Page 184 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 184
cal connections between anxiety and low academic achievement (Chansky,
1966; Craig and Dobson, 1995; Duchesne and Ratalle, 2010; Gaudry and Spiel-
berger, 1971; Hooloway, 1958; Lowe and Raad, 2008; Merryman, 1974; Norman-
deau and Guay, 1998; Peck and Mitchell, 1967), the relationship between anx-
iety and achievement has been investigated, at a national level. In order to
establish whether anxiety in Slovenia is connected with academic achieve-
ment, students participating in TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced also had anxie-
ty measured after TIMSS had been completed. The LAOM (i.e. Lestvica ank-
sioznosti za otroke in mladostnike) anxiety scale for children and adolescents
(Kozina, 2012) was used for measuring anxiety; the scale has been developed
especially for measuring general anxiety and emotional and cognitive com-
ponents of anxiety in a school setting in Slovenia. To determine the predicted
strength of individual school environment variables (including learning out-
comes) for anxiety, the data on anxiety was merged with TIMSS data. The mul-
tiple regression method was used in analyses to compare significant predic-
tors of anxiety at a school level for both age groups (Years 4 and 8) in the years
2007 and 2011. In both cases, it is possible to significantly predict the anxiety of
184 pupils in Years 4 and 8 from the data on pupils’ self-confidence in mathemat-
ics and science (in Years 4 and 8), from the data on the frequency of exposure
to aggressive behaviour in school and the data on achievement in TIMSS (Year
4) (Kozina, 2013b).
Social and Emotional Learning Programmes
The development of emotional and social skills during social and emotional
learning, as has previously been established, turned out to be a significant pre-
dictor of students’ good adjustment and a reduction in negative developmen-
tal results and a simultaneous improvement in academic achievement. Em-
phasis on the development of emotional and social skills leads to students’
general well-being and higher learning efficiency, while on the other hand
lack of such skills leads to numerous personal, social and learning difficulties
(Eisenberg, 2006).
Both social and emotional learning programmes and anxiety treatment
programmes can be universal, selective or indicated. Universal programmes
target the entire population, selective programmes are designed for groups
with a greater risk of increased anxiety and other problems, and indicated pro-
grammes are intended for treatment of individuals for whom higher levels of
anxiety and other problems have previously been established (Silverman and
Treffers, 2001). Studies indicate high efficacy of universal social and emotion-
al learning programmes in relation to students’ achievement both in and out-
ra school programmes participated, whereof 1,743 were male students and 1,600 female students;
the average age was 18 years).
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
1966; Craig and Dobson, 1995; Duchesne and Ratalle, 2010; Gaudry and Spiel-
berger, 1971; Hooloway, 1958; Lowe and Raad, 2008; Merryman, 1974; Norman-
deau and Guay, 1998; Peck and Mitchell, 1967), the relationship between anx-
iety and achievement has been investigated, at a national level. In order to
establish whether anxiety in Slovenia is connected with academic achieve-
ment, students participating in TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced also had anxie-
ty measured after TIMSS had been completed. The LAOM (i.e. Lestvica ank-
sioznosti za otroke in mladostnike) anxiety scale for children and adolescents
(Kozina, 2012) was used for measuring anxiety; the scale has been developed
especially for measuring general anxiety and emotional and cognitive com-
ponents of anxiety in a school setting in Slovenia. To determine the predicted
strength of individual school environment variables (including learning out-
comes) for anxiety, the data on anxiety was merged with TIMSS data. The mul-
tiple regression method was used in analyses to compare significant predic-
tors of anxiety at a school level for both age groups (Years 4 and 8) in the years
2007 and 2011. In both cases, it is possible to significantly predict the anxiety of
184 pupils in Years 4 and 8 from the data on pupils’ self-confidence in mathemat-
ics and science (in Years 4 and 8), from the data on the frequency of exposure
to aggressive behaviour in school and the data on achievement in TIMSS (Year
4) (Kozina, 2013b).
Social and Emotional Learning Programmes
The development of emotional and social skills during social and emotional
learning, as has previously been established, turned out to be a significant pre-
dictor of students’ good adjustment and a reduction in negative developmen-
tal results and a simultaneous improvement in academic achievement. Em-
phasis on the development of emotional and social skills leads to students’
general well-being and higher learning efficiency, while on the other hand
lack of such skills leads to numerous personal, social and learning difficulties
(Eisenberg, 2006).
Both social and emotional learning programmes and anxiety treatment
programmes can be universal, selective or indicated. Universal programmes
target the entire population, selective programmes are designed for groups
with a greater risk of increased anxiety and other problems, and indicated pro-
grammes are intended for treatment of individuals for whom higher levels of
anxiety and other problems have previously been established (Silverman and
Treffers, 2001). Studies indicate high efficacy of universal social and emotion-
al learning programmes in relation to students’ achievement both in and out-
ra school programmes participated, whereof 1,743 were male students and 1,600 female students;
the average age was 18 years).
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
