The Tapping Evidence Base
Test Anxiety & Students · Stress & Cortisol

A Feasibility Study of Emotional Freedom Technique Taught in the Curriculum for Secondary School Students, to Reduce Stress and Test Anxiety and Enhance Coping Skills

Ledger, K. · International Journal of Healing and Caring · 2019

Outcome study 👥 138 participants ⚖️ vs. no-treatment classes (delayed EFT training) Preliminary ✓ Source-checked 📍 Canada
In plain English. A Canadian high school teacher built tapping into a stressful exam-prep unit for 138 students across grades 10 to 12, checking their stress, coping skills, and test anxiety over four weeks. A comparison against untaught classes was attempted, but methodological problems meant the quantitative results couldn't be trusted, so the study mainly shows the approach is workable in a real classroom rather than measuring how much it helped.

What they found

138
A Canadian high school teacher built tapping into a stressful exam-prep unit for 138 students across grades 10 to 12, checking their stress, coping skills, and…

EFT was taught across four consecutive weekly classes to 138 secondary students during pre-exam season, with stress, coping, and test anxiety measured before, after the first class, and after the full training. A controlled comparison against no-treatment classes was attempted, but the quantitative data were judged not clearly valid due to methodological contamination, leaving primarily feasibility and qualitative findings.

How the study worked

Who took part Canadian secondary school students (combined grades 10-12, enrolled in a Planning 10 course) during a stressful pre-examination period (n=138)
What they did Participants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Compared with no-treatment classes (delayed EFT training)
Measured with Perceived Stress Scale, Brief COPE, Westside Test Anxiety Scale

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants138 people
PopulationCanadian secondary school students (combined grades 10-12, enrolled in a Planning 10 course) during a stressful pre-examination period
Comparison groupno-treatment classes (delayed EFT training)
Outcome measuresPerceived Stress Scale, Brief COPE, Westside Test Anxiety Scale
JournalInternational Journal of Healing and Caring
Year2019
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / Tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

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Cite this study

APA

Ledger, K. (2019). A Feasibility Study of Emotional Freedom Technique Taught in the Curriculum for Secondary School Students, to Reduce Stress and Test Anxiety and Enhance Coping Skills. International Journal of Healing and Caring.

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Test Anxiety & Students 138 participants WHAT THEY FOUND EFT was taught across four consecutiveweekly classes to 138 secondary studentsduring pre-exam season, with stress… Outcome study · 138 participants Ledger · 2019 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com