Social and emotional factors strongly affect learning. When students feel safe and supported, their attention to the task at hand improves, their retention of the knowledge being offered is enhanced, and they are more willing to participate. Conversely, stress and anxiety can retrieve a memory or concentrate on a task (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007). Hence, learning is not solely a cognitive act but is also emotional and social.

An Update: Test Anxiety as an Obstacle to Learning

Test anxiety is a major socio-behavioral issue. It becomes a barrier against the ability of the students to focus, retrieve and perform well on tests, despite their understanding of the material (Putwain, 2008). High anxiety levels provoke increased release of stress hormones, which may damage working memory (Owens et al., 2012).

For insight:

- Affective Filter (Krashen, 1982): Stressed learning.

- Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2006): Lowers fear of failure.

Solution: Being in a supportive classroom environment and taking time for mindfulness activities help to reduce anxiety, as does teaching students that mistakes are opportunities to learn.

References

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset. Random House.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Damasio, A. (2007). Mind, Brain, and Education, 1(1), 3–10.

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon Press.