Effects on Academic Achievement
Matt Leland (2005) emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness on academic achievement, “Mindfulness is helpful in the moment of learning and also in more future-focused skills. By maintaining a calmer view of the present, students are able to improve their study habits, planning, and organizational skills” (p. 20). During my elementary years, I wish I would have been taught more of these skills to help with the academic struggles I experienced. When I was younger, I remember feeling performance anxiety before I had to take an exam in science. Although I enjoyed science class and studied, I felt overwhelmed, nervous, and my mind was going in a million different directs. I also notice in my field experience that many of my students tense up or sigh when they are told they are about to take an exam. There is an uneasiness that affected students in the classroom and added pressure.
The research I gathered supported the positive effects mindfulness has on a student’s concentration, memory, and critical thinking skills. As a teacher, I would utilize this method before an exam by modeling to my students how to focus on their breath while moving and stretching their body. I would have students close their eyes and say positive words of affirmation about themselves in the present moment. Here, mindfulness and movement allow students to feel a sense of calmness, stimulate body and brain connections, and provide them with tools to take a positive approach
Recent research has examined the circumstances under which the usually positive big five trait of conscientiousness has led to higher levels of distress in individuals. Although these effects have been evident in severe forms of failure such as unemployment, this area of personality has yet to be sufficiently explored. The idea of whether the conscientiousness trait is also of hindrance in lower levels of failure is of interest. It is hypothesised that conscientious individuals will have a greater negative affect after a non-severe failure-task than those who are less conscientious. Data is collected qualitatively through self-report questionnaires, measuring conscientiousness with items based on the Behavioural Indicators of
To address this phenomenon, researchers have proposed different theories of test anxiety to account for the effects of test anxiety on the deficits of academic performance. According to scholars such as Schmidt and Riniolo (1999), the cognitive aspects of test anxiety - worry and task-relevant thinking - are also present in social anxiety. Therefore, students who experience test anxiety may also suffer from other types of psychological and cognitive problems such as self-esteem, cognitive development, social skills and memory. Essentially, the students who suffer from test anxiety are individuals who are unable to cope with any types of stress. Considering the stressful nature of
During exam prep, students should review notes and keywords, and clear up confusing concepts (Kaplan, n.d.). Knowing what kind of test the student is preparing for will help to determine if concepts should be broad or more detailed and focused (Billings, 2007). Students should pay attention to their physical health by eating well and getting regular exercise (Kaplan, n.d.). One of the best ways for students to ensure their mental health and to reduce test taking anxiety is to be over-prepared for the test (Nugent and Vitale, 2016).
According to the article, meditation can ease depression, anxiety and other psychological stressors, all issues that can negatively impact a child’s academic performance. With that said, since a majority of the students at Robert W. Coleman come from high-stress environments, meditation has done wonders. Therefore, the Mindful Meditation Room creates an environment where students are able of decompressing while also enhancing their ability to learn.
Stress and anxiety on students in America have been only increasing over the years and the education system needs to discover ways to help reduce both. According to the
For most people, anxiety is something that occurs occasionally throughout their lives such as, right before a big meeting, presentation, tests, or a simple medical procedure. Other people are facing challenges daily due to anxiety; some are diagnosed while others are not. Anxiety includes, “distressingly unpleasant and maladaptive feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and physical reactions. Students with anxiety often worry about their competence, even when they are not being evaluated” (Durwin, 467). These struggles affect the performance of adults in their everyday lives and more specifically; a child’s performance in academics. It is the role as an educator, to aid students with anxiety and other disorders with coping with these
Test anxiety is a huge problem for many student. Several students in my class are much smarter than their test
For example, a student making an offensive remark can disrupt the entire class as students start to laugh. Nevertheless, mindfulness practice is unique as it focuses on emotional and awareness support for students. Similarly, teachers can benefit from mindfulness practice as it allows them to establish an effective buffer from distracting and stressful experiences. Thus, mindfulness practice can be valuable for ensuring classroom focus remains on teaching and obtaining educational outcomes.
Recently, studies on mindfulness have increased, and it has been paid attention to in both clinical and empirical spheres.
Based on the example of Juanita, there are strategies that could be used to help reduce her anxiety that she is experiencing due to having to take a math test. Test anxiety can negatively affect Juanita’s academic performance on the test so it is important for the counselor to be able to provide her with strategies that can help her to cope with the anxiety (Parsons, 2007). Different strategies to help Juanita could include teaching coping skills, study skills, and relaxation techniques (Capuzzi & Gross, 2014; Parsons, 2007). Also, to normalize the strategies the counselor can provide guidance lessons for all students using the same relaxation techniques and provide an overview for teachers and parents so that the same techniques could be used
It is not uncommon for the learner to experience some type of anxiety throughout the learning process; in fact “facilitating anxiety” is a type of anxiety, which encourages the learner in their work. Without facilitating anxiety, learners might have little or no drive. However learners who are consistently apprehensive, uneasy, or nervous may be experiencing “debilitating anxiety” which is known to hinder the thought process as well as concentration.
According to some estimates, at least five million students miss nearly a month of school every year. Some research shows that missing just eighteen days out of the school year-- or two days out of every month-- can bear negative results on a student’s academic performance. And in the U.S., an estimated one-hundred-sixty-four-million school days are lost each year due to sickness among kindergarten to twelfth grade students. Though the average student misses four and a half days of school each year due to sickness, students with chronic or marginalized illnesses and conditions are at risk for more absences and overall lower academic performance. It is obvious, then, that chronic poor health affects student learning outcomes.
A student walks into the exam room. She knows she covered the material and studied very well. When the teacher hands her the exam paper her heart suddenly starts beating very fast, her hands begin to shake, she starts sweating, and she can barely breathe. The time is running out and she can’t control anything or remember the answers. After that, she fails that course because of anxiety. In order to avoid this scenario and perform better, you have to overcome anxiety. Combating test anxiety is not as difficult as some people think. Students can follow these simple guidelines in order to help ease anxiety.
Meditation means to concentrate and connect with ones’ own mind, to explore identity and emotions in order to be aware of conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious thoughts. Meditation originates and has been has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years for different reasons such as increasing concentration abilities, religious purposes and also to train the mind. This essay will focus on how meditation affects brain plasticity (ability to change), emotionally and intellectually, leading to better performance and coping abilities in stressful situations. Things like attention span, memory functions and complexity of emotions will be further explored and may interest the reader since meditation can answer many questions on improving mental health that affects almost everyone. I will make the claim that meditation practice needs to be introduced early into educational institutions such as schools. Because evidence suggests that that meditation increases the volume of the cortex in the brain, leading to a higher and more powerful emotional intellect and cognition that improves things like memory, attention and emotional control. It is logical to assume that in order to alter thickness of cortex, mental thought functions and emotional strength, meditation should be introduced to children early in school for greater performance.
Mindfulness meditation consists of skills and methods to unplug from the busy world around you and from the busy 'monkey brain ' so often experienced in today 's life and particularly in ADHD, anxiety and depression. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness meditation trains and reinforces the ability to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose which helps to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, improve mood, decrease the stress response, and improve physical and emotional health. The studies are compelling about the health benefits of mindfulness meditation. In fact, studies show that mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain in positive ways. The cortex of the brain is thicker in certain areas of the brain in those who practice mindfulness meditation. And brainwave patterns are changed in healthy ways as well.