'Assessment-based culture' causing stress in children

Despite a new approach to education that is encouraging social and cultural extra-curricular activities, the emphasis on exams is still very strong. This is leading to high levels of stress on children, which lead to a poorer performance at school, a recent seminar was told.

The half-day seminar, organised by the Paolo Freire Institute last Saturday, discussed the effects of stress on children and ways to reduce.

The institute's director, Fr Edgar Busuttil, said that although a small amount of stress was vital to a child's development, high levels of stress were harmful to the child's physical and mental health.

During the seminar, parents, teachers, heads of school and professionals from the education sector agreed that much of the stress was a result of an assessment-based culture, where academic performance was based to a large extent on the grades obtained from a few two-or three-hour final exams.

One parent suggested that continuous assessment throughout the scholastic year should be used to determine the true picture of a child's educational development. It was also suggested that the syllabi be reduced, especially in primary schools, to allow more time for other activities. The syllabi for Religion and Social Studies were too vast and consisted of too much detail for 10-year-olds to study, leaving less time for English, Maltese and Mathematics, which are considered the foundation for other subjects a student has to study at secondary and higher levels.

Stress was also caused by the parents' over-emphasis on their children's performance. Some parents might be imparting the wrong message that they are only happy when their child achieves good grades, thus pressuring them into an academic competition.

Bernard Caruana, from the Child Guidance Unit, said stress was becoming very common. He said that research showed that 70 to 80 per cent of today's illnesses are related to stress. Whether stress is acute, following a momentary incident, or chronic, which would have accumulated over a period of time, stress can affect both primary and secondary schoolchildren, whether they are sitting for their Common Entrance Exams or their O Levels.

He also said that while parents have started realising the importance of extra-curricular activities, some of these activities were still being based upon assessment. As a consequence, an activity which should be helping a child detach from studying is piling additional stress upon the child.

Elise Camilleri, from the Richmond Foundation, said that the exam system where a child is assessed on the basis of final exams was not a fair one. "An exam paper does not necessarily reflect what a child has learned throughout the year. In addition, a child might fall ill on the day, or something can happen at home which could hamper the child's performance during the exam.

"Fatigue, sadness, nervous spells, loss of appetite and lack of concentration are some of the symptoms of stress. Although these are not exclusively related to stress, parents should not be alarmed whenever their child feels nervous, but should be concerned if such symptoms recur often or on a long span of time," she said.

Ms Camilleri suggested that an effort should be made to include more extra-curricular activities to ensure the full development of a child. Studying throughout the year instead of cramming facts days prior to an exam should always be encouraged. Assessment should be shifted to include other means such as portfolios and exhibitions, so that the final exam would add up to only a percentage of the final grade. She also recommended that students follow a healthy diet, take up a hobby and take part in activities which are not school-based.

"Children should also avoid being perfectionists. A student who aims for an A might feel demotivated every time he/she obtains a lower grade and may feel unnecessarily pressured. On the other hand, parents should always offer unconditional support and should teach their children how to feel self-confident. They should avoid comparing their children to other children and criticise them in a negative way," she said.