THE TREATMENT OF TEST ANXIETY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN - REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Test anxiety has a dramatic impact upon a surprisingly large segment o f the school population. Although test anxiety has been extensively st udied for decades, little research has focused on intervention program s for younger school children. This paper discusses the conceptual fra mework of test anxiety and the resulting intervention philosophy from these different theoretical formulations. Assessment procedures for ch ildren are reviewed. Different kinds of intervention programs are disc ussed, compared and evaluated. These include systematic desensitizatio n, cognitive restructuring, and educational approaches such as study s kills training and modeling. Recommendations are made to enhance the e xisting research. Suggestions for future research are presented.