Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention for Test Anxiety : Could Teachers Deliver the STEPS Program and What Training Would They Require?

High levels of test anxiety have been shown to be damaging for educational achievement, wellbeing, and mental and physical health. Given the relatively high number of adolescent students reporting high levels of test anxiety, there is a profound need for interventions to equip these students with effective test anxiety management skills. In this chapter, we describe one such intervention (STEPS: Strategies to Tackle Examination Pressure and Stress), the evidence for its effectiveness, and recent work to develop an updated version (STEPS 2.0). We discuss whether school staff could be effective in the delivery of interventions for test anxiety. They are in an advantageous position by virtue of their understanding of the school ecology and, with appropriate training, have the potential to considerably broaden access to test anxiety intervention. We finish the chapter with a consideration of the initial training elements required for school staff.

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