Effect of listening to Holy Quran recitation on test anxiety levels of university students

authors:

avatar Arezoo HammamiAbrandAbadi , avatar Raheb Ghorbani ORCID , avatar gholamhosain mahdavinejad , avatar Hossein Miladi-Gorgi , *


how to cite: HammamiAbrandAbadi A, Ghorbani R, mahdavinejad G, Miladi-Gorgi H. Effect of listening to Holy Quran recitation on test anxiety levels of university students. koomesh. 2020;22(3):e153204. 

Abstract

Introduction: Test anxiety is common among university students. On the other hand, listening to the recitation of the Holy Quran may relieve symptoms of anxiety. Thus, this study was designed to examine the effects of the length of listening time to the recitation of the Holy Quran on test anxiety levels of students before starting the test. Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental design which performed between two groups of psychology students of Semnan University (Iran). The data amassment instruments included demographic questionnaire and the Spielberger Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). In this way, two groups of students participated in two separate tests. For the first group of students, the Quran was recited for 2.5 min before starting the test. For the second group of students, the Quran was recited for 5 min before starting the test. The test anxiety questionnaire was completed before and after listening to Quran by students. Results: The results showed that the average of test anxiety score were 45/6 and 48/3, for students who recited 2.5 and 5 min of the Qur;#39an before starting the test, respectively which this difference was not significant. While, test anxiety score was decreased to 40.7 and 46.8 after reciting of the Holy Quran between the two groups of students who recited 2.5 and 5 min of the Qur;#39an, respectively which was statistically significant (P=0.003). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the Holy Quran recitation for 2.5 min before starting the test execution was more effective than a 5-min recipe to reduce test anxiety. Therefore, it is recommended that managers and policy makers of educational programs use from playing the sound of Quran in a short time at the beginning of each test.

References

  • 1.

    Nieuwenhuys A, Oudejans RR. Anxiety and perceptual-motor performance: toward an integrated model of concepts, mechanisms, and processes. Psychol Res 2012; 76: 747-759.

  • 2.

    Clment Y, Calatayud F, Belzung C. Genetic basis of anxiety-like behaviour: a critical review. Brain Res Bull 2002; 57: 57-71.

  • 3.

    Latas M, Panti M, Obradovi D. Analysis of test anxiety in medical students. Med Pregl 2010; 63: 863-866.

  • 4.

    Chapell MS, Blanding ZB, Silverstein ME, Takahashi M, Newman B, Gubi A, McCann N. test anxiety articles and academic performance in undergraduate and graduate students. J Educ Psychol 2005; 97: 268-274.

  • 5.

    Dehadray V. Impact of medium of instructions, socioeconomic status and gender on test anxietyin students. J Community Guid Res 2013; 30: 364-380.

  • 6.

    Holt DS, Heimberg RG, Hope DA, Liebowitz MR. Situational domains of social phobia. J Anxiety Disord 1992; 6: 63-77.

  • 7.

    Powell DH. Behavioral treatment of debilitating test anxiety among medical students. J Clin Psychol 2004; 60: 853-865.

  • 8.

    American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th edition. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2013; PP: 39-121.

  • 9.

    Bgels SM, Alden L, Beidel DC, Clark LA, Pine DS, Stein MB, Voncken M. Social anxiety disorder: questions andanswers for the DSM-V. Depress Anxiety 2010; 27: 168-189.

  • 10.

    McDonald A. The prevalence and effects of test anxiety in school children. Educ Psychol 2001; 21: 89-101.

  • 11.

    Lashkaripour K, Bakhshani NM, Solaimani MJ. The relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement in students of guidance schools in Zahedan in 2006. Zahedan J Res Med Sci (Tabib-E- shargh) 2007; 8: 253-259. (Persian).

  • 12.

    Yazdani F. Test anxiety and academic performance in female nursing students. Quarterl J Nurs Vis 2012; 1: 47-58. (Persian).

