EFFECTS OF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY IN TEST ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE. BY EDOM, DONALD OBINNA edomdonaldobinna@gmail.com 08032614498 DEPARTMENT OF EDUC

EFFECTS OF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY IN TEST ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE.

 EFFECTS OF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY IN TEST ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE.

 

BY

 

EDOM, DONALD OBINNA

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08032614498

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY,

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF PORT-HARCOURT.

AND

PROF. AMADI, NJOBUONWU GLORY

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08037582446

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY,

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF PORT-HARCOURT.

Abstract

This study investigated Effects of Rational Emotive Behavioural and Cognitive Behavioural Therapies in test anxiety and academic achievement among secondary school students in Rivers State. The objective was to find out the effects of REBT and CBT on test anxiety and academic achievement among students with regards to their gender. Four research questions and Four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of alpha guided the study. The study adopted quasi-experimental and expost-facto research designs. A sample of 120 test-anxious students out of 215 from the population of 546 students were used, from three public secondary schools in Port-Harcourt Metropolis (Port-Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Eleme) were drawn using purposive sampling technique. The instruments were Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and English Language Achievement Test (ELAT). The Test Anxiety Questionnaire was a 4-point likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) to measure the academic achievement in English Language. The study was shared into experimental group 1(REBT), 2 (CBT) and 3 a Control Group. The sampling was drawn using multistage sampling procedure. The reliability of the TAQ instrument was determined using Crombach Alpha method of internal consistency while that of ELAT was determined using Kuder Richardson formular 20 (KR20). The reliability index realized were 0.78 for TAQ and 0.71 for ELAT. Data was analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions, paired sample t-test, t-test, ANOVA as well as ANCOVA analysis of co-variance were used to test hypotheses. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made one of which is that Counsellors, Psychologists as well as Therapists with good knowledge of these interventions should be sent to schools so as to enable them give full attention to those that have test anxiety. In contribution to knowledge, this study has established that there is much hope for test-anxious students.

Key words: Academic Achievement, Gender, Test Anxiety,  Behavioural therapy and Cognitive behavioural therapy. 

Introduction

         Education is a process through which efforts are made to change the thinking and behaviour of individual in desirable direction. In order to find out how much this objective has been achieved, it is measured through conducting test on students. This process testing is called examination or test.   “Education is the process of change. It includes all those activities that make an individual to become a useful member of the society. It also provides its services in the transmission of human heritage from one generation to another” (Ogbunigwe, 2016).   Educational system is like a body, which consists of different parts, and all these parts together perform their functions as system. Curriculum, Teacher, Students and Test are its major parts.          From ancient times till date tests/examinations have remained a part of the educational system. It is the only source of measuring the abilities of the students. In brief it can be said that educational system is an empty vase without tests. “Test is the process of analysis, identification, evaluation and interpretation in any type of academic evaluation conducted to measure and assess the students’ academic performance”.  The term Examination cannot be differentiated from Testing. Function of both of these systems is the evaluation and assessment of student’s performance.  “Test is a set of questions, problems or exercises to which the students are asked to respond to obtain an appraisal of designated characteristics of the students such as specific kind of knowledge, aptitude, abilities and skills, in education, test is used interchangeably with examination” (Ahmad, 2001). The quality of a test can be measured by three major standards (1) Validity: a test measures what it claims to measure, (2) Reliability:  it refers to the stability of a measurement. A test is considered trustworthy if we get the same result frequently. (3) Practicality. Practicality is concerned with practical use rather than theoretical possibilities. It is the state of being realistic and practicable.  

          Anxiety is a mental health disorder characterised by feeling of worry that is so strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. Ramalingham, (2006) has it that anxiety is an emotional state arising in situations of worry, nervousness and manifested in expectation for unfavourable events as well as the physiological and psychological reaction to an expected danger, whether real or imagined. However, anxiety maybe something complex as compared to a normal situation of fear. With the anxiety, the threat is greatly exaggerated or non-existence. Anxiety is a normal human feeling that is part of life and can often serve as a good form of adrenaline. However, in a few people this adrenaline rush exceeds normal limits and at times may lead to some negative consequences.

