused
-
Everything that has been learned is
stored and will be easily accessible
-
The bridge between memory and
recall is open and flowing with all the information that is needed
-
As you sit at your desk/table, with
every breath, you’ll feel more confident, alert, motivated and determined to
succeed on the exam
-
As you walk in the testing room,
you’ll take 3 cleansing breaths. With each breath, you’ll find yourself more
and more relaxed; more and more alert, more and more recall ability
-
As you sit at your testing area,
you’ll touch the desk each and every time you need a calm wave of relaxation
-
As you look at the front of the
class, you’ll have the ability to focus on an object of your choice with
calming results
-
You will extract information from
reading material to properly form an essay
-
You are confident with the
knowledge that has been stored
-
You see yourself in a mirror
knowing each and every answer completely calm and at ease; being completely
successful with the test at hand
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