Effectiveness of commitment and acceptance therapy on academic conflict and behavioral maladaptation of students with test anxiety

The present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of treatment based on commitment and acceptance on academic engagement and behavioral incompatibility of students with test anxiety. The current study was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of 1500 male seventh grade students of District 2 studying in Kerman city in the academic year 2018-2019. 30 students whose test anxiety scores were one standard deviation higher than the average were selected as the research sample and 15 were randomly replaced in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. First, questionnaires of Sinha and Singh's behavioral adjustment questionnaire and Rio's academic engagement questionnaire were administered as a pre-test for both groups. Then the treatment based on acceptance and commitment was implemented for 2 months (8 sessions) on the experimental group. The control group did not receive any treatment and at the end, a post-test was taken from both groups. Analysis of covariance test was used to analyze the hypotheses. The comparison between the experimental group and the control group showed that the treatment based on commitment and acceptance significantly reduces academic involvement and behavioral inconsistency in students with test anxiety (p≥0.01). Considering the effectiveness of this educational package, it is suggested to be used to improve academic engagement and reduce behavioral incompatibility of students with exam anxiety.