Many factors influence the occurrence of anxiety, including a more pronounced personality trait of high sensitivity. The main characteristics of high sensitivity include more intense information processing, more pronounced empathy and a greater perception of subtle stimuli in the environment, but also more rapid arousal and overstimulation. In stressful situations this can increase the possibility of experiencing anxiety. Although the phenomenon of high sensitivity has been extensively researched in recent decades, there is still a lack of research on this topic in the school context, especially on comorbidity with special needs and the possible connection with test anxiety. This master’s thesis presents the characteristics of high sensitivity and test anxiety, focussing on the comorbidity of both phenomena in students. It also adds guidelines for working with highly sensitive and test-anxious students with special needs.
We investigated the occurrence of high sensitivity and test anxiety in secondary school students with special needs. The aims of our research were to investigate the extent of high sensitivity and test anxiety, to identify possible significant differences between the genders and the categories of special needs and to find out whether there is a statistically significant correlation between the two constructs.
Sixty-seven secondary school students with special needs (with approved special needs student status) enrolled in various secondary school programmes participated in the study. A questionnaire consisting of the Highly Sensitive Child Scale (HSC Scale) with 21 items and the Test Anxiety Inventory were used to determine the level of high sensitivity and test anxiety. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to statistically analyse the data.
The results show a positive, weak, but statistically significant correlation between the degree of high sensitivity and the degree of test anxiety. A moderate positive correlation was found between high sensitivity and worry (the cognitive dimension of test anxiety), as well as between low sensory threshold-ease of excitation (a dimension of high sensitivity) and test anxiety with its two dimensions of worry and emotionality. In terms of gender, girls scored higher than boys on high sensitivity and its dimension (low sensory threshold-ease of excitation). Girls also scored higher on test anxiety and all its dimensions. There were no statistically significant differences between the categories of special needs in terms of the level of high sensitivity and its dimensions in secondary school students. However, there were statistically significant differences in test anxiety and levels of worry: students with learning disabilities were more worried than students with other forms of special needs.
The aim of this master's thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of high sensitivity in the school context and to encourage teachers to recognise characteristics of high sensitivity in children and adolescents, especially those with special needs. By increasing awareness of their functioning and applying appropriate teaching strategies, teachers can prevent the development of (test) anxiety and other problems.
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