Aerogenerador con DFIG

Two experimental groups (Group 1 mixed and Group 4 CBT) anonymously completed the pupils’ evaluation form (Please see proforma in Appendix). Figure 18 shows their responses.

Figure 18 - Pupil responses on the qualitative evaluation form

Questionnaire responses - did the project have an effect on me?

12 10- pupil nunters 6 Group 1 Group4 Pupil responses OYesONoO

Pupils were asked whether the project had had an effect on them and what this effect had been. Their responses were grouped into categories and the most frequent responses were plotted.

Results show that in Group 1 - mixed, over half of the pupils said that the project had had an effect on them. Two thirds said they were using the strategies (11 Yes’s and 6 No’s). Pupils said they ‘felt more relaxed, more

chilled out, more motivated, they did not get so stressed, they felt more confident and more relaxed about exams and other aspects of life’.

Group 2 (relaxation) did not complete these questionnaires due to the absence of their Form Tutor, who had been called to an emergency.

In Group 4 (CBT) two pupils said they were using the strategies and 15 said they did not. Nine pupils said that project had had an effect on them, 11 said it had not.

A random selection of the comments made by the participants included the following:

Pupil responses from Group 1: mixed group:

Pupil 1: ‘I am generally a confident person and I get through exams with the usual dosage of panic, but I think the project will be helpful for others who do find exams hard to get through...’

Pupil 2: ‘On the odd occasion I will use the breathing activity when stressed, but that’s it ’.

Pupil 3: ‘I don’t find myself getting stressed in tests in class, I have done better in certain subjects'.

Pupil 4:’ Found it boring and isn’t relevant to me. I think it would be useful in the future but won’t use it at this stage of life’.

Pupil responses from Group 4: CBT group:

Pupil 1: ‘I change negative thoughts to positive ones...'

Pupil 2: I enjoyed most aspects of the lessons.... I feel the project covered most areas of stress etc but, as I manage with pressure well I feel it had no relevance to me at times...’.

Pupil 3: I feel that some of the sheets were not useful. Class discussions were more helpful and we learnt more by hearing everyone’s views. But no one should be forced to contribute..’.

Pupil 4: ‘I didn’t like to take part. I think it should be our choice. I think I am a lot more confident and I’ve learnt to relax more....’

Some of these comments appear to be contradictory and confirm the finding from the pilot study, that the pupils did not always appear to like what appeared to be most effective for them. In spite of the ambivalence of some of their answers the pupils appeared to make use of elements of the sessions. The pupils said they liked the fun things such as relaxation, breathing exercises and music, but were more reluctant to engage in written reflection. The responses mirror the differential reactions of the pupils, some of whom felt they coped with examination anxiety well, but had not had any choice in participating in the project. Others appeared to respond to and to pick out the strategies that were novel or strategies they felt comfortable with. This is exactly what a universal, preventative programme would hope to achieve. The pupils liked the elements of active learning, but many of them did not respond well to the worksheets, perhaps because they were too much like school. In addition, a number of pupils had specific literacy and/or specific recording difficulties and found written

importance of matching teaching to preferred learning styles for these particular interventions, as well as for the curriculum in general. These responses also highlighted the tension between the pupils’ preferred learning styles and the practical and organisational constraints, which do not always provide appropriate venues and equipment that can easily transported around the school. Teaching aids had to be flexible, since the rooms provided for the sessions varied. The pupil responses also demonstrated the need for additional adults in large classrooms, to break up the class into smaller groups for discussions and active learning. Some of the comments of the CBT group reflected the challenge of translating cognitive behavioural approaches into the classroom and provided valuable feedback for further improvements of such interventions.

Despite these constraints there is some agreement between both quantitative and qualitative measures that the chosen interventions were effective in improving pupils’ self-management of examination anxiety and their exam performance. However, as the discussion chapter will illustrate, these findings are complex and mirror the multi-faceted nature of the exam anxiety concept. Since the purpose of the interventions had been to provide differentiated choices of strategies for the pupils, the varied responses support the view that variety and choice of strategies is exactly what is needed to meet the individual needs of the pupils and to respond to the context.

C h apters- Discussion

5.1 An examination of the research questions and hypotheses in the