Stress experience and performance during an oral exam: the role of self-efficacy, threat appraisals, anxiety, and cortisol

Female students' personality and stress response to an academic examination

BACKGROUND

Women are vulnerable to stress-related disorders. Examinations are a source of stress, triggering emotional, cognitive, and hormonal responses. We examined women's psychological and hormonal stress responses and academic performance according to personality during a real-life examination.

METHODS

Female students (N = 66) were divided into two groups based on hierarchical cluster analysis: one cluster characterized by high neuroticism and moderate extraversion (HN-ME; n = 42) and the other by low neuroticism and high extraversion (LN-HE; n = 24). Academic performance, perceived stress, and emotional dysregulation were analyzed. State anxiety, affect, and cortisol release were measured before and on the examination day.

RESULTS

The HN-ME cluster was high in perceived stress, emotional dysregulation, and negative affect. This cluster also had higher state anxiety levels two days before and shortly after the examination compared to the LN-HE cluster. Students' cortisol levels were higher on the examination day, and there was a marginal significance of the Cluster factor in the cortisol release regardless of the day of measurement.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with high neuroticism and moderate extraversion may be more vulnerable to psychological stress in academic settings but similar to other women in their cortisol response.

Perceived Stress, Salivary Cortisol, and Temperament Traits among Students of Dental Medicine: A Prospective and Interventional Study

Academic stress affects students' psychological and physiological well-being. Dental undergraduate programs are known for their demanding curriculum, leading to significant stress symptoms. The objective was to determine if salivary cortisol levels were higher in students exposed to academic stress, assess the relationship between stress severity/temperament and cortisol values, and explore relaxation technique effects. Salivary cortisol was measured at two time points for all participants: Before exams and during a relaxation period after summer break. A third measurement was conducted for students with high pre-test cortisol levels who received instructions on progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) before subsequent exams. Additionally, participants completed two questionnaires: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Fisher's Temperament Questionnaire. The group analysis based on the PSS indicated that 39 participants reported high stress. Women demonstrated significantly higher stress than men (p = 0.042054). A significant difference in stress levels was observed between director and builder temperament types (p = 0.029276). Cortisol levels showed a significant decrease from the first measurement to the second measurement, and the third measurement after implementing PMR. The grade in the "Dermatovenereology" course correlated with stress level according to the PSS (k = 0.578467). Pre-test cortisol levels correlated with the frequency of using PMR guidelines during winter test periods (k = 0.416138). Stress negatively affects the immune system and poses health risks. Implementing stress reduction techniques in dental/medical education could benefit students and the healthcare system.

Examination-related anticipatory levels of dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol predict positive affect, examination marks and support-seeking in college students

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol release appear to have contrasting effects on stress perception during stressful tasks. This study aimed to investigate anticipatory examination stress in college students by considering DHEA, cortisol, psycho-emotional aspects and examination performance. Seventy-six students (66 females, 10 males; age range 18-25 years) provided saliva samples and completed questionnaires in two sessions 48 hours apart. During the second session, the students performed the examination. The questionnaires used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory. DHEA, cortisol, anxiety and negative affect showed an anticipatory rise before the examination (all ps < 0.001). This rise of DHEA and cortisol was associated with lower positive affect (p = 0.001 and p = 0.043, respectively). However, only the DHEA anticipatory levels were linked to poorer examination marks (p = 0.020). Higher levels of the DHEA/cortisol ratio in anticipation of the examination were related to lower scores on the support-seeking strategy (p = 0.022). There was no association between DHEA and cortisol levels and anxiety, negative affect, active and avoidant coping strategies, or academic record. These results suggest that how DHEA and cortisol respond in anticipation of examination stress significantly impacts students' emotional well-being during examination periods and how they cope with stress. They also suggest that levels of DHEA in anticipation of an academic stressor have detrimental effects on stress management.

