Student Anxiety:a study of the relationship between "situational anxiety" and specific periods of stress during a one-year certificate course in a college of education (technical)

Abstract

This study is concerned with mature students on a one-year teacher training course for those who intend to teach in Further or Higher Education, and who, during their course, experience levels of anxiety which militate against successful course completion. The three aspects of the study are: a: the identification of students who will be "at risk"; b: the identification of particular times of stress during the course; c: an exploration of means of alleviating debilitating anxieties. The IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire was selected as an appropriate instrument for identifying students who might experience academic difficulties due to unusually high anxiety levels. Norms were established for a sample of 1850 students, and the cut-off points suggested by the test constructor were verified as identifying "at risk" students. To identify the times when anxiety peaks occurred, a questionnaire was developed, based upon the work of Cleugh. For the sample studied(n = 175) the stressful periods during this particular course were identified. A selective review of the counselling literature led to the adoption of a number of counselling strategies for those students who sought help during their time at college. An "action research" strategy was adopted for the study in order to initiate immediate changes in college procedures and to benefit those students who took part in the study. As is usual with action research, the gains accruing to this approach are offset by the accompanying lack of rigorous experimental control and consequent difficulty in generalising findings to a broader population. However, the results of this study do indicate that for this type ofcourse: i The IPATASQ can be effectively used to identify some of the students who may experience difficulties during the course. ii There are specific critical times during the course when some students need personal support. iii Planned interaction in the form of personal counselling is beneficial to some students.