Running Head: KATYA CASE STUDY

PROJECT 3 KATYA CASE STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Robert Daniell
Pasadena City College

This case study is about a college freshman named Katya. She is a good student and maintains a 3.0
grade point average. Katya has a chemistry exam coming up in two days. If Katya does not perform well on this
exam she will lose her scholarship. Normally, students like Katya who are good students and spend time
studying would not have much to worry about. However, Katya suffers from test anxiety. She believes that
studying will not make any difference in her performance on the test. Her anxiety is so bad that she recently had
a panic attack. Katya needs help.
Katya has anxiety, and because chemistry is very mathematical, I would argue that Katya has a specific
type of test anxiety called math anxiety. While researching for this paper, I came across an interesting article
about math anxiety entitled Decreasing Math Anxiety in College Students.i According to author Andrew Perry
(2004) the article describes math anxiety symptoms as sweaty palms, nauseous, and heart palpations, and
paralysis of thought. The problem is also more common than I expected. The article states 85% of this
author's students who take introductory mathematics classes claim to feel at least mild math anxiety.
It is important for Katya to know that what she suffers from both has a name and is not uncommon.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way deal with or cure math anxiety. To cope with test anxiety and math anxiety,
college students can approach the problem from a variety of ways. I will discuss a few of the recommendations
that the Perry discusses in his article, as well as a few of my own recommendations from my personal
experience. One of the most important steps Katya can take is to have a positive attitude and a positive outlook
on her test. The article recommends that students think about a time when they had a positive experience with
math. In Katyas case, she could remember a time when she had a positive experience with chemistry. As Perry
(2004) explains thinking about this happy experience, and especially writing about it, reminds an individual
that he or she has the potential to be successful in mathematics, and serves as an inspiration. In my own

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experience, I always try and keep a positive attitude when I am taking an important test. I remind myself that I
have spent time studying and preparing for the test, and I am going to reach my potential. During the test, when
there are problems that I dont know, I try not to dwell on those problems. I save those problems for later and
spend time focusing on the problems and questions that I feel successful on. This is not only a good test taking
strategy, but it allows me to stay positive and maintain my successful attitude, which usually translates into
success on the test.
Of course, thinking positively will only help if she is prepared for the test and knows the content. Katya
is clearly spending time studying, but I wonder if there are additional actions she could be taking during class to
help her learn the material. One of the recommendations Perry (2004) mentions is that students should ask
questions during class, which will help ease anxiety and frustration. Students can help the situation by asking
questions instead of getting anxious and aggravated. This also helps out in class discussion and might benefit
another student who wanted to ask a question but didn't. It's plain and simple. If everyone works together in the
classroom, math anxiety can be lessened immensely. Many times I have been too timid to ask questions in
class. I recommend that Katya tell herself that if she has a question most likely other students will benefit from
that same question. Most likely there are even students who have the exact same question but are too afraid to
ask (like I was).
My final recommendation to Katya is to seek professional help if the problem does not get better or
becomes even more serious. Often, instead of seeking professional help college students might turn to drugs or
alcohol, or some other self-destructive outlet to help them deal with their anxiety. Students who drink to ease
anxiety may face more negative consequences than students who drink recreationally or socially. In a study
from the University at Buffaloii a link was found to high anxiety students who drink and negative alcohol
consequences. According to Pat Donovan (2013) high levels of general anxiety significantly predicted both
drinking-to-cope behavior and negative alcohol consequences. The negative consequences the article

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mentions include blacking out, lower grades, and missing class. It is important for Katya to seek professional
help before turning to alcohol or drugs.
In conclusion, I think Katyas anxiety is serious. Because she is suffering this anxiety in a chemistry
class (which are generally very mathematical and abstract) I think she shows symptoms of math anxiety. The
recommendations I have made for her include staying positive and even writing about a happy experience that
she has had in a in a chemistry or math class. She should also ask questions in class to help her understand the
content. Lastly, if her anxiety does not improve or becomes more severe I recommend that she seeks
professional help, both to get better and to avoid the negative outcomes of drug and alcohol use.

i Perry, A. (2004, June 1). Decreasing Math Anxiety in College Students. Retrieved July 2, 2015.

ii Donovan, P. (2013, January 30). College Students Who Drink to Reduce Anxiety May Face Special Dangers.
Retrieved July 2, 2015.