EFFECT OF JIGSAW LEARNING AND COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING TECHNIQUES ON TEST ANXIETY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA'S ANAMBRA STATE.

Test anxiety constitutes a significant psychological and educational problem that impedes students’ academic performance, mental health, and overall school adjustment. In Anambra State, school counsellors report that test anxiety is a major contributor to mass failure in core subjects. The limited effectiveness of conventional approaches in mitigating test anxiety prompted the investigation of innovative techniques in this study. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of jigsaw learning and cognitive restructuring techniques on test anxiety among SS1 and SS 2 senior secondary school students in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to: ascertain the effectiveness of jigsaw learning technique on test anxiety of SS 1 and SS 2 senior secondary school students; and also determine the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring technique on test anxiety between SS 1 and SS 2 senior secondary school students using pre-test and post-test mean scores. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design, specifically a non-randomized pre-test, post-test control group design. The population comprised 580 Senior Secondary School 1 and 2 (SS1 and SS2) students in the 16 government-owned secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State. The sample consisted of 154 students (70 males and 84 females) identified as test anxious from three government-owned co-educational secondary schools in the area. Participants were assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using an adopted Spielberger Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). The internal consistency reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach’s alpha. The experimental groups received an 8-week behavioural intervention, while the control group received conventional counselling. Mean scores were used to answer the research questions, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Data collected were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 24. The findings revealed that jigsaw learning and cognitive restructuring techniques are more effective among SS1 students than the SS 2 secondary school students, it is recommended that secondary school teachers, particularly those handling SS1 classes, should be trained and encouraged to adopt the jigsaw learning and cognitive restructuring techniques, School administrators should provide necessary instructional materials and create enabling classroom environments for its implementation. Furthermore, curriculum developers should integrate jigsaw learning and cognitive restructuring techniques into the SS1 syllabus for content-heavy subjects to enhance student engagement, peer interaction, and academic achievement