The Relationship of Classroom Emotion, Self-Compassion, and Tolerance of Ambiguity with Academic Anxiety among Female Senior High School Students in District 9 of Karaj

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship of classroom emotion, self-compassion, and tolerance of ambiguity with academic anxiety among female senior high school students in District 9 of Karaj. Methods and Materials: The present study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population consisted of female senior high school students in District 9 of Karaj, from whom 210 students were selected initially through multistage cluster sampling and finally through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Friedman and Jacob Test Anxiety Questionnaire (1997), the Classroom Emotion Questionnaire developed by Titsworth et al. (2010), the Tolerance of Ambiguity Questionnaire developed by Weden et al. (2003), and the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale developed by Raes et al. (2011). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive indices, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Findings: The inferential findings indicated a significant negative relationship between classroom emotion and academic anxiety, suggesting that more positive classroom emotional experiences were associated with lower levels of academic anxiety. A significant negative relationship was also found between self-compassion and academic anxiety, indicating that students with higher self-compassion experienced lower academic anxiety. In the stepwise regression analysis, classroom emotion emerged as the strongest predictor and explained 15.50% of the variance in academic anxiety. Self-compassion was added in the second step and explained an additional 2.20% of the variance. Together, classroom emotion and self-compassion accounted for 17.70% of the total variance in academic anxiety. Tolerance of ambiguity did not enter the final predictive model. Conclusion: The findings suggest that classroom emotion and self-compassion are important psychological and educational variables in predicting academic anxiety among female senior high school students. Strengthening positive classroom emotional experiences and promoting self-compassion may help reduce students’ academic anxiety.