Research of the Mental States of Anxiety of Fourth-Graders in Secondary Schools during the Progression of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the article is to study the mental states factors of primary school pupils’ anxiety during the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. The psychological factors of school anxiety and fears are theoretically substantiated. The methodological starting points of the empirical study are distinguished. The combination of psychological and physiological semantic parameters of the phenomenon is taken into account. Valid psychodiagnostic methods were used. The structure of mental states of pupils’ anxiety, which consisted of five main factors F1-F5 (∑D = 76.371; V = 20.005), was studied by factor analysis of ANOVA. It is established that the principal is the mental state F1 “School anxiety” (D = 38.029; V = 9.962), which is interrelated with the mental state F4 “Self-realization anxiety” (D = 9.711; V = 2.544) (rs=-.443; p≤.01) and the mental state F2 “Emotional-expressive anxiety” (D=16.057; V=4.206) (rs=.373; p≤.01). It was established and grounded that the mental state F5 “Isolation-physiological anxiety” (D=4.529; V=1.186) is suicidal. It is generalized that the obtained empirical results and theoretical substantiations will promote: realization of the decision of educational problems in primary school age; implementation of the obtained results in preventive and corrective-developmental work; will reduce anxiety and affect the formation of adequate behavior of fourth-graders of secondary education.