Examination Anxiety Unmasked: Predictors and Coping Strategies as Experienced By Junior High School Students in the Effutu Municipality of Ghana (Published)
This study investigated the factors that trigger examination anxiety while exploring coping strategies needed to reduce anxiety among Junior High School students in the Effutu Municipality. The study employed the cross-sectional descriptive survey design with quantitative approach where through proportionate stratified random sampling, a sample of 746 students was obtained from both public and private Junior High Schools in the three (3) circuits of the Effutu Municipality. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that even though different kinds of factors trigger examination anxiety amongst the students, lack of self-esteem was the most dominant factor while subject load of the students recorded the least influence on examination anxiety. The study further established that good study habits and skills, effective teacher support, motivation, reduction of students’ workload, improvement in co-curricular activities, and having enough sleep and rest time were the coping strategies advanced to reduce examination anxiety. Additionally, it was found that factors such as having low self-confidence, past experience and beliefs about examination, history of consistent poor performance, subject load, and psychological factors jointly contributed significantly to examination anxiety among students. Besides, motivation of students, reduction of subject load and good teachers support for students were the coping strategies needed to manage examination anxiety. Based on these results, it was recommended that regular education programmes such as symposia and school festivals should be conducted to heighten students’ self-esteem, and remove negative past experiences and beliefs about examinations while exploring other coping strategies to reduce examination anxiety for improved academic performance.
Keywords: Academic Achievement, Coping Strategies, Factors, Junior High School, examination anxiety