Thesis:

The Effectiveness of Game-Based Emotion Regulation Training in Reducing Test Anxiety and Increasing Academic Motivation among Sixth-Grade Male Students in Public Schools in Sabzevar County

Test anxiety and reduced academic motivation can impair students’ concentration, participation, and educational adjustment, particularly in the sixth grade and at the transition to secondary school. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of game-based emotion regulation training in reducing test anxiety and increasing academic motivation among sixth-grade male students in public schools in Sabzevar County. In terms of purpose, the study was applied; in terms of approach, it was quantitative; and in terms of method, it employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a waiting-list control group. The statistical population consisted of all sixth-grade male students attending public schools in Sabzevar County. In the first stage, one school was selected through convenience/purposive sampling; subsequently, two classes were randomly selected and assigned by lottery to the experimental and control conditions. Data from 60 students (30 in each group) were analyzed. The experimental group received eight 45-minute sessions of game-based emotion regulation training. Data were collected using the modified 25-item Test Anxiety Questionnaire developed by Abolghasemi et al. (1375) and the revised form of Harter’s Academic Motivation Scale. The overall hypothesis was tested using multivariate analysis of covariance, and each outcome was subsequently examined using one-way analysis of covariance while controlling for pretest scores and applying a Bonferroni-adjusted significance criterion of 0.025. Overall, game-based emotion regulation training can be used as a short-term, school-based intervention to reduce test anxiety and foster a more adaptive motivational orientation.

Keywords: game-based emotion regulation training; test anxiety; academic motivation; sixth-grade students