Abstract
The major purpose of this study was to compare Meichenbaum and Butler's (1980) conceptual model for the treatment of test anxiety with a competing model which viewed test anxiety as a skills deficit (Kirkland and Hollandsworth, 1980). Treatment programs were developed based on the different theoretical views. A total of 34 students from Educational Psychology 101 classes at Texas A&M University, who identified themselves as having trouble with test-taking situations, volunteered to participate in the experiment. Subjects were assigned to one of three treatment conditions; stress inoculation training, training in effective test-taking techniques, or study skills training. The study skills condition received no active intervention by the experimenter. This group received training in study skills in the Educational Psychology 101 class. Subjects were assessed before and after treatment on three measures: self-reported test anxiety, knowledge of study skills and strategies and semester grade point average. Results showed that all three groups significantly improved their mean semester grade point average from pretreatment to posttreatment. As predicted the combination of groups that received active interventions by the experimenter, stress inoculation and effective test taking, showed a significantly higher posttreatment mean semester grade point average than the study skills only group. The three groups showed no significant increases or decreases in self-reported test anxiety. The effective test-taking condition was the only group to show a significant pre to posttreatment improvement in knowledge of effective study skills. Results are discussed with respect to the two different theories for the treatment of test anxiety. Suggestions for future research in the area of test anxiety and academic performance are discussed.
Blackmore, Stephen Harol (1983). A comparison of training in stress inoculation, effective test taking techniques and study skills as treatments for test anxiety. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -577014.