             If you regularly become excessively nervous before, during and after an important test, you may have testophobia or test anxiety. It is a very common phenomenon among students especially when an important test is at their door step. It is extremely disastrous as it affects them psychologically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. In most cases, test stress is caused by the fear of failing a test and it can also be caused by:

  • Low motivation levels
  • Lack of preparation and planning
  • High expectations from others
  • Competition from peers

According to Yang (2017), test anxiety is a situation-specific anxiety experienced in evaluative situations. Test anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and dread that an individual experience about the outcome of an evaluation. Test anxiety can be seen as a feeling of tension and lack of self-regulation of one’s conduct as a result of an impending test and any other evaluative programme to be taken by the test anxious individuals.  The higher the importance attached to the impending test, the higher the level of apprehension felt by the student. Due to this high regard given to students with high academic achievement, fear of failure constantly put anxiety on student before, during and after examinations and tests. This anxiety has two major components according to Xu and Lui in Olatunbosun (2019) they are: (1) Worry, which is made up of all cognitive process, and (2) Emotionality, which is refers to the psychological changes resulting from arousal of the autonomic nervous system. The cognitive component of test anxiety is perceived as having the most adverse effect on performance and achievement Xu and Lui in Olatunbosun (2019). It is also perceived as worry over how assessment performance will be judged. Worry concerns cognitive distortion and self-depreciating thoughts and leads to cognitive interference. The emotionality aspect of test anxiety is psychological and associated with bodily symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating and rapid breathing. Test anxiety may lower a student’s academic performance and achievement as well as increasing the rate of students’ school dropout. The negative thoughts about the outcome of the test, loss of regard of esteem from peers, teachers and what the parents and friends will commend if they failed such tests and examinations may sometimes result to fear, panic, trembling, during the test, illegible writing, sweating of parts of the body and all sorts of somatic experiences are noticed during testing and examination periods.

            Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction with adults, to help a person change behaviour and overcome problems in desired ways. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual’s well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviours, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. According to Olatoye (2009), Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for a variety of conditions, whether alone or in combination with medications. The therapeutic alliance is a feature common to all effective psychotherapies and is correlated with clinical outcomes. Most psychotherapies utilize the principle that symptoms reflect enduring maladaptive patterns in cognitions, emotions, behaviours, and relationships, and that each of these areas is intimately connected with the others. From first interview until termination, therapy takes place in a controlled series of sessions where the main therapeutic tool is the power of relationship.

          Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT), was created and developed by an American Psychotherapist and Psychologist Albert Ellis. REBT encompasses a psychotherapeutic system of theory, practices and a school of thought. The therapy is a comprehensive, active-directive, philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioural problems and disturbances and enabling people to lead a happier and more fulfilling lives (Adeoye, 2009). A fundamental premise of Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy is that humans do not get emotionally disturbed by unfortunate circumstances, but by how they construct their views of those circumstances through their language, evaluative beliefs, meaning and philosophies about the world, themselves and others. Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy assumes that human thinking, emotion, and action are not really separate processes, but that they all significantly overlap and are rarely experience in a pure state. Much of what we call emotion is nothing neither more nor less than a certain kind of a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind of thought. But emotions and behaviours significantly influence and affect thinking, just as thinking influences emotions and behaviours.  Olaoye &. Fadoju (2018), Investigated the effect of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) on Academic Performance of Students with low grades in Babcock University junior secondary school, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State. A single group pre-test post-test experimental research design was adopted. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 21 volunteers from Babcock University junior secondary school students who scored below acceptable average percentage pass in their previously concluded internal examinations. Intervention on REBT was administered while Automatic Thought Questionnaire (ATQ) was used to screen the participants before their involvement in the study. Their previous academic and post intervention academic results were compared, using paired t-test inferential statistics which tested null hypothesis that was rejected at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study showed that the REBT was potent in improving the academic performance of students with low grades. It was recommended that REBT should be adopted for improving academic performance of students with low grades.

   Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), was developed by Aaron Beck in 1952. Beck believed that individuals draw inferences about events based on their perception and interpretation of these events. Individuals who show maladaptive behaviours have faulty or distorted thinking pattern. These patterns stem from what he called ‘Cognitive Schemas’. Cognitive schemas are deeply held general statements that sum-up the assumptions the client hold about the world.  He discovered that patients’ self-critical cognition which he called Automatic thoughts, are one of the keys to successful therapy. When clients are helped to pay attention to the stream of automatic thoughts (internal dialogue) that accompany and guide their actions, they can make choices about the appropriateness of these self-statements, and if necessary introduce new thoughts and ideas which leads to a happier and more satisfied life. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has these principles 1. Cognitive activity affects behaviour. 2. Cognitive activity may be monitored and altered. 3. Desired behaviour change may be affected through cognitive change. According to Beck, when an individual suffers psychological distress, the way in which he interprets situations becomes skewed, which in turn has a negative effect on his behaviour. CBT is based on the idea that a client’s cognition has an enormous impact on his feelings and behaviour, that means how we think (cognition), how we feel (emotion), how we act (behaviour) all interact together. Therefore negative and unrealistic thoughts can cause us anxiety, depression, unhappiness and other psychological problems which can result in major problems. The emotional and behavioural difficulties that people experience in their lives are not caused directly by events but by the way they interpret and make sense of these events.

Fayand & Rahim (2016) carried out an investigation on effectiveness of cognitive behavioural training on test anxiety of high school girls. This study is a semi-experimental one with pre-test - post-test design and control group respectively. The study population was all female high school students in Tabriz. 60 students having test anxiety after performing a diagnostic test questionnaire (Sarason) were selected through multistage random sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group had cognitive therapy training for 8 sessions; the control group did not receive any intervention. Test results was analyzed using ANCOVA, T. Results showed that anxiety symptoms in subjects in the experimental group compared with the control group significantly decreased. In other words, cognitive therapy training method is effective in reducing test anxiety.

As these psychotherapies were used in order to know their effects in reducing test anxiety, thereby enhancing students’ academic achievement.

The school is a place designed to impact knowledge in a child and when this knowledge is not impacted, then the aim of schooling is defeated. Parents expect that sending a child to school should bring about positive academic outcome which is often measured through continuous assessment and examinations. The outcome or result of examination is seen as an indicator of the child’s level of academic achievement, Academic achievement according Crow and Crow in Harry and Odiase (2020) means the extent to which the learner is profiting from instruction in a given area of learning. The achievement in academic achievement refers to the scores obtained in the annual examination or the degree or level of success attained in some specific area concerning scholastic or academic work. Achievement can also be seen as the act of attaining a desired objectives, aim or level. Academic achievement can be referred to as the level of schooling one has successfully completed and also the ability to attain success in one’s studies. Academic achievement represents performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional environments, specifically in school, college, and university. In the words of Adebayo (2016), the major goal of the school is to work towards attainment of academic excellence by students. He added that the school may have other peripheral objectives, but emphasis is always placed on achievement of sound scholarship. Besides, virtually everybody concerned with education places premium on academic achievement. Excellent academic achievement of students is always the expectation of parents (Osiki in Harry and Odiase, 2020).

Dawood, Mitsu, Rufa & Nadiah (2016), carried out a study to explore the relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement among undergraduate nursing students in King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences--Riyadh (KSAU), A descriptive correlation, cross sectional research design was utilized to conduct the study on a convenience sample of 277 undergraduate nursing students from all academic levels at College of Nursing, King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences--Riyadh (KSAU), who gave voluntary consent to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete a two part questionnaire survey including participant's demographic background such as age, GPA, academic level, history of medical and mental illnesses and Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980) which was used to measure the primary outcome variable of the study, it was a four point Likert scale with 20 statements to find out how often participants experience the feeling described in each statement. An explanation about the purpose and the nature of the study was offered for each participant. The participants were ensured about the confidentiality and anonymity of the collected data. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Test anxiety score of the participants ranged between 20 and 74. Only14.4% demonstrated severe test anxiety, about 50.9% experienced moderate test anxiety and more than one quarter of the participant's experienced mild test anxiety. Analysis of data revealed statistically significant negative relationship between test anxiety scores and undergraduate nursing students' academic level (r = -0.144, p = 0.01) which explain that undergraduate nursing students in higher academic level experience less test anxiety. Pearson's R revealed a negative none statistically significant relationship (r = -0.090, p = 0.157) between test anxiety scores and undergraduate nursing students Grade Point Average. In examining the relationship between test anxiety scores and undergraduate nursing students' age, Pearson's R revealed negative none statistically significant relationship (r = -0.078, p = 0.197) which indicated that test anxiety scores decreased with participants' age. Results of the study concluded that a significant percentage of the students participated in the study experienced moderate to severe levels of test anxiety. It was fundamental to help out undergraduate nursing students to deal with stress and trim down test anxiety efficiently through group work via students, parents, faculty, academic advisors and other concerned parties. In addition undergraduate students should be taught about effective time and anxiety management strategies for better academic achievements. Considering the physiological and psychological factors leading to severe test anxiety among undergraduate nursing students was highly recommended. Counseling services should be available to nursing students when needed.

