Test anxiety unplugged: Evaluating a brief web-based intervention for college students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Test anxiety is a common issue affecting college students' academic performance.
• Existing interventions for test anxiety vary in effectiveness and accessibility.
• Brief, self-guided digital platforms offer a scalable solution for managing test anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a novel, brief, self-guided web-based platform in reducing test anxiety among undergraduate students.
• To assess the platform's impact within a single classroom session.
• To identify subgroups of students who benefit most from the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design was employed.
• 145 undergraduate students completed the Westside Test Anxiety Scale before and after using the web-based platform.
• The platform integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and acceptance-based strategies.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant reduction in test anxiety scores was observed post-intervention.
• Students with moderate to high baseline anxiety reported the greatest improvements.
• Minimal changes in anxiety scores were noted for students with low initial test anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The brief web-based platform demonstrates short-term effectiveness in mitigating test anxiety, particularly for students with elevated symptoms.
• Findings support the potential of digital interventions for managing student test anxiety.
• Further research is recommended to explore long-term effects and user engagement.