  • 13.

    Nasri S, Shahrokhi M, Ebrahim Damavandi M. The prediction of academic procrastination on perfectionism and Test anxiety. Train Learn 2013; 1: 25-37. (Persian).

  • 14.

    Mohamadi M, Alishahi Z, Soleimani N. A study on test anxiety and its relationship to test score and self- actualization of academic EFL students in Iran. Proc Soc Behav Sci 2014; 98: 1156-1164.

  • 15.

    Majidi A. The tremendous effect of Quranic verses on the anxiety of patients. Kowsar Quranic J 2003; 7-8: 17-25. (Persion).

  • 16.

    Babamohamadi H, Sotodehasl N, Koenig HG, Jahani C, GhorbaniR. The effect of holy Quran recitation on anxiety in hemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial. J Relig Health 2015; 54: 1921-1930.

  • 17.

    Marefat MM. Song order in the Quran. Miras-e-Javidan J 1993; 1: 17-21. (Persian).

  • 18.

    Babaii A, Abbasinia M, Hejazi SF, Tabaei SR, Dehghani F. The effect of listening to the voice of Quran on anxiety before cardiac catheterization: a randomized controlled trial. Health Spiritual Med Ethics 2015; 2: 8-14. (Persian).

  • 19.

    Chlan L, Tracy MF. Music therapy in critical care: indications and guidelines for intervention. Crit Care Nurse 1999; 19: 35-41.

  • 20.

    Jafari H, Bagheri-Nesami M, Abdoli-nejad MR. The effect of Quran recitation and religious music on mental and physical health. J Clin Excell 2016; 2: 4.

  • 21.

    Mottaghi ME, Esmaili R, Rohani Z. Effect of Quran recitation on the level of anxiety in athletics. Quarterl Quran Med 2011; 1: 1-4. (Persian).

  • 22.

    Ghobary-Bonab B, Haddadi-Kohsar AA, Rashidi A, Javadi S. Relationship among image of God and attachment to God with mental health in parents of exceptional children. Except Child 2012; 3: 5-14.

  • 23.

    Haddadi-kouhsar AA, Ghobari-Banab B. Relationship between ''one's perception of God'' and psychotics. Quarterl J Studi Islam Psychol 2012; 6: 59-74. (Persian).

  • 24.

    Braam AW, Schaap-Jonker H, Mooi B, Ritter DD, Beekman AT, Deeg D. God image and mood in old age: Results from a community-based pilot study in the Netherlands. Ment Health Relig Cult 2008; 11: 221-237.

  • 25.

    Sarabadani-Tafreshi L JM. The relationship between God-image and psycho-spiritual development with depression, anxiety, and stress in student. Positive Psychol Res 2019; 4: 45-56. (Persian).

  • 26.

    Shukla S, Acharya S, Rajput D. Neurotheology-matters of the mind or matters that mind? J Clin Diagn Res 2013; 7: 1486.

  • 27.

    Sotodehasl N, Ghorbani R, Mahdavi-Nejad G, Haji-Aghajani S, Mehdizadeh J. Prayer attendance and general health in the Iranian adult urban population. J Relig Health 2016; 55: 110-118.

  • 28.

    Masoumy M, Ganjou M, Akbari Z. A comparative study on the effects of holly Quran and music sound on student's text anxiety. Complement Med J Facul Nurs Midwifery 2013; 2: 471-480. (Persian).

  • 29.

    Ramazani AA, Hedayati SP, Abbaspour O. Effect mercy of Quran voice on the level of anxiety in Zabol University of medical Sciences' student before the exam. Religion Health 2014; 2: 24-30. (Persian).

  • 30.

    Allameh T, Jabal Ameli M, Lorestani Kh, Akbari M. The efficacy of Quran sound on anxiety and pain of patients under cesarean section with regional anesthesia: a randomized case-controlled clinical trial. J Isfahan Med Sch 2013; 31: 601-610. (Persian).

