Anxiety and tension are two affective factors which seem to interfere with measurement of instructional effects. Test anxiety respresents a possibly confounding effect in the measurement of any given knowledge. A study was conducted to examine the effect that relaxation training administered immediately prior to testing would have on academic…

The Matthews Stress Management formula is a stress management model for use in schools. This effective, practical, and inexpensive model entails the awareness of the physiology of stress, perception of tangible bases of motivation for children, appropriate and simplified techniques, applicability to other areas, and full recognition of the…

Middle school children make a number of accomodations that create stress in their lives. This study examined the effects on sixth and seventh grade students (N=53) of a stress management program that emphasized self-regulation of physiological aspects of functioning along the relaxation/arousal continuum. The experimental group received intensive…

As part of a continuing series of research studies on stress in schools, this study examined the construct validity of peripheral temperature at the fingertips as a measure of school stress. Measurements were made in classes selected at random from 11 volunteer schools in South Carolina. Three types of correlational studies were undertaken: (1)…

Research findings produce a positive argument for the inclusion of relaxation training in the school curriculum. Since today's children face a great deal of stress, they must learn coping techniques. Learning to relax at will is one method of learning to survive, because the relaxation response is incompatible with anxiety; the child learns to…

This document synthesizes research findings to formulate a theory to guide relaxation training in educational settings, particularly rural schools. Young people experience many intense life events that require coping skills or relaxation. Family-related stress factors include instability in the home, lack of a support system, conflicting values,…

Research supports skin temperature changes (increases) as indicators of stress reduction or relaxation. To study the utility of skin temperature at the wrist as a measure of relaxation, 226 seventh grade students recorded their wrist temperatures before and after a 15-minute relaxation training exercise each morning for 29 weeks. Teachers checked…

While evidence exists that a person's peripheral temperature responds to his state of arousal or stress, it also responds to other environmental factors. Wrist temperature has been found to vary with ambient temperature, and to increase during the school day. Before wrist temperature can be established as a valid measure of anxiety, stress, or…

Several counseling methods have attempted to help individuals change their behavior patterns. Techniques that teach control of the internal functions of the mind, body, and emotions are designed to allow the individual to reach his/her potential. Alpha training is one such method that is concerned with a brain wave pattern yielding an alert,…

Preadolescents are faced with a variety of pressures, but usually receive little help in stress management from the school. To examine the effects of relaxation training on rural middle school students (N = 532), researchers implemented a daily 15-minute program of relaxation training exercises on aduio tapes in the regular classroom setting. The…

To examine the feasibility and effects of implementing relaxation training with a heterogeneous group of secondary school students in the classroom setting, and to determine the validity and reliability of using wrist temperature as a biofeedback method, 532 seventh grade students, divided into experimental and control groups, participated in a…

A study examined multiple outcomes of relaxation training simultaneously in seventh grade classrooms. "Project Relaxation" measured cognitive (achievement) and affective (discipline, attendance, tardiness, and self-concept) changes with a program of relaxation training for 532 seventh grade students in 10 private and public middle schools in South…

Some researchers argue that all relaxation techniques produce a single relaxation response while others support a specific-effects hypothesis which suggests that progressive relaxation affects the musculoskeletal system and that guided imagery affects cognitive changes. Autogenics is considered a technique which is both somatic and cognitive. This…