1. Dr. Samudra Senarath Department of Educational Psychology
Relationship between Examination Stress and Coping Strategies among the Advanced Level Students
Dr. Samudra Senarath
Department of Educational Psychology

2. Rational of the Study
Examination stress is a psychological and physiological condition in which an individual suffers a lot of tension and worry.
Common stress symptoms are irritability, inability to concentrate , difficulties with memory , restlessness, headaches, difficulty in sleeping
External factors that disrupt to the balance of the students’ body and mind
Trigger Factors : parenting influence
students goals
social factors

3. What happens in exam stress in stress
Threat/ Stressor
Physiological
reactions
Fight/ Flight
Coping with the stress
Stressor Persists
Resources are depleted
Initial autonomic reactions persists
Physical & Psychological complications set in
Resources
Deplete

4. Research Objectives and Methodology
To identify the pre -examination stress level of the A/L students
To examine the coping function to determine which coping behaviour worked best for buffering the impact of stress on psychological health
Sample survey design and random sampling technique were employed (200 students: maths science, commerce arts)
Instruments: Child and Adolescents Stress Scale (α=.84)
Child Coping Questionnaire (α=.79)

5. Theoretical aspects of Auto regulation (Schöder) Coping
Subject
Social Context
Person
Object
Problem
Group
Emotion
Regulation
Reflexive Activity
Social Regulation
Issue- related Regulation
Regulation of the
Human-Environment-System
Regulation and Stabilization
of the Self-System

6. Positive ways of coping
Coping with stress
Positive ways of coping
Most effective method
(Gross, 2001)
Problem focused coping
(Do something to control the situation)
Gaining sense of control make the event less stressful
The event becomes more predictable and the stress is reduced
(Glass, Singer, & Pennebaker, 1977)
Coping by reappraisal—Reframing the meaning of the event
Recover from tragedies and defeats
(Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004)
Does not solve the underlying problem
Emotion focused coping
Help to manage the reaction to stress

7. Results of the Study

8. Physical Symptoms

9. Emotional Difficulties

10. Results of the Study Conclusion
Students have shown mild-moderate stress symptoms before the A/L Exams and Students managed their stress by using different coping strategies.
Needs proper counselling service for students. And it is also need awareness program for the A/L students, and their parents and school principals, teachers about the exam stress
Effortful Disengagement Coping : Increases in stress symptoms were significantly correlated with effortful disengagement coping sub scale (r= .35, P=.02)
Emotional focused coping : These sub items correlated results associated significant for the Pre Exam Stress (r=.68, p=.001)
Problem Focused coping: Students showed significant relationship with exam stress ( r=.48, p=.002)
Support-seeking coping : students have applied support seeking methods to decrease their stress such as Boodi pooja, chanting (r= .66, p .001)

11. Thank You!! ?