According to Edom (2017), gender is a socially defined and learned male and female behaviours that shape the opportunities that one is offered in life, the role one may play and the kind of relationships that one has. It is distinct from sex, which is a biologically determined and fixed set of characteristics for men and women. Gender refers to the social roles, traditional expectations, cultural assumption and beliefs about the nature and character of the biological differences between the human males and females (Nnachi in Offor & Awai, 2015). The differences in the scholastic achievements of boys and girls are generally attributed to biological causes and to the cultural stereotypes (Klien in Amadi & Igoni 2015).   Gender is a phenomenon defining us as male or female. According to Manuel and Essien, (2020), gender is all the characteristics both biologically and socially in which people or the society at large defines as male or female. There is difference in both genders when it comes to physical strength and skills. According to them, men have upper-body strength than women while it is only women that can be pregnant, give birth and breast feed infants. When it comes to the differences in cognitive ability and achievement, overall, women and men are similar in terms of cognitive ability and academic achievement but there are some specific areas in which women excel more than men. In the area of mathematics, science and social studies men do better than women while women perform better than men in the areas like language skills, verbal memory, perceptual speed and fine motor skills (Manuel and Essien, 2020).

Maria, Macarena & Roser (2016) carried out a study on gender differences in test, trait, English anxiety as well as differences in academic achievement among university students. Participants were 168 students from the University of Barcelona, Spain. All of whom completed measures of test anxiety, English anxiety, and trait anxiety. They were also asked about their expected level of anxiety when faced with four specific test situations: multiple-choice, open-question, oral presentation, and an exam involving calculations. At the end of the course in which they were enrolled, students were assessed through a multiple-choice and an open-question exam. Compared with their male counterparts, female students reported higher levels of test, English, and trait anxiety, as well as greater expected anxiety in three of the four test situations considered. However, females did show lower academic achievement than male students in either the open-question or the multiple-choice exams. These results are discussed in terms of gender differences in socialization patterns and coping styles. Based on the findings of the study, some recommendations were made. The present study in comparison with the former study is somehow similar in terms of dependent variables (test anxiety and academic achievement) but differs in terms of independent variables (rational emotive behavioural and cognitive behavioural behaviouralbehavioural therapies), location and sample size.

Behavioural therapies.

The researchers’ being a teacher and a lecturer in Rivers State have observed that the rate of poor academic performance among secondary school students in Rivers State is alarming. This is not to say that all students involved are dull or mentally unfit for study, but it may be due to one major problem known as test anxiety which has made many of them to perform below expectations in their various tests and examinations. The researchers’ have also observed that test anxiety has long been a prime concern for researchers, educators and counsellors as it may have a deleterious impact on test performance, academic success and overall well-being of test takers. Therefore, it is for this reason that the researchers were motivated to investigate the psychotherapeutic interventions in test anxiety reduction and academic achievement among secondary school students in Rivers.

In specific terms, the study was designed to:

  1. ascertain the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in reducing test anxiety among secondary school students based on their pre-test and post-test scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).
  2. ascertain the effect of REBT on academic achievement of test anxious students based on their pretest-posttest scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT).
  3.  determine the effect of CBT in minimizing test anxiety among male and female secondary school students in Rivers State based on their post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).
  4. determine the difference in test anxiety reduction among students in REBT, CBT and control groups based on their post-test scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).