Daily cortisol variations are predicted proximally by self-efficacy beliefs at work and indirectly by perceived self-regulatory abilities in managing negative emotions

In the present ecological study, we analyzed the relations of a set of self-efficacy beliefs at work to parameters of diurnal cortisol variation. Specifically, using data collected during two consecutive working days from 166 workers, we tested a mediation model positing social and work-related self-efficacy beliefs as mediators of the relations between self-regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions and cortisol indicators. Results from the multilevel mediation analyses supported the proposed model for work-related self-efficacy, which resulted as a significant mediator of the relation between self-regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions and the overall cortisol daily production indexed by computing the area under the curve with respect to the ground. Findings suggest the importance of self-efficacy beliefs for workers' physiological adjustment. Theoretical and practical contributions of the findings are discussed.

Teachers' daily physiological stress and positive affect in relation to their general occupational well-being

BACKGROUND

Teachers' stress, affect and general occupational well-being influence their teaching and their students. However, how teachers' daily physiological stress and positive affect are related in the classroom is unknown. To reduce teachers' stress and enhance their positive affect, it is crucial to understand how occupational well-being relates to stress and affect.

AIM

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between teachers' daily physiological stress and positive affect in authentic classroom settings and the roles played by teachers' self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of school climate and burnout symptoms in daily stress and affect.

SAMPLE

The sample consisted of 45 classroom teachers.

METHOD

Daily physiological stress was assessed by measuring salivary cortisol levels three times in two days. Positive affect was reported by experience sampling at the same time that cortisol was collected. Questionnaires were used to assess self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of school climate and burnout symptoms. Three-level modelling with random intercepts and slopes was used to analyse the relationships between daily stress and affect and the effect of teachers' general occupational well-being on stress and affect.

RESULTS

No relationships were evident between teachers' physiological stress and positive affect or between daily changes of stress and affect. Self-efficacy beliefs were related to lower stress and higher affect in the middle of the school day. Having sufficient school resources were related to higher positive affect. Teachers' burnout symptoms were associated with lower positive affect.

CONCLUSIONS

We emphasize the potential for self-efficacy and perceptions of school resources as targets for intervening in teachers' stress and affect.

Need strength, perceived need support, stress symptomatology, and performance in the context of oral exams: A typological approach

Introduction

Based on self-determination theory, we investigated whether examinees are classifiable into profiles based on basic need strength and perceived need support that differ in stress parameters and achievement in the context of a standardized oral exam.

Methods

92 students reported their basic need strength before and perceived need support provided by the examiner once after the exam. Students indicated their emotions and stress perception at four measurement points and we measured their saliva cortisol concurrently, analyzing stress-related changes over time.

Results

Latent class analyses revealed two higher-quality (low/high, high/high) and two lower-quality (low/low, high/low) need strength/need support classes. Physio-affective stress development was typical of exam situations. Higher-quality classes that met or exceeded the needs displayed more beneficial stress and emotion response patterns than lower-quality classes. Gain-related emotions mediated achievement in the higher-quality classes.

Discussion

Need-supportive examiners can promote student well-being and achievement when they succeed in providing high need satisfaction.

Online Learning Stress and Chinese College Students' Academic Coping during COVID-19: The Role of Academic Hope and Academic Self-Efficacy

Colleges around the world have adopted emergency online learning to continue with teaching and learning activities during COVID-19. Existing research has indicated that this teaching mode is perceived negatively by many college students. The difficulty students encounter in emergency online learning can adversely affect their mental health and academic performance. To shed further light on how emergency online learning may have impeded college students' academic functioning and adjustment, this study examined the association between online learning stress and academic coping and the mediating roles of academic self-efficacy and academic hope. It was conducted in early 2021, a year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Ninety-nine Chinese college students in Hong Kong were recruited and they completed an online questionnaire for this study. Results showed that online learning stress was negatively associated with approach academic coping and social support seeking, and the associations were mediated by academic hope. On the other hand, online learning stress was positively associated with avoidance academic coping, which was not mediated by academic hope. The mediation effects of academic self-efficacy were all non-significant. In sum, college students used more passive and maladaptive coping to handle academic problems when they experienced more online learning stress, and this was partly explained by lower levels of academic hope.

