Can lavender aromatherapy help pupils reduce anxiety in tests?

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2019 in the subject Didactics - Common Didactics, Educational Objectives, Methods, Department of teacher education, language: English, abstract: The application of plant essential oils in aromatherapy has been recorded for thousands of years and knowledge of the distillation and application of essential oils to improve general well-being and specific health problems was introduced into Europe as early as the 10th century. It is generally agreed on that essential oils have positive effects on a variety of health concerns. However, there is no research on the impact of such oils in treating pupils at school. This study aims at testing an innovative pedagogical method, namely employing essential oils at school with the aim to reduce maths anxiety.

A lavender aromatherapy was used in the K-12 curriculum before and during problem-solving activities in maths. The experimental group was confined in an air-conditioned room with three pieces of aroma humidifier to centralize the effect of lavender oil placed in strategic airflow ends. The control group was given the same maths problems simultaneously without lavender aromatherapy in a separate building. The results will give reason to argue that aromatherapy is a fast and safe alternative method to reduce anxiety in tests at school.