  • 31.

    Mirbagher Ajorpaz N, Aghajani M, Shahshahani M. The effect of music and holy Quran on patient's abdominal surgery. J Evid Based Care 2011; 1: 63-76. (Persian).

  • 32.

    Frih B, Mkacher W, Bouzguenda A, Jaafar H, ALkandari SA, Salah ZB, et al. Effects of listening to holy Quran recitation and physical training on dialysis efficacy, functional capacity, and psychosocial outcomes in elderly patients undergoing haemodialysis. Libyan J Med 2017; 12.

  • 33.

    Ghiasi A, Keramat A. The effect of listening to holy quran recitation on anxiety: A systematic review. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 2018; 23: 411. (Persian).

  • 34.

    Spielberger CD, Gonzalez HP, Taylor CJ, Algaze B, Anton WD. Examination stress and test anxiety. Stress Anxiety 1978; 5: 167-191.

  • 35.

    Taylor J, Deane FP. Development of a short form of the test anxiety inventory (TAI). J Gen Psychol 2002; 129: 127-136.

  • 36.

    Wachelka D, Katz RC. Reducing test anxiety and improving academic self-esteem in high school and college students with learning disabilities. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 1999; 30: 191-198.

  • 37.

    Asayesh H, Hosseini MA, Sharififard F, Kharameh ZT. The relationship between self-efficacy and test anxiety among the Paramedical students of Qom University of medical sciences. J Adv Med Educ (JAMED) 2016; 1: 14-21.

  • 38.

    Hasani J. The role of the cognitive emotion regulation strategies in students test anxiety. J Cogn Psychol 2014; 2: 21-10. (Persian).

  • 39.

    Abolghasemi M, Moghadam AA, Najarian B, Shekarshekan H. Test anxiety, causes, assessment and treatment. Psychol Res 1996; 82-97. (Persian).

  • 40.

    Heidari M, Shahbazi S. An assessment of the effect of recitation of the Quran on exam anxiety in nursing and emergency medicine students. J Med Educ Dev Centre 2015; 12: 56-63. (Persian).

  • 41.

    Shirvani M, Mirzaeian R, Ghaderi A. The effect of holy Quran sound on vital sign and spo2 in unconscious patients hospitalized in the ICU. 3th Provincial Congress on Quran and Health 2013; 18-23. (Persian).

  • 42.

    Ghorbani F, Ghorbani Z, Avazeh A. The effect of listening to the holy Quran on the level of pre-exam anxiety of secondary school students in Zanjan city, in 2011. Zanjan J Res Med Sci 2013; 22: 89-96. (Persian).

  • 43.

    Mahdavinejad GH, Asl N, Ghorbani R, Aghajani S. Adherence rate toward to prayer in the students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Koomesh 2014; 16. (Persian).

  • 44.

    Mahjoob M, Nejati J, Hosseini A, BakhshaniNM. The effect of Holy Quran voice on mental health. J Relig Health 2016; 55: 38-42.

  • 45.

    Sideeg A. Test anxiety, self-esteem, gender difference, and academic achievement: the case of the students of medical sciences at Sudanese universities: a mixed methods approach. Br J Arts Soc Sci 2015; 9: 39-59.

  • 46.

    Sahmeddini MA, Zamani Lari M, Nabi Rahimian M, Danaei L, Beigi N, Habibi H. The effect of listening to the Quran on serum cortisol levels and anxiety in primiparous women during the first stage of labor. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infert 2014; 17: 1-7. (Persian).

  • 47.

    Keshavars M, Eskandari N, Jahdi F, Ashaieri H, Hoseini F, Kalani M. The effect of holly Quran recitation on physiological responses of premature infant. Koomesh 2010; 11: 169-177. (Persian).

  • 48.

    McNamara P, Butler PM. The neuropsychology of religious experience. handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality. Guilford Press 2013; 215.