Authors: Muraleedharan, T, Arjunan, N. K., Assistant Professor Deepthi, T.
Abstract: The present study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness Meditation in reducing test anxiety among secondary school students and examined whether its effectiveness varied according to students’ levels of academic achievement. A quasi-experimental pretest–post-test control group design was employed. The participants comprised 166 Standard IX students from four intact divisions of a Government Higher Secondary School in Kerala. One division served as the Control Group, while the remaining three constituted the Treatment Group. Test anxiety was assessed using the Test Anxiety Scale for Secondary School Students (Arjunan & Bindu, 2021). The Treatment Group underwent a modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme consisting of eight structured sessions supplemented by regular mindfulness practice. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANCOVA, and one-way ANOVA. The findings revealed no significant initial difference in test anxiety among students belonging to different achievement levels. After controlling for pre-test scores, Mindfulness Meditation produced a significant reduction in test anxiety, with a large treatment effect (F = 444.276, p < .001, partial η² = .730). The effectiveness of the intervention also differed significantly according to academic achievement, with average- and high-achieving students showing greater reductions than low-achieving students. The findings support Mindfulness Meditation as an effective psycho-pedagogical strategy for managing test anxiety among secondary school students.
