Ashten Lail, Theory Review: Anxiety & Learning

 Theory Review: Anxiety & Learning

Ashten Lail

Department of Educational Studies, Ball State University 

EDAC 635: Strategies for Teaching Adults 

Dr. Bo Chang 

February 20, 2022

Name	Commented On
Ashten Lail	Brenna Capon
Ashten Lail	Nicole Brennan

There is a common thread that ties all students and learners together, regardless of age, level of education, gender, race, or other characteristics — that is the thread of anxiety, within the context of learning and education. Everyone has, at some point in their learning journey, experienced some degree of anxiety or psychological stress. Whether it presents itself in the form of test anxiety, nervousness about a presentation, or concern about passing a course, we are all linked by our experiences with academic anxiety. Anxiety is defined by The American Psychological Association as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure,” (“Anxiety,” American Psychological Association). Many people would consider anxiety to be an inherently negative concept and experience, something to be protected against at all costs; grappling with overwhelming test anxiety or a nervous gut sensation is never enjoyable. However, within the context of learning, anxiety plays a surprisingly important and integral role. This paper will explore four main theoretical concepts regarding the relationship between anxiety and learning; it will also propose strategies for how educators can help to control for anxiety and support learners who are struggling with it, thus examining how educators can apply these concepts in their practice. 

Main Theoretical Points

As previously assessed, anxiety is rarely considered to be an enjoyable or desirable experience; however, it is still essential the learning journey. Without having some degree of discomfort, without having some level of cognitive distress or dissonance, we are unlikely to be driven to pursue any changes or anything that will push us to grow. In order for individuals to be active, beneficial participants in their learning, there must be emotional arousal present. As stated by Gilmore & Anderson (2016), “…there is an acceptance that the emotional and rational dimensions of experience are inextricably linked. Although emotional arousal does not automatically lead to learning, without it, people are not able to learn.” It is emotional arousal that influences our level of motivation and determination, and pushes us to take on new challenges. If we become too complacent and never experience any anxiety, if we never experience that emotional arousal, we will have no desire to act in a way that will spark a change. Anxiety truly is crucial in the context of learning, even though it may seem strange to some. It is important, however, that there is a healthy and appropriate degree of anxiety; in cases of extremely high anxiety, it can be debilitating rather than beneficial. 

When an individual is actively experiencing anxiety, it places demands on both physical and cognitive resources, as explained by Warr & Downing (2000). The cognitive resource model proposes the idea that every individual has a fixed and finite amount of cognitive resources that are available at a given time; various tasks will demand various amounts of cognitive resources (Kuhl, 1992). For example, working on a challenging physics problem or providing medical care will require the utilization of more cognitive resources than watching TV or washing the dishes. If an individual’s full spectrum of cognitive resources are actively engaged, then there are no remaining resources that can be utilized for other tasks, such as coping with their anxiety or actively engaging in learning. Dependent on the individual and their context, anxiety can place either high or low demands on their available cognitive resources, as they try to cope with these feelings. If learners are experiencing a high degree of anxiety, as a result they will have less cognitive resources available to dedicate to their learning; this can present as difficulties concentrating, impaired memory, and lower retention and recall of information (Warr & Downing, 2000). As previously discussed, anxiety is integral to learning, but we must consider the demands that it places on learners, and how those demands will affect their overall learning capacity.

 

Experiencing a high degree of anxiety within an academic context can be challenging, and individuals may find themselves struggling to adequately manage and cope with these feelings. However, these challenges need not be viewed in a strictly negative or overly-critical light; as we confront and overcome these stressful, anxiety-inducing situations, we begin to build up our resilience against future stressors. This can be observed within the concept of academic buoyancy, as introduced by Martin & Marsh (2009) and defined as, “the ability to respond adaptively to the everyday challenges, setbacks, and pressures experienced by students during their studies.” Developing academic buoyancy is comparable to the idea of strengthening muscles through repeated strain, or the body building up natural immunity after being exposed to a virus. It is important to have experiences with anxiety, and to learn how to adequately cope with it, as it will make it easier and less demanding to confront our anxieties again in the future. As this resilience to anxiety, or academic buoyancy is built up, there will be fewer demands placed on our cognitive resources, and we will be better positioned to have more productive learning experiences (Putwain, et al., 2022). 

