Learning Objective #1: The participant will be able to discuss the relationship of anxiety and test scores. | |||
Learning Objective #2: The participant will be able to describe the effect of exercise on anxiety. |
Design: Quasi-experimental factorial design. Independent variable: walking intervention prior to the exam. Dependent variable: score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
Hypothesis: There is a significant difference in test-taking anxiety between students who participate in the walking intervention before an exam and students who do not.
Sample: Junior-level undergraduate nursing students
Procedure: All students were invited to participate in the study. Students self-selected control and experimental groups. 31 students power-walked on campus one hour before the first major exam. All students (N=52) completed the 40-question State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) just prior to testing.
Results: Students who completed the exercise intervention had significantly less testing anxiety than those who did not exercise (p=0.001). There were no significant differences between groups including hours reported for sleep, study, and work.
Implications: Teaching students methods to improve test-taking skills is essential to nursing education due, in part, to the licensure exam required for becoming a registered nurse. These findings support research on improving NCLEX performance and add to the body of knowledge on college testing experiences.