Open Access

Sandra Deutsch

• Vermehrt haben Kinder und Jugendliche Angst bei einer Prüfung zu scheitern. In Österreich werden verschiedenste Bewältigungsstrategien angeboten. Die Prüfungsmethode an sich wird vom Ministerium und der Schule festgelegt. Warum können Grundschülerinnen und Grundschüler nicht selbst entscheiden, welche Prüfungsmethoden sie wählen, um Prüfungsängste zu umgehen? Folgen von Prüfungsängsten sind die Beeinträchtigung der Aufnahme- und Merkfähigkeit, Denkblockaden und Gedächtnishemmungen. Gelernte Fähigkeiten können nicht wie gewünscht abgerufen und gezeigt werden, da das Gefühl des Versagens einschränkend wirkt. Die Frage stellt sich daher, ob mehr Schulabbrüche verhindert werden können, wenn Schülerinnen und Schüler ihre Leistungen ohne Einfluss von Versagensängsten zeigen können.
• Children and young people are increasingly afraid of failing an exam. A wide variety of coping strategies are offered in Austria. The examination method itself is determined by the ministry and the school. Why can't elementary school students decide for themselves which examination methods they want to make use of to avoid exam anxiety? Consequences of test anxiety are the impairment of the ability to absorb and remember information, mental blocks and memory inhibitions. Skills learned cannot be recalled and shown as desired because the feeling of failure has a limiting effect. The question therefore arises as to whether more school dropouts could be prevented if pupils are given the opportunity to demonstrate their achievements without being influenced by fear of failure. The aim of this work is to find out how students, from their point of view, want to take exams in order to be able to achieve the best possible results without the influence of fear of failure. This master's thesis was written on the basis of existing literature and qualitative interviews. The evaluation of both sets of data was carried out using the content analysis proposed by Mayring. As a result, it becomes clear that the empathy of the teacher, the avoidance of unfamiliar situations and the pressure exerted by parents are decisive for fear of failure. It should be noted that there is no uniform examination strategy because of students’ individual needs and preferences. Furthermore, it was shown that the fear of failure goes beyond school and can significantly impair self-esteem. Taking into account the individual needs of primary school children, fear of failure can be largely reduced. Both the teaching method and the complete avoidance of fearful situations can have a positive effect. It can be affirmed that the fear of failure experienced during school may also influence later exams.