A Scoping Review Examining Treatment Components of Classroom and Small Group School-Based Anxiety and Test Anxiety Interventions
Abstract
The purpose of the present scoping review was to provide a summary of (a) treatment components included in classroom and small group school-based interventions targeting anxiety or test anxiety, and (b) the frequency in which feasibility is considered within these evaluations, based on the framework proposed by Gadke and colleagues (2021). 105 articles were included in the analysis with 80 studies examining school-based anxiety interventions and 25 articles focusing on test anxiety. While cognitive behavioural therapy was the most common type of intervention, a variety of intervention types and treatment components emerged in the analysis. Furthermore, the social validity/acceptability feasibility dimension was frequently evaluated in anxiety and test anxiety intervention evaluations, but other dimensions (i.e., practicality and integration) emerged in a small number of studies. The variance among intervention types and treatment components may be reflective of the variability among within school environments. Information specific to dimensions of feasibility may offer valuable information for researchers and educators implementing and evaluating school-based anxiety and test anxiety interventions. Finally, the present scoping review provides an excellent foundation for future research to continue examining the relative efficacy of school-based anxiety and test anxiety interventions and their individual treatment components.