How to reduce test anxiety and academic procrastination through inquiry of cognitive appraisals: A pilot study investigating the role of academic self-efficacy

Background and Objectives: Test anxiety can impair learning motivation and lead to procrastination. Control-value theory of achievement emotions (Pekrun, 2006) assumes test anxiety to be a result of students’ appraisals of the testing situation and its outcomes. Modification of cognitive appraisals such as low self-efficacy beliefs is thus assumed to reduce test anxiety and subsequent procrastination. In the present study, we tested the effects of an inquiry-based stress reduction (IBSR) intervention on students’ academic self-efficacy, their test anxiety, and subsequent procrastination in the final stages of an academic term. Design: Longitudinal quasi-randomized intervention control trial. Methods: University students identified worry thoughts regarding a specific and frightening testing situation. Intervention participants (n = 40) explored their worry thoughts with the IBSR method. Participants of an active waitlist control group (n = 31) received the intervention after the study was completed. Dependent variables were assessed before and after the intervention as well as at the end of the term. Results: Data-analyses revealed that the IBSR intervention reduced test anxiety as well as subsequent academic procrastination in comparison to the control group. The effect on test anxiety was partly due to an enhancement of self-efficacy. Conclusion: Our findings provide preliminary evidence that IBSR might help individuals to cope with their test anxiety and procrastination

How to reduce test anxiety and academic procrastination through inquiry of cognitive appraisals: Investigating the role of academic self-efficacy

Test anxiety can lead to procrastination. Control-value theory of achievement emotions assumes test anxiety to be a result of students’ appraisals of the testing situation and its outcomes. Modification of cognitive appraisals is thus assumed to reduce test anxiety and procrastination. We tested the effects of an inquiry-based stress reduction (IBSR) intervention on students’ test anxiety and procrastination in the final stages of an academic term using a longitudinal design. University students identified worry thoughts regarding a specific and frightening exam. Intervention participants (n = 40) explored their worry thoughts with the IBSR method. Participants of the control group (n = 31) received the intervention after the study. Data-analyses revealed the IBSR intervention to reduce test anxiety and procrastination in comparison to the control group. The effect on test anxiety was partly due to an enhancement of self-efficacy. Conclusions: IBSR may help individuals to cope with test anxiety and procrastination

Reduktion von State-Prüfungs-Angst durch das Hinterfragen stressvoller Kognitionen

Prüfungsangst kann in Lern- und Leistungskontexten zu unerwünschten Konsequenzen führen. Die Kontroll-Wert-Theorie (Pekrun & Götz, 2006) nimmt an, dass nicht objektive Gegebenheiten, sondern subjektive Kontroll- und Wertappraisals Prüfungsangst auslösen. Eine Methode zur Restrukturierung negativer irrationaler Kontroll- und Wertüberzeugungen ist Inquiry-based Stress Reduction (IBSR). Bei IBSR hinterfragen Personen ihre Appraisals, u.a. indem sie sich überlegen wie sie vermeintlich unangenehme Leistungssituationen erleben würden, wenn sie keine negativen Appraisals hätten. Durch IBSR kann Prüfungsangst kurzfristig reduzieren werden (Krispenz, Nitsche, & Dickhäuser, 2016). Wir untersuchen nun, ob dieser Effekt auch längerfristig besteht und ob hohe Offenheit für Erfahrungen diesen verstärkt, was angesichts des Charakters einzelner Elemente der Technik nahe liegt. Zur Prüfung der Hypothesen diente ein experimentelles zwei-Gruppen-Design mit vier Messzeitpunkten. Wir untersuchten 71 prüfungsängstliche Studierende. Die Wartekontrollgruppe (n = 31) lernte, negative Gedanken bezüglich anstehender Prüfungen in systematischer Weise zu identifizieren. Die Interventionsgruppe (n = 40) lernte zudem, mittels IBSR diese Gedanken zu überprüfen. In einer nachfolgenden Tagebuchwoche wurde die Kontrollgruppe angehalten, weitere Angst-Gedanken zu identifizieren, während die Interventionsgruppe weitere Gedanken mit IBSR überprüfte. State-Prüfungsangst wurde vor und nach Abschluss der Intervention sowie nach der Tagebuchwoche gemessen. Eine letzte Messung erfolgte einen Monat später unmittelbar vor anstehenden Prüfungen. Die Analysen zeigten, dass sich Prüfungsangst bei der Interventionsgruppe im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe signifikant reduzierte und diese Reduktion auch unmittelbar vor den Prüfungen nachweisbar war. Probanden, welche offener für Erfahrungen sind, profitierten dabei stärker von der Intervention. Diskutiert werden theoretische und praktische Implikationen mit Blick auf die Beeinflussung von emotionalen Merkmalen im Hochschulkontext und die Limitationen

Effects of Microbeam Irradiation on Rodent Esophageal Smooth Muscle Contraction

Background: High-dose-rate radiotherapy has shown promising results with respect to normal tissue preservation. We developed an ex vivo model to study the physiological effects of experimental radiotherapy in the rodent esophageal smooth muscle. Methods: We assessed the physiological parameters of the esophageal function in ex vivo preparations of the proximal, middle, and distal segments in the organ bath. High-dose-rate synchrotron irradiation was conducted using both the microbeam irradiation (MBI) technique with peak doses greater than 200 Gy and broadbeam irradiation (BBI) with doses ranging between 3.5–4 Gy. Results: Neither MBI nor BBI affected the function of the contractile apparatus. While peak latency and maximal force change were not affected in the BBI group, and no changes were seen in the proximal esophagus segments after MBI, a significant increase in peak latency and a decrease in maximal force change was observed in the middle and distal esophageal segments. Conclusion: No severe changes in physiological parameters of esophageal contraction were determined after high-dose-rate radiotherapy in our model, but our results indicate a delayed esophageal function. From the clinical perspective, the observed increase in peak latency and decreased maximal force change may indicate delayed esophageal transit.Keywords:high-dose-rate radiotherapy; microbeam irradiation; broadbeam irradiation; organ bath; esophageal smooth muscle; carbachol-induced contraction; esophageal function and motilit

Effects of Microbeam Irradiation on Rodent Esophageal Smooth Muscle Contraction

Background: High-dose-rate radiotherapy has shown promising results with respect to normal tissue preservation. We developed an ex vivo model to study the physiological effects of experimental radiotherapy in the rodent esophageal smooth muscle. Methods: We assessed the physiological parameters of the esophageal function in ex vivo preparations of the proximal, middle, and distal segments in the organ bath. High-dose-rate synchrotron irradiation was conducted using both the microbeam irradiation (MBI) technique with peak doses greater than 200 Gy and broadbeam irradiation (BBI) with doses ranging between 3.5–4 Gy. Results: Neither MBI nor BBI affected the function of the contractile apparatus. While peak latency and maximal force change were not affected in the BBI group, and no changes were seen in the proximal esophagus segments after MBI, a significant increase in peak latency and a decrease in maximal force change was observed in the middle and distal esophageal segments. Conclusion: No severe changes in physiological parameters of esophageal contraction were determined after high-dose-rate radiotherapy in our model, but our results indicate a delayed esophageal function. From the clinical perspective, the observed increase in peak latency and decreased maximal force change may indicate delayed esophageal transit