The following research questions guided this study:

  1. What is the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State as measured by their pre-test and post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ)?
  2. What is the effect of rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT) on academic achievement of test anxious students based on their pretest-posttest scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT)?
  3. What is the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in reducing test anxiety among male and female secondary school students in Rivers State based on their post-test mean scores in the Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ)?
  4. What is the difference in test anxiety reduction among students in REBT, CBT and control groups as measured by their post-test scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ)?

To guide this study, the following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

Ho1. There is no significant effect of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in reducing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State as measured by their pre-test and post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).

Ho2. There is no significant effect of rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT) on academic achievement of test anxious students based on their pretest-posttest mean scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT).

Ho3. There is no significant effect of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in minimizing test anxiety among male and female secondary school students in Rivers State based on their post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).

Ho4. There is no significant difference in test anxiety reduction among students in REBT, CBT and the control groups as measured by their post-test scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).

Method.

The research designs for this study were quasi-experimental and expost-facto. The population for this study consisted of all the 3009 Senior Secondary School Class One (SS1) students in all the 41 public senior secondary schools in Port-Harcourt Metropolis (15-Port- Harcourt, 14-Obio/Akpo and 12-Eleme LGAs) in Rivers State. (Source: Directorate of Public Schools, Rivers State Ministry of Education, Port-Harcourt. 2021). The sample of the study consisted of 120 SS1 students diagnosed with test anxiety who are also low achievers. This sample was drawn using Multistage Sampling Procedure. At stage 1, in order to draw the three schools that were used for the study, the researcher used Simple Random by balloting to draw the schools used for the study. At stage 2, Purposive Sampling technique was used to draw only SS1 students for the study. At stage 3, Stratified Non-Proportionate Sampling technique was used to draw 40 students from each school irrespective of their numbers. This study used two instruments. They were Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and English Language Achievement Test (ELAT). The Test Anxiety Questionnaire was a 4-point likert scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The instrument contained 30 items in all. As a means of identifying and subsequently treating those students with test anxiety, the researcher found the average scores of the respondents on the instrument. Since the instrument was a 4-point likert scale with 30 items in all, this means that it had a maximum score of 120 points and a minimum score of 30 points. This means that a cut-off score of 60 was average. Any student who scores 60 and above was identified as having test anxiety as well as being an under achiever while those whose scores were below 60 were identified as not having test anxiety. Afterwards, the same instrument was reshuffled for posttest. On the other hand, the English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) is a cognitive instrument that was constructed by the researcher with the help of an English teacher to measure the academic achievement of the students in the area of English Language. Face and content validity of the instruments were determined by issuing copies of the instruments to the supervisor and two other test experts in the Department of Educational Psychology Guidance and Counselling, University of Port-Harcourt. The reliability of TAQ was determined using Crombach Alpha method of internal consistency, while that of ELAT was determined using Kuder Richardson formular 20 (KR20). Copies of both instruments were administered on 18 test anxious students who were not part of the target sample but share similar characteristics. The questionnaires were administered by the researcher and two other research assistants. Data generated from the research instruments were analyzed using mean (), standard deviation (SD) to answer research questions, paired sample t-test, t-test, ANOVA as well as Analysis of co-variance ANCOVA were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05  level of significance. The experimental procedure was in six steps:

Step 1: At this stage, the researcher administered the instrument (Test Anxiety Questionnaire) to the students. This was called pretest in order to identify test anxious ones among them.

Step 2: Identification and classification of treatment groups and control group.

Step 3: Administration of English Achievement Test (pre-test) across all groups (Experimental groups and Control group.

Step 4:  Treatment of subjects across Experimental groups.

Step 5:  Administration of Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) among all groups (Experimental and Control groups) as post-test.

Step 6: Administration of follow-up test (Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) after 2 weeks for the Experimental groups.

              In the treatment procedure, these steps were followed: Pre-treatment Phase, Treatment Phase, Post treatment Phase.

Results.

Results of statistical analysis are presented in the following tables.

Table 1:          Showing Paired Sample t-test analysis of the effect of CBT on in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State.

 

 

N

Mean

Std. D

df

Alpha

t.

