Indigenous-based Mindful Activities for Students with Test Anxiety

Abstract

College life for students can be stressful, with stress and anxiety being one of the biggest impacts on a student's academic performance; with test anxiety being one of the biggest culprits in causing stress and anxiety among college students. One of the ways that students can help ease test anxiety is through mindful practices. As many colleges and universities increase their availability to provide mindfulness resources - there seems to be a lack of mindfulness resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students. The research study for this dissertation utilized Indigenous-based mindful practices from Indigenous and South Asian mindfulness practitioners. The mixed-methods study involved 12 participants who identified as Indigenous/Native American and Latinx. The participants spent 10 days practicing mindful practices from Indigenous and South Asian practitioners, along with filling out the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, which followed with an interviewer with post-guided questions. Findings concluded that participants found the mindful activities beneficial for their test anxiety.