The relationship between self-compassion and test anxiety

Abstract

The present study is investigating the effects of self-compassion and test anxiety. To determine if self-compassion has any effects on test taking and test scores. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups, the control group, and the self-compassion group. The self-compassion group and the control group were assigned to spend 10 minutes on an exercise self-compassion exercise and the control group waited for 10 minutes. All participants also completed the test anxiety inventory (TAI), Self-compassion scale (SCS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSE), subjective units of distress scale (SUDS), state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and the research associate test (RAT). There were 62 participants (67.7%) were female and (59.6%) were white/Caucasian, all the participants were recruited from Cape Breton University. The participants first completed baseline measures, then completed the self-compassion intervention. Unexpectedly, there were no significant differences between conditions (p = .24). This could be due to a power issue or the participants not following the directions correctly. In future studies, researchers may induce more test anxiety by having participants complete the intervention before an academic exam. Additionally, researchers may pre-select individuals for elevated test anxiety.