Impact of Laughter Yoga on Test Anxiety and Education Stress of 8th Grade Students: An Experimental Study

Objective: In an exam-based education system, it is of utmost importance to identify levels of test anxiety and educational stress that directly affect success, and to reduce anxiety. A study was conducted to examine the effects of laughter yoga on test anxiety and educational stress in 8th grade students in Turkey. Methods: A cluster sampling, parallel-group randomized controlled trial with pre-test/post-test design studied 64 students (32 in the intervention group and 32 in the control group). The intervention group received laughter yoga sessions twice a week for 6 weeks. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected by a demographic questionnaire, the Westside Test Anxiety Scale, and the Educational Stress Scale. Results: After laughter yoga, the intervention group showed a significant decrease in test anxiety (d = 0.859; p < 0.005) and educational stress scores (d = 0.52875; p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Laughter yoga was associated with decreased test anxiety and educational stress. Laughter yoga activities in schools are recommended to decrease educational stress and test anxiety of students.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of laughter yoga on test anxiety and educational stress in 8th grade students in Turkey. The results showed that laughter yoga significantly reduced the test anxiety and educational stress scores in the intervention group, and the effect was better than that in the control group. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out laughter yoga activities in schools to help students reduce educational stress and test anxiety.