A Review of Psychological Stress among Students and Its Assessment Using Salivary Biomarkers

Numerous psychoneuroimmune factors participate in complex bodily reactions to psychological stress, and some of them can be easily and non-invasively measured in saliva (cortisol, alpha-amylase, proinflammatory cytokines). Cortisol plays a crucial role in the stress response; thus, stressful events (academic examinations, cardiac surgery, dental procedures) are accompanied by an increase in cortisol levels. (A correlation between cortisol blood levels and salivary values has already been confirmed, particularly during stress). Academic stress is defined as everyday stress among students that has an impact on aspects of their psychological and physiological well-being. For example, exams are considered one of the most acute stressful experiences for students. The strength of the association between academic self-efficacy, psychological stress, and anxiety depends on a variety of factors: the type of academic challenge (e.g., oral exam), the presence of an audience, etc. Higher stress levels were predominantly recorded among younger students, primarily regarding their academic tasks and concerns (grades, exams, competing with peers for grades, fear of failing the academic year, etc.). The measurement of stress levels during academic stress can improve our understanding of the character and influence of stressful events in populations of students, preventing adverse reactions to long-term stress, such as a decreased immune response and increased anxiety.

Predictors of the Quality of Life of University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Quality of life (QOL) is a complex and multifaceted concept that has been used to study different aspects of people's lives, including physical and psychological wellbeing, financial independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and living situation. In this study, we aimed to assess the QOL of a group of Spanish university students and identify associated factors.

METHOD

We completed a cross-sectional study of the QOL of 868 university students using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. In addition, data regarding sociodemographic information and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short version), diet (Spanish Index of Healthy Eating), alcohol consumption (CAGE questionnaire) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 66.2% of participants assessed their QOL positively, while 58.8% favorably evaluated their overall health. Students reported the highest scores for the physical health domain of QOL, whereas they gave the lowest scores for the psychological health domain. Age was inversely associated with QOL. Higher self-esteem and satisfaction with academic performance, as well as sleep and diet quality, were directly associated with higher QOL. The physical health domain of QOL was scored more highly by participants who had a healthy body weight or those who reported moderate levels of physical activity. Higher scores in the social relationships domain of QOL were directly linked to alcohol intake, smoking and low body weight in addition to being inversely associated with screen time. The psychological domain of QOL was lower for those who were overweight or lived alone.

CONCLUSION

Many sociodemographic, academic and behavioral variables are associated with university students' QOL. The present findings underscore the need to direct further initiatives toward identifying and overcoming barriers to increased QOL for university students.

The dynamic experience of taking an examination: Ever changing cortisol and expectancy for success

BACKGROUND

This study examined the relations between students' expectancies for success and a physiological component of test anxiety, salivary cortisol, during an authentic testing setting.

AIMS

The aim of the study was to better understand the connection between shifts in students' control appraisals and changes in the physiological component of test anxiety.

SAMPLE

The study comprised 45 undergraduate engineering majors in the United States.

METHODS

Survey data concerning students' expectancy for success and saliva samples were taken before, during and after the practice midterm examination prior to their actual in-class examination.

RESULTS

Students' expectancy for success declined during the examination while cortisol levels declined from the beginning to middle of the examination and began to increase again as a function of time. Although students' initial levels of expectancy for success and cortisol were not correlated, there was a negative relation between change in cortisol and change in expectancy for success.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates a relation between salivary cortisol, a physiological component of test anxiety and students' expectancy for success in an authentic testing context. Most students saw a decrease in cortisol during the examination, suggesting anticipatory anxiety prior to the test and a return to homeostasis as the examination progressed. Some students, however, did not see a declination in cortisol, suggesting they may not have recovered from pre-examination anxiety. The negative relation between change in cortisol and expectancy for success suggests that students who had the greatest decrease in expectancy for success saw the smallest recovery in cortisol.

Romantic partner embraces reduce cortisol release after acute stress induction in women but not in men

Stress is omnipresent in our everyday lives. It is therefore critical to identify potential stress-buffering behaviors that can help to prevent the negative effects of acute stress in daily life. Massages, a form of social touch, are an effective buffer against both the endocrinological and sympathetic stress response in women. However, for other forms of social touch, potential stress-buffering effects have not been investigated in detail. Furthermore, the possible stress-buffering effects of social touch on men have not been researched so far. The present study focused on embracing, one of the most common forms of social touch across many cultures. We used a short-term embrace between romantic partners as a social touch intervention prior to the induction of acute stress via the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test. Women who embraced their partner prior to being stressed showed a reduced cortisol response compared to a control group in which no embrace occurred. No stress-buffering effect could be observed in men. No differences between the embrace and control group were observed regarding sympathetic nervous system activation measured via blood pressure or subjective affect ratings. These findings suggest that in women, short-term embraces prior to stressful social situations such as examinations or stressful interviews can reduce the cortisol response in that situation.

