Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Test Performance in America's Schools: Results from the TestEdge National Demonstration Study—by Raymond Trevor Bradley, Ph.D., Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Mike Atkinson, Lourdes Arguelles, Ph.D., Robert A. Rees, Ph.D., and Dana Tomasino
This 372-page e-Book is a comprehensive report presenting the complete results from the TestEdge National Demonstration Study which was conducted by the Institute of HeartMath in collaboration with Claremont Graduate University. The study’s primary purpose was investigating the efficacy of the TestEdge and Resilient Educator programs in reducing stress and test anxiety and improving emotional well-being, quality of relationships and academic performance in public schools and students. Overall, the evidence from this rich combination of physiological, quantitative and qualitative data indicates that among other successes TestEdge produced substantial physiological, psychological, academic and social benefits for the participants.
There is good reason to believe the program produced substantial physiological, psychological, academic and social benefits for the participating students. It is our hope the results will have an impact on policies regarding the importance of integrating stress and emotional self-management education into school curricula for students of all ages. By introducing and sustaining appropriate programs and strategies, it should be possible to significantly reduce the stress and anxiety that impede student performance, undermine teacher–student relationships and cause physiological and emotional harm. Such programs have the promise of increasing the effectiveness of our educational system and, in the long term, boosting the academic standing of the United States in the international community.
Executive Summary
Section One: Research Background and Study Design
Chapter I. Background to the TestEdge National Demonstration Study
Chapter II. Test Anxiety: Prior Research and Current Approaches
Chapter III. The TestEdge Intervention: An Emotion-Based Approach
Chapter IV. Research Design and Methodology
Section Two: Results of the Primary Study: Assessing the Effectiveness of the TestEdge Intervention
Chapter V. Implementation of the Primary Study
Chapter VI. Analysis by Whole Sample
Chapter VII. Commonalities and Differences Within the Experimental and Control Schools
Chapter VIII. Comparison of Experimental and Control Groups Using Total Samples
Chapter IX. Identifying Intervention Effects by Comparing Matched-Group Sub-Samples
Chapter X. The Question of Classroom and Teacher Effects
Chapter XI. The Physiological Study
Chapter XII. The Face of Test Stress: A Study of Student Drawings
Chapter XIII. Socioemotional Patterns in the Classroom: Observational Results from the Primary Study
Section Three: Results from Study of Secondary Sites
Chapter XIV. Secondary Sites—A Case Study Approach
Section Four: Discussion and Conclusion
Chapter XV. Findings and Limitations
Chapter XVI. Conclusions and Implications
References
Appendices
This research study report is intended primarily for researchers, education professionals, and others in related fields, as well as laypeople, who desire a deeper understanding of HeartMath's educational research.
