Navigating the ETS: Psychological Strategies for Success
As the Unified National Testing (UNT) approaches, child psychologist Tatiana Ostapenko has highlighted the importance of managing stress to ensure optimal performance. Stress during the UNT can cause the body to produce stress hormones, affecting memory and focus, making it crucial to employ effective stress-reduction strategies.
For students, developing general stress-coping skills, practicing mindfulness and self-inquiry, creating personalized stress management plans, and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits are recommended. Engaging in structured stress management interventions, such as psychoeducation about stress, problem-focused coping skills, and emotion-focused coping (like muscle and breathing relaxation techniques), can help students handle stress more effectively. Mindfulness meditation and inquiry-based stress reduction (IBSR) techniques enable students to identify and challenge negative thoughts contributing to stress, while regular guided meditation and journaling about stress experiences can improve self-awareness and emotional resilience.
Parents can provide emotional support and motivation, help manage time and reduce pressure, and stay informed and involved. Encouraging and validating feelings, motivating positively, helping set realistic goals and expectations, assisting with organization, time management, and creating a balanced routine that includes breaks and relaxation periods can all alleviate the pressure students feel. Understanding the stressors associated with the UNT and the resources available for stress management enables parents to offer practical help and reduce anxiety around testing periods.
Both students and parents are encouraged to communicate and collaborate, maintaining open dialogue about feelings related to the exam and stress management techniques. Utilizing web-based stress management resources can also be beneficial, providing guidance and personalized feedback to foster coping strategies.
In the event of severe anxiety affecting a child's health, seeking help from a specialist or practicing relaxation and breathing exercises is recommended. The "Grounding 5-4-3-2-1" method can help during a panic attack during the UNT.
Svetlana Bogatyreva, another child psychologist, advises students to review and reinforce their knowledge before the UNT, discuss fears with children, and consider alternative outcomes. In case of excessive parental responsibility during the UNT, it's important to avoid escalating the situation. Prioritizing children's mental health over academic results is key, as advised by both Ostapenko and Bogatyreva.
Applicants can appeal within 30 minutes after the completion of the testing, take the main UNT twice, and participate in the grant competition with their best result. Tatiana Ostapenko suggests allocating time so that easy tasks can be completed within two-thirds of the total time, then calmly returning to difficult ones. She also advises focusing during the UNT, starting with easy questions, and planning two rounds to complete all tasks.
Tightened security measures, including metal detectors and individual searches, will be in place during the UNT. In some cases, it may be beneficial to eliminate obviously incorrect answers instead of searching for the right one immediately. Checking work and guessing if unsure about an answer during the UNT is also advised.
The UNT will take place from May 16 to July 5, 2022. Psychologist-researcher Aiman Sadvakasova recommends 'rabbit breathing' and 'tiger breathing' techniques for physical state stabilization. By implementing these strategies, students and their families can create a supportive environment that reduces stress and improves performance during the UNT period.
- To ensure optimal performance during the UNT, students are advised to engage in learning and self-development activities like mindfulness meditation, inquiry-based stress reduction, and journaling about stress experiences.
- Parents should promote mental health by providing emotional support, staying informed about exam stressors and resources, and collaborating with their children to discuss feelings and coping strategies.
- In extreme cases where anxiety affects a child's health, it's crucial to seek help from a specialist or practice relaxation techniques such as the "Grounding 5-4-3-2-1" method during a panic attack.