Salivary Morning Cortisol as a Potential Predictor for High Academic Stress Level in Dental Students: A Preliminary Study

Students experience different levels of acute and chronic stress during the academic year. Selected salivary biochemical parameters change as a result of stress. Our preliminary study aimed to indicate possible links between alterations in the salivary biochemical parameters (such as cortisol and total antioxidant status) and different accompanying stress levels in dental students during the academic year. The study group consisted of 20 volunteer dental students at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences—both genders, aged 20–26 years. Students were asked to fill in the electronic version of the author’s survey on experiencing and coping with stress. Samples of unstimulated saliva were collected in the morning and late evening at four-time points: in the middle of the academic year, during the examination period, at the beginning of the academic year, and in the middle of the following academic year, together with a determination of currently experienced stress on the Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11. According to the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, morning levels of the hormone in saliva were much higher than in the evening. In evening cortisol, significant differences were observed during the studied periods—the highest level was found at the beginning of the academic year. However, the morning cortisol concentrations correlated more strongly with the declared stress levels and showed better predictability for high-stress levels. Salivary morning cortisol could be a potential marker of academic stress levels. Further studies are needed on a larger group to confirm.

Assessment of blood pressure measurement skills in second-year medical students after ongoing simulation-based education and practice

BACKGROUND

Simulation-Based Education (SBE) simulates specific physiological characteristics of a patient, allowing student practice in developing clinical skills and assessment of skill competency. Literature is limited regarding SBE's effectiveness in curriculum enrichment. This study investigated Blood Pressure (BP) measuring proficiency of second-year medical students with first-year SBE training and a second-year review, by comparing data from Simulation-Based assessments in 2017 and 2019.

METHODS

Second-year medical students measured BP on three manikin arms, associated with distinct clinical contexts (healthy young male, young female experiencing hypotension, and older male suffering hypertension and diabetes). All manikins' BP settings were independent of clinical context. In January 2019, 108 second-year medical students who received traditional training, as well as SBE in 2017 and Simulation-Based practice in 2018, were divided into four groups (n = 32, 24, 24, and 28), with two groups each assessed on consecutive days. The proportions of correct BP values in each of three contexts were compared between experiments in 2017 and 2019. Additionally, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure results were stratified into three groups: lower than setting value, correct, and higher than setting vgalue, with proportions for each group compared for the 2017 and 2019 studies using Fisher's Exact Tests.

RESULTS

In Case Two and Three, the proportion of correct BP values significantly increased from 2017 (Case Two: 51%; Case Three: 55%) to 2019 (Case Two: 73%; Case Three: 75%). Additionally, proportions of students who reported lower SBP values than setting values were significantly decreased in Case One and Two, with five failing all contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

Second-year student BP measurement skills were improved, not only due to repeated Simulation-Based practice but advancing basic science knowledge and mastery experience in ongoing curriculum. Simulation-Based assessment provided an effective tool for evaluating skill retention and proficiency in medical training.

Not just words! Effects of a light-touch randomized encouragement intervention on students' exam grades, self-efficacy, motivation, and test anxiety

Motivated by the self-determination theory of psychology, we investigate how simple school practices can forge students’ engagement with the academic aspect of school life. We carried out a large-scale preregistered randomized field experiment with a crossover design, involving all the students of the University of Szeged in Hungary. Our intervention consisted of an automated encouragement message that praised students’ past achievements and signaled trust in their success. The treated students received encouragement messages before their exam via two channels: e-mail and SMS message. The control students did not receive any encouragement. Our primary analysis compared the treated and control students’ end-of-semester exam grades, obtained from the university’s registry. Our secondary analysis explored the difference between the treated and control students’ self-efficacy, motivation, and test anxiety, obtained from an online survey before students’ exams. We did not find an average treatment effect on students’ exam grades. However, in the subsample of those who answered the endline survey, the treated students reported higher self-efficacy than the control students. The treatment affected students’ motivation before their first exam—but not before their second—and did not affect students’ test anxiety. Our results indicate that automated encouragement messages sent shortly before exams do not boost students’ exam grades, but they do increase self-efficacy. These results contribute to understanding the self-efficacy mechanism through which future encouragement campaigns might exert their effect. We conclude that encouraging students and raising their self-efficacy might create a school climate that better engages students with the academic aspect of school life.