Some individuals do find themselves struggling with chronic or severe anxiety, within or without an academic context; although anxiety does play a role in learning, it can, at a certain point, be debilitating and counterintuitive to learning efforts. Researchers Stocker and Gallagher (2019) have found that working with students to bolster and develop their social-emotional learning (SEL) can act as a protective factor against developing higher levels of anxiety. Stocker and Gallagher (2009) define social emotional learning as “…the development of information, mindsets, and skills that allow individuals to identify and manage their emotions, enhance their awareness of and empathy for others, and establish and work toward personal goals.” By developing a student’s SEL and changing the way that stressful situations are perceived, anxiety can be lessened; rather than thinking that all hope is lost, and that any measure of success will come with a great deal of pain, we can shift the narrative to view challenges in a more optimistic, future-oriented light. Challenges offer us opportunities for new growth and surprising successes, and we are not automatically doomed to fail, even if something seems overwhelming. Shifting the way we think about challenges and conflict can help learners to cope more effectively when anxieties do begin to rise; and if we are able to cope in a more effective, productive manner, we are likely to see more academic growth and achievement as a result. 

Application

Educators today are faced with the challenge of sparking emotional arousal in learners, without creating an atmosphere of severe anxiety; it is a tough balancing act to maintain, and it is one that must be pursued carefully and with good intentions. Educators must understand that anxiety has been and always will be connected to the learning process; it is not something to shy away from or something to ignore. Educators must push their students and create situations of discomfort or dissonance, as this will lead to emotional arousal and motivation to learn. This could be carried out with something as simple as a pre-test of a learner’s knowledge, as this will help both the educator and the leaner identify gaps in knowledge; this can provide both parties with a jumping-off point for learning. However, educators do need to be mindful of the existing levels of anxiety within a given context; this will vary from learner to learner, but educators need to be able to gauge the cognitive demands that are being placed, both by the course and by an individual’s experience with anxiety.

 

While educators do need to create a certain degree of anxiety within a learning context, they also need to be prepared for how to handle chronic, severe, or disruptive levels of anxiety. This can be done by working with students to develop their social-emotional learning, and helping students change their perspective when approaching a new or intimidating challenge. Educators need to model good social-emotional learning for students, and engage with students in a positive manner that will help develop their confidence, self-understanding, and resilience. It can also be helpful to present students with tasks or projects that spark a lower degree of anxiety, and have a higher propensity for success; this can help students develop academic buoyancy and an ability to cope with anxiety. Researchers have also studied and analyzed strategies that educators can use to help mitigate anxiety and increase academic buoyancy; as discussed by Rosenfeld (1978), these strategies can include:

• Organizing test questions in succession of difficulty; starting with the lowest level and building upwards. 
• Providing memory supports during tests, such as mathematical formulas. 
• Creating study guides or practice tests. 
• Allowing for take-home tests. 

It can also be incredibly helpful for educators to have open and honest conversations about the expectations for the course, and to review the rationale behind certain assignments, the course structure, and the grading process. Students will have a better understanding of what is expected from them, what they can expect to gain from the course, and why the course and assignments are structured as they are. This will help to demystify the course, and by increasing clarity and understanding, learners will not have to struggle with the anxiety of the unknown. 

As educators, our goal should be to do the greatest amount of good, while simultaneously doing the least amount of harm. Anxiety is inexorably interwoven with learning, and should not be ignored or removed in its entirety; rather, we must find ways to cultivate the right amount of anxiety, and support those learners who may find themselves struggling to cope. This requires a great deal of time, effort, and intention, but if done successfully, we can see more learners begin to flourish and grow in a positive and sustainable way. 

