PENGALAMAN ANAK BERBAKAT DALAM MENGELOLA KECEMASAN AKADEMIK MELALUI TEKNIK SELF-INSTRUCTION: STUDI KASUS

Academic anxiety is a significant psychological challenge among gifted children, particularly when high academic expectations, fear of failure, perfectionism, and self-imposed achievement standards create excessive psychological pressure. This study aims to explore the experiences of gifted children in managing academic anxiety through self-instruction techniques. A qualitative case study design was employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of the participants’ experiences before, during, and after the implementation of self-instruction. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentation, and were analyzed thematically through data reduction, categorization, interpretation, and verification. The findings indicate that academic anxiety was experienced through excessive worry about academic performance, fear of making mistakes, negative self-talk, difficulty concentrating, and emotional tension when facing demanding academic tasks. The implementation of self-instruction helped participants identify negative thoughts, provide constructive internal directions, regulate emotional responses, and approach academic tasks more calmly and systematically. The study concludes that self-instruction can serve as a practical cognitive-behavioral strategy for helping gifted children manage academic anxiety while strengthening self-regulation and adaptive coping skills.