Psychosocial determinants of anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic

Pandemic health threats can cause considerable anxiety, but not all individuals react similarly. To understand the sources of this variability, we applied a theoretical model developed during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 to quantify relationships among intolerance of uncertainty, stress appraisals, and coping style that predict anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 1579 U.S. Amazon Mechanical Turk workers in April 2020. Using structural equation modeling, we found that individuals who were more intolerant of uncertainty reported higher appraisals of threat, stress, and other-control, which predicted higher anxiety when emotion-focused coping was engaged, and lower anxiety when problem-focused coping was engaged. Political affiliation moderated these effects, such that conservatives relied more on self-control and other-control appraisals to mitigate anxiety than independents or liberals. These results show that how people appraise and cope with their stress interacts with political ideology to shape anxiety in the face of a global health threat.

Postgraduate nursing students' perceptions of consensus marking with online oral vivas: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Authentic assessment design that fosters self-reflection and evaluation seeks to develop evaluative judgement; a capability required of registered nurses. A new method of grading, known as consensus marking, was introduced to an online oral viva that required post-graduate nursing students to evaluate and reflect on their performance and grade their level of competence in collaboration with the assessor. This study aimed to explore postgraduate nursing students' perceptions about their experience of online oral viva examination and the use of consensus marking.

DESIGN

A qualitative study using retrospective student interviews.

METHODS

A retrospective, thematic analysis of open-ended questions from students who had participated in an online viva using consensus marking that was recorded for assessment and quality improvement.

RESULTS

Postgraduate emergency nursing students perceived that the online viva while creating some anxiety was relatable to their workplace and overall, they preferred this assessment method to others. Students perceived that consensus marking enabled self-evaluation and reflection provided an opportunity for beneficial critical reflective discussions, and facilitated a positive shift in the power dynamics between the student and assessor.

CONCLUSIONS

The online oral vivas provided an authentic assessment method that, despite causing anxiety, was preferred to written assessment. The students perceived that consensus marking provided an opportunity to reflect and engage in bidirectional feedback dialogue with the assessor in a collegial discussion. Further research is required to evaluate the use of consensus marking in other assessment designs.

Konzeptualisierung und Diagnostik von Präsentationskompetenz

Dieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation (GIO)“ stellt einen konzeptionellen Rahmen der Präsentationskompetenz vor, auf dessen Basis ein Überblick zu validierten deutschsprachigen Instrumenten zur Erfassung von Präsentationskompetenz gegeben wird. Dieser umfasst sowohl Fremd- als auch Selbsteinschätzungsverfahren. Trotz der Bedeutsamkeit des Präsentierens sowohl im beruflichen als auch im (hoch)schulischen Kontext liegt bisher keine einheitliche Konzeptualisierung von Präsentationskompetenz vor. Zudem mangelt es an Ansätzen, die die Perspektiven unterschiedlicher Disziplinen, wie der Psychologie oder der Rhetorik, berücksichtigen. Basierend auf existierender Forschung wird mit Hilfe der beiden Disziplinen ein übergeordneter konzeptioneller Rahmen abgeleitet, der einen disziplinübergreifenden und differenzierten Zugriff auf die Präsentationskompetenz ermöglicht und sich auf den gesamten Arbeits- und Organisationskontext übertragen lässt. Den Abschluss des Beitrags bilden Implikationen zur spezifischen Erfassung und bedarfsorientierten Förderungen von Präsentationskompetenz.