Reflection

This theory review was enlightening for me, as I have always struggled with fairly significant academic anxiety but never understood just how important of a role that it played within my learning. I have spent the majority of my learning journey trying to eliminate or control for all possible sources of anxiety, without understanding that the existence of anxiety and discomfort is what allows for learning to take place. It was also interesting to reflect back, and see how my academic buoyancy has developed over the years, as I have been faced with anxiety-inducing situations, overcome them, and learned from them; I am less overwhelmed by my academic anxieties at this time, because I have built up this strength. 

I began this theory review by choosing an area of interest that I had a personal connection to; that being anxiety and learning. Upon choosing my topic, I began to seek out academic journals and sources that focused on the connection between anxiety and learning. I utilized Ball State University’s extensive databases, particularly APA PsycInfo and Teacher Reference Center. I located and reviewed several papers and journals that explored this connection, took notes on the most important information, and used this gathered information to draw my own conclusions about the four main theoretical points. I then extrapolated this information to determine how educators could apply these theoretical ideas in their approaches to education and course cultivation. Finally, I compiled these theoretical points and strategies into a comprehensive theory review paper, to be published for this course. 

Table 1. Summary of the Theoretical Ideas. 

Theoretical Idea	Application
Anxiety and emotional arousal are essential for learning, but must exist within a reasonable limit so as not to be debilitating.	Educators must cultivate an environment that will create discomfort and a desire for change, without overwhelming learners and being counterintuitive to their learning efforts.
Anxiety affects learners cognitive resource allocation; when anxiety is high, learners have less cognitive resources to dedicate to learning.	Educators must understand that all learners are experiencing some degree of anxiety, with some learners having higher anxiety levels; this can result in less cognitive resources for learning, and can impact academic performance.
Being able to effectively cope with and manage anxiety is reflective of an individual’s academic buoyancy, which is necessary for academic success.	Educators should present students with low-stakes, low-anxiety opportunities to succeed, and gradually increase task difficulty / level of cognitive demand, to help develop learners academic buoyancy.
Developing learners SEL can help to reduce anxiety and mitigate its influence on learning and academic performance.	Educators should help learners to reframe their perception of challenges, and their reactions to setbacks; by viewing these in a more positive, optimistic light, anxiety can be reduced and academic performance can improve.

Resources

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Anxiety. American Psychological Association.

Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety 

Gilmore, S., & Anderson, V. (2016). The emotional turn in higher education: A psychoanalytic

contribution. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(6), 686–699. https://doi-

org.proxy.bsu.edu/10.1080/13562517.2016.1183618

Kuhl, J. (1992). A theory of self-regulation: Action versus state orientation, self-discrimination, 

and some applications. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 41, 97-129. 

Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2009). Academic resilience and academic buoyancy:

Multidimensional and hierarchical conceptual framing of causes, correlates and cognate

constructs. Oxford Review of Education, 35, 353–370. 

Putwain, D. W., Wood, P., & Pekrun, R. (2022). Achievement emotions and academic

achievement: Reciprocal relations and the moderating influence of academic buoyancy.

Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(1), 108–126. https://doi-org.proxy.bsu.edu

10.1037/edu0000637

Rosenfeld, R. A. (1978). Anxiety and Learning. Teaching Sociology, 5(2), 151–166. https://

doi.org/10.2307/1317061

Stocker, S. L., & Gallagher, K. M. (2019). Alleviating Anxiety and Altering Appraisals: Social

Emotional Learning in the College Classroom. College Teaching, 67(1), 23–35. https://

doi-org.proxy.bsu.edu/10.1080/87567555.2018.1515722

Warr, P., & Downing, J. (2000). Learning strategies, learning anxiety and knowledge acquisition.

British Journal of Psychology, 91(3), 311–333. https://doi-org.proxy.bsu.edu

10.1348/000712600161853