The effectiveness of problem-solving skills on learning self-regulation and achievement motivation in twelfth-grade female students with test anxiety

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of problem-solving skills in learning self-regulation and achievement motivation in twelfth-grade female students with exam anxiety in Tabriz. The present study was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test-follow-up study with a control group. From the population of 12th-grade female students with test anxiety in Tabriz city, 30 were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling and random assignment. All the studied sample members completed the self-regulated learning questionnaires of Lau & Jong (2022) and motivation to push through Lang and Fries (2006) in the pre-test-post-test-follow-up phases. The experimental group was exposed to the problem-solving skills package of D'Zurilla and Goldfried (1971) and was included in six 90-minute sessions over two months. Multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used to analyze the data using SPSS27 statistical software. The results showed significant differences in learning self-regulation achievement motivation in the experimental and control groups' pre-test/post-test and follow-up groups. After applying the independent variable (problem-solving skills), the experimental group obtained higher scores in the criterion variables than the control group. This effect remained in the follow-up period. This study's findings are significant, reassuring educators and psychologists that problem-solving skills can improve self-regulation and achievement motivation in students with anxiety.