- Feb 2019
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ezproxy.student.twu.ca:3202 ezproxy.student.twu.ca:3202
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This finding highlights potential discrepancies in parent and student perceptions of anxiety-related impairment at school, with parents identifying anxiety as affecting their child’s cognitive experience, in comparison with students who indicated anxiety interfered with behaviors involving a social (in this case, public speaking) component. These types of discrepancies in child and parent perceptions of student functioning identify potentially important differences in perceptions of impairment.
Interesting to note the parent perception of cognitive issues versus the student perception of social issues. If a parent is seeing marks/grades go down or incomplete assignments on reporting, then this might be perceived as an inability to do the work. I read this as the parent looking at the symptom of the anxiety, and the student reporting on the root. LM
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Specifically in the context of school, anxious children report that they fear school situations that involve social interaction and performance including reading aloud, musical and athletic performances, joining conversations, and talking with adults (Beidel, Turner, & Morris, 1999). Anxiety about these types of school-based social situations has the potential to negatively affect academic success.
I find it striking how this corresponds to several core competencies of the modernized curriculum. With the emphasis on working within groups, team dynamics, inquiry-led learning, are we putting students with anxieties at a disadvantage? Or perhaps we need to rethink our scaffolding for teaching students how to work in groups so those who are anxious are able to develop their competencies to a proficient stage? LM
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