1. CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
Course title/section: Let’s go 5
Subject matter treated in lesson: Final partial exam
Anxiety is a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear,
apprehension, and worrying. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can
manifest real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe
anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life.
People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something
challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily
justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere
with a person's ability to sleep or otherwise function. Generally speaking, anxiety occurs
when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation.
Now related to anxiety in terms of education it could be said that academic emotions have
largely been neglected by educational psychology, with the exception of test anxiety. In 5
qualitative studies, it was found that students experience a rich diversity of emotions in
academic settings. Anxiety was reported most often, but overall, positive emotions were
described no less frequently than negative emotions. Based on the studies in this article,
taxonomies of different academic emotions and a self-report instrument measuring
students' enjoyment, hope, pride, relief, anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, and
boredom (Academic Emotions Questionnaire [AEQ]) were developed. Using the AEQ,
assumptions of a cognitive-motivational model of the achievement effects of emotions, and
of a control/value theory of their antecedents (Pekrun, 1992b, 2000), were tested in 7
cross-sectional, 3 longitudinal, and 1 diary study using samples of university and school
students. Results showed that academic emotions are significantly related to students'
motivation, learning strategies, cognitive resources, self-regulation, and academic
achievement, as well as to personality and classroom antecedents. The findings indicate
that affective research in educational psychology should acknowledge emotional diversity
in academic settings by addressing the full range of emotions experienced by students at
school and university. (Reinhard Pekrun, Thomas Goetz, Wolfram Titz & Raymond P.
Perry)
Taking into account what was observed in the class related to the anxiety at the moment of
taking exams it could be said that before students took the exams they were relaxed, they
were talking to each other (most of them laughing) only two students were checking the
topics that were to be evaluated.
When the teacher asked to take out their school supplies in order to start the exam they
did it but with any kind of hurry and while they were doing it they kept relaxed and kept
talking.
Some of them when they had their exams on their hands started to point out that had not
studied or studied enough for the test, and while the teacher were telling them how to do
2. the exam some of them look worried about it and started to look all around the classroom
(like looking for their closest classmate).
When the writing exam started few of the students have some doubts about it even though
they asked to the teacher for some explanation they looked confused and they took a little
bit longer to answer the questions on the exam, on the other hand, most of the students
were selves-confidents of what they were doing.
At the moment of the listening exam happened the same as in the writing exam few of
them were secure of what the put on the exam, some of them tried to cheat, others
changed their answers many times (but without watching their classmates’ answers).
In addition when the time for the speaking exam came the students’ behavior changed
they were excited about taking the speaking exam in fact, some the kids told the teacher in
several times to choose them in order for them to take the exam
In conclusion, it could be said that it was a great experience for me to see from another
perspective how are the different reactions the each student has at the moment of doing
an exam, also it could be said that the student in that classroom there were experienced
anxiety in many ways i.e. there were some of the students were anxious about taking the
exam because they did not study or they were not confident enough about themselves,
and there were some students that were anxious because they were prepared to take the
different exams they were due that day.
Wendy Solano García
Proyecto Pedagógico I