Teacher Anxiety Program for Elementary Students (TAPES): intervention development and proposed randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Teacher Training

Background:

• Excessive student anxiety negatively impacts academic performance and increases teacher workload.
• Teachers are well-positioned to identify and manage student anxiety but often lack necessary training.
• The Teacher Anxiety Program for Elementary Students (TAPES) is a new intervention designed to bridge this knowledge gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and evaluation protocol for the TAPES intervention.
• To outline the theoretical model underpinning TAPES.
• To detail the methodology for a randomized controlled trial comparing TAPES to standard professional development.

Main Methods:

• Protocol description for the development and evaluation of TAPES.
• Randomized controlled trial design comparing TAPES with a standard professional development seminar.
• Focus on teacher training in managing student anxiety.

Main Results:

• Primary outcomes will assess changes in teacher knowledge and skills post-TAPES training.
• Secondary outcomes will evaluate the impact of TAPES on student anxiety and academic functioning.
• Exploratory analyses will investigate mediators of change based on the theoretical model.

Conclusions:

• TAPES has the potential to equip teachers with skills to reduce student anxiety.
• Successful implementation of TAPES could lead to improved student well-being and academic outcomes.
• This intervention offers a scalable approach to support students experiencing anxiety in educational settings.