Effect of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy With Music Therapy in Reducing Physics Test Anxiety Among Students as Measured by Generalized Test Anxiety Scale

C. S. Ugwuanyi
M. O. Ede
C. N. Onyishi
O. V. Ossai
E. N. Nwokenna
L. C. Obikwelu
A. Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya
C. V. Amoke
A. O. Okeke
C. U. Ene
E. E. Offordile
L. C. Ozoemena
M. L. Nweke

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study determined the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with music in reducing physics test anxiety among secondary school students as measured by generalized test anxiety scale. METHODS: Pre-test post-test randomized control trial experimental design was adopted in this study. A total of 83 senior secondary students including male (n = 46) and female (n = 37) from sampled secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, who met the inclusion criteria constituted participants for the study. A demographic questionnaire and a 48-item generalized test anxiety scale were used for data collection for the study. Subjects were randomized into treatment and control groups. The treatment group was exposed to a 12-week CBT-music program. Thereafter, the participants in the treatment group were evaluated at 3 time points. Data collected were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The participants who were exposed to CBT-music intervention program significantly had lower test anxiety scores at the post-treatment than the participants in the control group. Furthermore, the test anxiety scores of the participants in the CBT-music group were significantly lower than those in the control group at the follow-up measure. Thus, the results showed a significant effect of CBT with music in reducing physics test anxiety among secondary school students. CONCLUSION: We concluded that CBT-music program has a significant benefit in improving the management of physics test anxiety among secondary school students.