Stress Less, Score More: Do Stress Relief Items Improve Test Performance?

Overview

For our project, we found out if using stress-relieving items can help students perform better on tests. To explore this, we gathered 30 7th and 8th graders and split them into two groups. The experimental groups were provided stress-relieving items (stress balls, pop-its, and tangles) while they study, while the control groups used none. After the study period, we gave out a pre-survey before testing began, and after the test is over the test subjects were given a post-survey. We then gathered the results through pre and post survey, as well as the test, and compared which group performed better in terms of test scores and nervousness levels. This helped us see if the stress-relief tools positively impacted our experimental groups’ performance. The experimental group achieved a significantly higher test score of 8.0/9 than the control group which had 6.47/9. The results of the experiment supported the hypothesis that we could reject the null hypothesis, suggesting that stress-relieving items likely improve test taking abilities for middle schoolers. These results are supported by the Sensory Integration Theory, indicating that tactile manipulatives help reduce sensory distractions and improve focus. In the future and real world, stress-relieving items can help students be more focused which will affect their academic performance positively.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Behavioral & Social Sciences (Junior Division) · Entry J-03-10

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