Anxiety and Performance (school)

Anxiety and Performance (school)

Content Option 2:

Introduction

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of anxiety on school performance. Even though, there are no obvious effects of anxiety on academic performance but recent researches conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests that there is a direct effect of anxiety on school performance. As per the research it is difficult for the anxious students to avoid the distractions and focus their attention on the task as compared to the students who are not anxious.

Definition

Anxiety is considered to be a response of perceived threat or danger which is based on multisystem. It is actually a reflection of the mixture of different biochemical changes occurring in human body, the social situations and the personal history and memory of a patient. Anxiety is considered to be a unique experience conducted by humans. It is a unique feeling in human beings involving an ability through which they can use their memory and imagination for the purpose of moving backward and forward in time (Friedman, 1997). Anxiety is considered to be a method of bringing biochemical changes in the body and brain including the increase of adrenaline which fastens the heart beat and decrease in dopamine which is considered to be a brain chemical which is used for pain blockage.

Significance of the Topic

This topic is very important for the psychologists as it helps in increasing the understanding of basic concept of anxiety and the way through which it has an effect on school performance. The psychologists can make use of this topic in order to increase their awareness of anxiety causes and the implications of anxiety on school performance.

Hypothesis and Reasoning

The school performance of anxious students is decreasing with a higher rate as compared to the students without anxiety.

The main reason for choosing the option 2 is that it includes the identification of topic with the help of proper research. It includes a complete research on school students which can result in providing better analysis of effect of anxiety on school performance.

Literature Review

According to Smith (1964), anxiety is that situation specific state which is mainly related to the worry conditions. However, there can be fluctuations in the level of anxiety with time in terms of both the internal and external stimulation (Levitt, 1980). The different anxiety behaviors can also be obtained during the process of examinations and quizzes. Some examples of these behaviors are questioning of instructions, perspiration and excessive movement.

According to Smith (1964), Anxiety cannot be considered as a bad thing. However, this is true that high anxiety among students results in the interference of memory and proper attention which is a negative aspect in academic success. According to the researcher, the moderate level of anxiety can be considered as a good signal because it helps student in making more concentration on studies, but a higher level of anxiety is of disadvantage for the students because it distort the learning abilities ...