Investigating the Effectiveness of Group Training in Story-Based Emotion Regulation Skills on Increasing Academic Resilience and Reducing Test Anxiety in Sixth-Grade Students

Isa Blookhkani¹ Masoumeh Alizadeh² Solmaz Azimi Aghdam³

1) Master of Psychometrics, Electronic Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2) Master of Psychology of Exceptional Children, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
3) Bachelor of English Language and Literature, Maku Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maku, Iran

IOI Code : AABF-ABZFFD
Publication : 3rd International Conference on Applied Researches in Humanities, Economics, Management & Accounting(icrhema.com/3rd)
Abstract :
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group training in story-based emotion regulation skills on increasing academic resilience and reducing test anxiety in sixth-grade students in Maku County. This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population consisted of all sixth-grade students in this county in the second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. From this population, 60 students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). The experimental group received a 10-session researcher-developed training program, while the control group remained on a waiting list. The research instruments included the Academic Resilience Questionnaire (Mohammadi & Jalali, 2019) and the Sarason Test Anxiety Scale (adapted by Abedi & Sadeghi, 2001). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The findings revealed that after controlling for the effect of the pretest, there was a significant difference between the posttest scores of the two groups in the variables of academic resilience and test anxiety (p < 0.05). In other words, group training in story-based emotion regulation skills led to a significant increase in academic resilience and a significant decrease in test anxiety in the experimental group compared to the control group. Accordingly, it can be concluded that this innovative and engaging intervention, as an effective educational strategy, can be used to enhance the psychological and academic well-being of students in educational settings.

Keywords : emotion regulation storytelling academic resilience test anxiety sixth grade students