Impact of Divergent Thinking Training on Teenagers' Emotion and Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Currently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are experiencing a decrease in self-efficacy and an increase in mental illness. Though previous studies have shown that self-efficacy and divergent thinking training are positively related, little is known about the impact of divergent thinking training on self-efficacy and emotions. Therefore, our study seeks this answer to support teenagers injured psychologically during disastrous periods. We randomly assigned 70 students to a 2 (time: pretest, post-test) × 2 (groups: divergent thinking training, controlled) mixed design. Participants in the experimental group were given a 9-day divergent thinking training with the theme of "writing down 10 novel functions of the mask," while those in the control group spent 10 min each day recording what they ate. The self-efficacy, anxiety, depression, and stress of two groups were measured before and after training. Results showed that, compared to the control group, self-efficacy ceased decreasing while anxiety decreased for the experimental group. These findings confirm the positive effect of divergent thinking on teenagers. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Depressive Symptoms in Swiss University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Correlates

Background: COVID-19 containment measures and the uncertainties associated with the pandemic may have contributed to changes in mental health risks and mental health problems in university students. Due to the high burden of the disease, depression is of particular concern. However, knowledge about the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Swiss university students during the pandemic is limited. We therefore assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their change during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large sample of Swiss university students. Methods: We assessed depressive symptoms in two cross-sectional cohorts of university students (n = 3571) in spring and autumn 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared them with a matched sample of the Swiss national population (n = 2328). Binary logistic regression models estimated prevalence with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Adjusted prevalence of depressive symptoms in female (30.8% (95% CI: 28.6–33.0)) and male students (24.8% (95% CI: 21.7–28.1)) was substantially higher than in the matching female (10.9% (95% CI: 8.9–13.2)) and male (8.5% (6.6–11.0)) pre-pandemic national population. Depressive symptoms in the two consecutive student cohorts did not significantly differ. Conclusions: More than a quarter of Swiss university students reported depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was substantially higher as compared to the matched general population. Universities should introduce measures to support students in such times of crisis and gain an understanding of the factors impacting mental health positively or negatively and related to university structures and procedures.

'Brain fag': a syndrome associated with 'overstudy' and mental exhaustion in 19th century Britain

The relationship between mental exhaustion and somatic sensations has been described across cultures for millennia, including the contextual relationship with studying and learning. In 19th century Britain, concern regarding the impact of 'excessive' study ('overstudy') and the mental impact on 'brainworkers' led to the coining of the term 'Brain Fag' in 1850. Anxiety became heightened following the promulgation of the Education Acts from 1870 with compulsory child education. This was felt to be a public health crisis with social class distinctions. Brain fag anxiety subsequently transmitted across the British colonies while declining in Britain. Over a century later, this linguistic and colonial residue was observed in British West Africa where it was described as a culture bound syndrome.

Understanding Emotion-Related Processes in Classroom Activities Through Functional Measurements

To improve educational research focusing on such complex phenomenon as the interaction of emotion-related processes (affects) and students’ learning classroom activities, the collaboration between educational studies and neurosciences appears particularly relevant. Stress or “stress response” being an emotion-related psychological process (Gross, 2015) and having a neurobiological origin (Selye, 1956) is mostly studied in neurophysiological research using laboratory controlled objective measurements. One of such methods, heart rate variability (HRV) is considered as a reliable neurobiological correlate of stress response as the heart and the brain are directly and indirectly connected, which is advanced by the neurovisceral integration model (Thayer and Lane, 2000, 2009). This article presents an empirical research that uses a neurophysiological HRV method of wireless measurement of stress response in students of 11–12 years old (N = 12) during real-life classroom (oral and written) assessment activities and in five different lessons. The stress data were confronted to the analysis of the students’ behavior and the nature of classroom events through a video-based classroom observation. The results indicate that cardiovascular correlates of parasympathetic activity are instantaneous markers of stress response and correspond to real contextual elements of classroom assessment activities, among which the most stressful are writing a short test, an oral reply to the question of the teacher, putting up hand to reply, etc. The stressful factors were highlighted, grouped and ranked. The longest stress duration was registered for oral reply at the blackboard. The total stress duration covered 38.8% of time spent in the classroom. This finding suggests that classroom assessment activities are stressful in young students as possibly representing social evaluation.