Contrary to what one might think, performance anxiety is more prevalent among students in public schools than in private ones.
This is at least one of the conclusions of a study conducted by Gabrielle Yale-Soulière, psychoeducator and doctoral student in psychology at the University of Montreal, the preliminary results of which are presented at the congress of the ACFAS.
As part of this research, 438 young people in third and fourth secondary in five public or private schools in Montreal were interviewed at different times during the 2020-2021 school year.
Result: 33% of teens reported experiencing performance anxiety most of the time. During an exam, they have stomach aches, difficulty breathing or a racing heart and they feel disorganized or unfocused.
However, performance anxiety seems to be more present in public than private schools, results which may at first seem “counter-intuitive” considering the more “competitive” context of several private schools, indicates Ms.me Yale Souliere.
Among weaker students
However, it is wrong to believe that performance anxiety is mainly reserved for the strongest students who stress at the idea of making the slightest mistake during an exam.
On the contrary, it has been shown that performance anxiety is generally more prevalent among weaker students, for whom the risk of failing an exam is very real. “The stakes are much higher for them”, sums up the psychoeducator.
Since many private schools select their students on the basis of their academic results, performance anxiety could be more present in public schools simply because these establishments accommodate more students who are weaker or have learning difficulties.
It is also possible that students attending private schools have more protective factors that reduce the risk of performance anxiety (good study skills, access to professional services, etc.).
Generalized anxiety
In addition, according to another study by the Institut de la statistique du Québec presented to ACFAS on Tuesday, nearly a quarter (23.2%) of young people aged 23 in the spring of 2021 presented symptoms of generalized anxiety, compared to 14.7% in spring 2018.
This proportion is slightly higher among CEGEP and university students, but it is twice as high among girls as boys.
The study in brief
438 students of 3and and 4and secondary schools interviewed in five public or private schools in Montreal
33% of them experience performance anxiety
18% experience moderate performance anxiety
15% experience high performance anxiety
Source : Performance anxiety in the school environment: portrait of the situation and evaluation of a convincing interventionGabrielle Yale-Soulière, Gabriela Campeau, Charlène Gauthier and Lyse Turgeon