Classroom anxiety in students as perceived by elementary school teachers
This exploratory study conducted with twelve elementary school teachers (Grade 1 to 6) wishes to explore elementary school teachers’ theoretical and practical knowledge of student anxiety, as well as the source of their knowledge. Interviews revealed the most common body of knowledge and interventions declared by the teachers, and allowed the exploration of the underlying foundations. Results showed that teachers’ knowledge of anxiety, as it relates to the recognition of symptoms and the understanding of underlying theoretical concepts such as causes, explanatory factors and appropriate interventions should be enhanced. Teachers appear to rely mostly on their own professional and personal experiences as the main sources of knowledge on the subject, while initial training and continuous education has little contribution to their current level of knowledge. New approaches and areas of research are suggested to improve teachers’ initial and continuous training to help the elementary school students’ living with anxiety.