Evaluation of meditation and reported test anxiety in bachelor of science nursing students
Annette Lynn Ferguson, Natalie Perry
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice December 13, 2022 DOI: 10.5430/jnep.v13n4p1 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA pre-test/post-test study of pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students found that 79.8% of 52 students reported moderate to extremely high test anxiety. After viewing a brief meditation video before their first and second exams, students' anxiety levels decreased significantly compared to the start of the semester. The authors suggest that nursing programs should consider incorporating meditation as a cost-effective and easy-to-implement strategy to reduce test anxiety and support student success.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Pre-test/post-test design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Sophomore and senior nursing students in a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program |
| Intervention | brief meditation video |
| Duration | Beginning of semester to first and second exams |
| Key finding | A brief meditation video significantly reduced test anxiety among nursing students at their first and second exams compared to the beginning of the semester. |
Abstract
Anxiety is a growing concern among college students and often surrounds the required testing that assesses a student’s knowledge and ability to apply this knowledge to situations in nursing. If nursing students’ anxiety is not addressed, this may impact their ability to perform well on exams and be successful in their nursing program. Research supports the idea that anxiety reduction strategies can lower levels of test anxiety for those in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of test anxiety of students in a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and to examine the use of a brief meditation video on students’ anxiety levels. A pre-test/post-test design was utilized to assess the test anxiety levels of sophomore and senior nursing students at the beginning of the semester and before their first and second exams. The results of this study found that 79.8% of the students (n = 52) reported a moderate to an extremely high level of test anxiety. In addition, there was a statistically significant (p < .000) reduction in anxiety levels at the first and second exams after implementing the meditation video compared to scores at the beginning of the semester. Based on these findings, nursing programs should consider including meditation as a strategy to reduce test anxiety in students. The program was cost-effective and would be easy to implement into a nursing program’s curriculum.