The Effect of Listening to the Holy Quran on the Level of Pre-Exam Anxiety of Secondary School Students in Zanjan City, in 2011. (English)

Background and Objective: Anxiety is a displeasing feeling of fear and worry associated with a psychological and physiological state of somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral complications. Most students experience some degree of anxiety prior to their examinations. Among various non-drug methods, recitation of Quran can be listened to and used as a beneficial method to reduce anxiety level. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 62 secondary school students who were randomly assigned into two groups of control (n=31) and treatment (n=31). Data were obtained by a questionnaire composed of demographic data and Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire. At the outset of the experiment, pre-exam anxiety levels were measured in both groups. Then, the treatment group listened to the recitation of the Holy Quran as long as 20 minutes while the control group sat for 20 minutes in their place. Anxiety levels were measured again at the end of the experiment. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests. Anxiety scores were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results: The mean anxiety scores in the treatment group before and after the intervention were 17.52 and 14.48, respectively. The paired t -test analysis showed a significant difference in the control group before and after the intervention (P 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicated that listening to the recitation of the Holy Quran would have beneficial effects on reducing anxiety. Listening to the Holy Quran can be considered as a non-pharmacologic method, safe and a reasonable approach to reduce anxiety before the exam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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