However, findings from new research suggest that the anxiety students feel is often related to how supportive they believe their schools and teachers to be.
The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), usually associated with testing science, maths, literacy and other skills, has for the first time published an analysis of student wellbeing.
Based on the 2015 PISA cohort, the research has involved 540,000 students in 72 OECD countries (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). It found that on average across these countries:
- Fifty-nine per cent of students often worry that taking a test will be difficult.
- Fifty-five per cent feel anxious about tests even if they have prepared well.
- Sixty-six per cent feel stressed about poor grades.
- Girls reported greater school work-related anxiety than boys.
The study found that anxiety about school work, homework and tests is negatively related to performance.
The report adds: “Anxiety about school work is one of the sources of stress most often cited by school-age children and adolescents.”
And while life satisfaction among the students in the study averaged 7.3 out of 10, an average of 12 per cent of students across the OECD countries said they were not satisfied with their lives.
The study finds that students who report the highest levels of anxiety also report lower levels of life satisfaction.
However, the research also suggests that the key to tackling this anxiety and stress is the support students feel they have from their schools and teachers.
The study finds that happier students reported better relationships with their teachers, and those with higher life satisfaction scores reported receiving higher levels of support in school.
Parents, of course, have a key role to play as well. Students whose parents reported “spending time just talking to my child”, “eating the main meal with my child around a table” or “discussing how well my child is doing at school” regularly were much more likely to report high levels of life satisfaction.
Students who spent time talking with their parents were also two-thirds of a school year ahead in science learning – and even after accounting for socio-economic status, the advantage was still one-third of a school year.
Bullying was also a problem reported by the students, with four per cent of the cohort – roughly one per class – saying that they were hit or pushed at least a few times a month. Again, bullying levels seemed to be lower in schools where students reported positive relationships with their teachers.
The report adds that students attending schools where bullying is frequent score 47 points lower in science than students in schools where bullying occurs less frequently.
The report recommends a focus on teacher CPD to help schools better support students who suffer from anxiety. Teacher training to help build effective student relationships could also be considered crucial, the report suggests.
OECD chief of staff Gabriela Ramos said: “These findings show how teachers, schools and parents can make a real difference to children’s wellbeing. Together they can help young people develop a sense of control over their future and the resilience they need to be successful in life. There is no secret, you perform better if you feel valued, if you feel well treated, if you are given a hand to succeed.”
You can download the OECD’s Students’ Well-being report via http://bit.ly/2pX8AEJ