Degree Name

Nursing Practice, DNP

Publication Date

11-11-2023

Upload Date

2024

First Advisor

Linda Latting

Abstract

Test-taking anxiety causes physical, emotional, and psychological harm that can influence the results of the test takers' performance on an examination (Fletcher, 2022). Reducing test anxiety in nursing students can increase the number of students achieving success in nursing programs, therefore increasing the number of nurses entering the workforce. The United States estimates there will be a shortage of 12.9 million nurses by 2035 (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). The aim of the quality improvement project was to reduce test-taking anxiety in nursing students with relaxation techniques. A convenience sample of forty-six students was chosen. The students attended three educational sessions where they were taught breathing and grounding techniques to reduce test anxiety, leading to improved coping strategies. A ten-question pre and post-test survey was completed by the students before and following the use of the intervention, which included the use of stress balls, coloring pages, grounding exercises, and breathing techniques during the examination. The data was analyzed using a paired t-test, which resulted in a statistically significant reduction in reported test-taking anxiety in the participants. The initial rating on a 5-point Westside Test Anxiety Scale was a mean score of 3.63 to post-intervention mean score of 3.12. These results indicate that the interventions were successful in reducing test anxiety. These interventions can help reduce test-taking anxiety in nursing students and potentially increase the success rate of students in nursing programs and entering the workforce.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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