UNADDRESSED TEST ANXIETY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON LONG-TERM ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

Since end of primary school to the higher level of secondary stage Test anxiety was a recurring type of psychological problem that bothers students of the various levels of education. Although, sometimes, mild anxiety may be inspiring, But, chronic and untreated test anxiety has long-term effects which extend far beyond the moment of academic assessment. The key concern of the study is to provide long-term academic, psychological, cognitive, and socioemotional impact of untreated test Anxiety which eventually determinably results in a lifetime pattern of academic failure, de-motivation, impaired working memory, low self-esteem, and persistent stress patterns, and more general anxiety psychopathologies in adulthood. It does it using the cognitive interference theory, the theory of stress, and the social learning perspectives.  It also focuses on how the education systems reinforce the vicious cycle of anxiety and low performance especially those based on high-stakes exams. The article contains recommendations that educators, legislators, and mental health practitioners should implement in the systematic approach to the issue of test anxiety in the institutional setting.