Sig

Result

Pair 1

CBT. Pre

 

40

 

79.45

6.88

 

39

 

0.05

 

20.299

 

0.000

Significant

(Reject H0)

CBT.Post

40

43.73

8.78

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1. Above shows the descriptive statistics for pretest and posttest scores of students in the CBT. From the results, it is observed that mean and standard deviation for CBT group at pretest and posttest level were 79.45; 6.88 while that in the posttest was 43.73; 8.78 respectively. From the means scores, it could be seen that, there is a reduction in the test anxiety level of the students especially in the posttest level. This shows that CBT treatment had a positive effect on the anxiety level of the students.

In testing the hypothesis, calculated t value was 20.299, the sig value was 0.000. Hence, since sig (p = 0.000 < 0.05) is less than 0.05 alpha, the null hypothesis is rejected meaning that there is a significant effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State as measured by their pre-test and post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ).

Table 2:          Showing Paired Sample t-test analysis of the effect of REBT on the academic achievement of test anxious students based on their pre-test and post-test scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT).

 

N

Mean

 

Std. D

df

Alpha

Sig

t.

Result

Pair 1

REBT.Pre

 

40

 

11.30

 

2.10

 

 

39

 

 

0.05

 

 

0.000

 

-5.958

 

Significant

(Reject H0)

REBT.Post

40

14.90

 

2.98

 

 

 

 

 

 

The table above explains that test anxious students treated with REBT had mean and standard deviation values of 11.30 and 2.10 at pretest level and 14.90 and 2.98 at posttest level. This mean shows that students achieved better after the treatment compared to when they were not treated. With calculated t of -5.958 against a t-critical value, df 39. Hence, since sig (p=0.00<-0.05) is less than 0.05 alpha, the null hypotheses was rejected meaning that there is actually a significant difference in academic achievement of students in the rational emotive behavioural therapy group based on their pretest-posttest scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT).

Table 3:          Showing t-test analysis of the difference on the effect of CBT in reducing test anxiety among male and female secondary school students in Rivers State based on their post-test mean scores in the TAQ?

Gender

N

Mean

Std. D

Df

Alpha

Sig

t.

Result

Female

22

46.18

6.90

 

38

 

0.05

 

0.06

 

2.033

Insignificant

(Retain H0)

Male

18

40.72

10.03

 

 

 

 

 

 

The table above explains that female students in the CBT group were 22 while males were 18. Their means and standard deviation valued were 46.18 and 6.90 for female and 40.72 and 10.03 for males. The mean shows that female students performed better than the male students in the CBT group. Calculated t was 2.033, df 38 while sig value was 0.06. Hence, since sig (p=0.06>0.05) is greater than 0.05 alpha at 38 degree of freedom, the null hypotheses was retained meaning that  there is no significant difference in the influence of gender on the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State.

Table 4:          Showing mean (), standard deviation (SD) and ANOVA analysis of the effect of Treatments on REBT, CBT and Control groups in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State.

 

Groups

N

Mean

Std. D

 
 

RET

40

45.10

12.705

 

CBT

40

43.73

8.782

 

Control

40

54.40

9.713

 

ANOVA

 

 

 

Sum of Sq.

Df

Mean Sq.

F

Sig.

Result

 

Between Groups

2697.817

2

1348.908

12.156

.000

Significant

Reject H0

 

Within Groups

12983.175

117

110.967

 

 

 

 

Total

15680.992

119

 

 

 

 

 

                   

 

 

Mean and standard deviation values for the REBT, CBT and the Control groups were 45.10; 12.70, 43.73; 8.78 and 54.40; 9.71 respectively. These means values show that CBT has more positive effect of anxiety reduction followed by REBT and lastly by the control. Calculated F values was 12.156 while Sig value was 0.000. Since sig (p = 0.000 < 0.05) is less than 0.05 alpha, the null hypothesis is rejected meaning that there is a significant difference in test anxiety reduction among students in the experimental and the control groups as measured by their post-test mean scores in Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) in favour of CBT group.

Discussion of Findings.

