School-related stress and cognitive performance: A mood-induction study

• A school-related stressor can induce a negative mood on students.
• Basic academic performance decreases after a school-related stressor induced negative mood.
• Positive guided imagery reduces the effects of school-related stressor on mood and performance.
• Two subgroups of students are identified with different degrees of school adaptation.
• Students with higher school adaptation were more affected by mood induction and positive guided imagery.

Previous research indicates that mood can have both negative and positive effects on students' cognitive processes, and that school-related stressors may negatively impact on academic performance. However, little is known about the role of negative mood specifically originating from stressful situations experienced in the school setting in children's cognitive performance. This study aims to assess 1) the effect of viewing a film clip of a school-related stressor on students' mood, and to test whether a positive guided imagery (PGI) can reduce it; 2) the effect of a mood-induction procedure (MIP) and PGI on basic academic performance; 3) if students with different degrees of school adaptation perform differently after experiencing the MIP and PGI. Participants were 205 students (103 girls) aged between 8 and 13 years, recruited in primary and lower secondary schools in Northern Italy. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups undergoing: 1) only MIP, and 2) MIP followed by PGI. Students completed mood questionnaires and a basic processing speed math task before and after the mood induction. In addition, they were asked to report on their school anxiety, school stress manifestation, and quality of the student–teacher relationship via self-report questionnaires. Both the MIP and the PGI proved to be effective. Students' basic academic performance significantly decreased in the MIP group, but not in the PGI group. Participants with higher school adaptation were more affected by the MIP and PGI compared to children with lower school adaptation. The discussion addresses the significance of these results for theory on the effects of mood on students' learning as well as for practice in educational settings.