Most children experience an increased levels of anxiety before exams in elementary school. 85% schoolchildren are afraid of upsetting their parents because they are afraid of punishment. The second cause of anxiety is “learning difficulties.” Even teenagers and young adolescent identify school life as the most significant factor causing negative emotions. Moreover, girls are more prone for anxiety than boys. Anxiety is experienced not only by the students with unsatisfactory grades. Even schoolchildren who study well and participate in social life experience anxiety. Anxiety affects all spheres of school life because it can cause failures, disruptions and disappointments. Anxious schoolchildren develop somatic symptoms such as neurotic reactions or other psychosomatic disorders.
Anxiety is often caused by low self-esteem and contradictions between ambitions and doubts. Sometimes the focus on high grades pushes schoolchildren too hard causing feelings of constant dissatisfaction and tension. Such schoolchildren and students become overachievers but they also suffer from overload and stress, attention deficit and chronic fatigue.
Schoolchildren strive for high grades because of social approval. First of all, students worry about the attitude of their classmates; secondly, they are concerned about the attitude of parents and teachers. The level of anxiety is high among students with good and bad grades, however the students with satisfactory grades are less prone for anxiety.
School Anxiety Test (Phillips Test) will help you to determine your level of school anxiety and school fears.
Psychological test «School anxiety» from section «Tests for Schoolchildren» contains 58 questions