From research finding one, it was revealed that there was a significant difference in the effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in reducing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State. From the mean scores, mean and standard deviation for CBT group at pretest and posttest level were 79.45; 6.87 and 43.73; 8.78 respectively. Those in the control group had mean and standard deviation value of 79.92; 9.80 and 54.40; 9.71 respectively. It could be seen that in both groups (experimental), there was a reduction in the test anxiety level of the students. The student’s scores in the posttest level was also drastically reduced especially in the CBT group. This implies that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has a positive effect on the anxiety level of the students. This result is in agreement with that reported earlier by Fayand & Rahim (2016) in their investigation on effectiveness of cognitive behavioural training on test anxiety of high school girls in Tabriz which results showed that test anxiety symptoms in subjects in the experimental group compared with the control group significantly decreased. In other words, cognitive therapy training method is effective in reducing test anxiety.

From the analysis of data in answering research question two and hypothesis two, it was found that there is significant effect of rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT) on academic achievement of students based on their pretest-posttest scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT). With their mean and standard deviation values of 11.30 and 2.10 at pretest level and 14.90 and 2.95 at posttest level. This mean shows that students performed better after the treatment compared to when they were not treated. Therefore, the null hypothesis which stated that there is no significant effect of rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT) on academic achievement of students based on their pretest-posttest scores in English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) is being rejected. This finding supported that of Olaoye & Fadoju (2018) in their investigation on effect of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) on Academic Performance of Students with low grades in Babcock University junior secondary school, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State. The result of their study showed that the REBT was potent in improving the academic performance of students with low grades. This finding is not in support with that of Dawood, Mitsu, Rufa & Nadiah (2016), in their study to explore the relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement among undergraduate nursing students in King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences--Riyadh (KSAU), Analysis of data revealed statistically significant negative relationship between test anxiety scores and undergraduate nursing students' academic level (r = -0.144, p = 0.01) which explain that undergraduate nursing students in higher academic level experience less test anxiety. Pearson's R revealed a negative none statistically significant relationship (r = -0.090, p = 0.157) between test anxiety scores and undergraduate nursing students Grade Point Average.

From the analysis of data in answering research question three and hypothesis three, it was discovered that there was no significant difference in the influence of gender on the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy in minimizing test anxiety among secondary school students in Rivers State. This was because their mean and standard deviation valued were 46.18 and 6.90 for female and 40.72 and 10.03 for males. The mean indicates that female students performed better than the male students in the CBT group. Hence, the null hypothesis was accepted.

The result of this study was also in disagreement with that of Maria, Macarena & Roser (2016) carried out a study on gender differences in test, trait, english language anxiety as well as differences in academic achievement among university students. Participants were 168 students from the University of Barcelona, Spain. The results showed that females did showed lower academic achievement than male students in either the open-question or the multiple-choice exams. These results were discussed in terms of gender differences in socialization patterns and coping styles.

From the analysis of data in answering research question four and hypothesis four, it was discovered that there is a significant difference in test anxiety reduction among students in the experimental and the control groups as measured by their post-test mean scores with  this result Mean and standard deviation values for the REBT, CBT and the Control groups  45.10;12.70, 43.73; 8.78 and 54.40; 9.71 respectively In as much as their means values show that CBT has more positive effect of anxiety reduction followed by REBT and lastly by the control. This result may have come because of the impact of the therapeutic process.

Conclusion.

  1. Conclusively, this study has revealed that rational emotive behavioural therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy are rewarding and effective techniques for treatment of test anxiety. Moreover, by the findings of this study, it is now clear that test anxiety is no longer a serious problem in educational setting with the discovering of the effectiveness of rational emotive behaioural therapy and cognitive behaioural therapy in treating test anxiety.

Recommendations.

  1. Counsellors, Psychologists as well as Therapists should be sent to schools so as to enable them give full attention to those that have test anxiety.
  2. School management board as well as ministry of education should equip the schools with trained guidance counsellors, who will use effective intervention strategies such as rational emotive behavioural therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to help students overcome their psychological problems such as test anxiety.

References

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You are here: Home Publications publication-col1 Uniport Journals Faculty Of Education cntd. EFFECTS OF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY IN TEST ANXIETY AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE. BY EDOM, DONALD OBINNA edomdonaldobinna@gmail.com 08032614498 DEPARTMENT OF EDUC