Reports given to Giselle Soares and Marília Zaluar Guimarães
CpE Network
Reports given to Giselle Soares and Marília Zaluar Guimarães
CpE Network
PHOTO: MARCELO CAMARGO/AGÊNCIA BRASIL
The test takes place every year, but each year is unique for those who dream of performing well on the National High School Exam (ENEM) and entering a higher education program. Preparation is like that of a marathon: it requires discipline and consistent study practices and generates great anxiety in the final stretch. With this year’s ENEM approaching, Yvirá shares two stories that can help teachers and students in this process.
The first, from an educator, reinforces the importance of teachers in their role of welcoming, listening, and guiding students. The second story, from a neuropsychologist, shows how emotional self-regulation is essential in high-stress situations like this—even if self-regulation is not yet fully developed in adolescence.
Rafaela Oliveira Araújo
Graduated in Biological Sciences, Biology teacher in the state education network of Paraíba state, master in Cellular and Molecular Biology (Federal University of Paraíba, UFPB ) and PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience and Behavior (UFPB)
“The preparation period for the National High School Exam (ENEM) is, for most students, a time marked by great psychological pressure. Fear of forgetting the content, being late on test day, or failing to meet one’s own and family’s expectations are frequently reported feelings. Insecurity is the rule, not the exception. As a teacher in a public institution, I experience this burden on students daily, both in regular high school and in Youth and Adult Education (EJA). I always try to emphasize that the ENEM, while important, does not define anyone’s worth. I emphasize that there are other opportunities, other paths, and that the future is not limited to a single test.
However, the immediacy typical of youth causes many to view the exam as their “only opportunity.” This increases stress and fear of failure. In these situations, our role as educators is to welcome, listen, and guide. Often, a word of encouragement, a frank conversation, or even a moment of relaxation in class can help alleviate anxiety. Even so, we know that the support we offer has limits.
The emotional and psychological demands of an exam like the ENEM require specialized support, beyond the confines of teaching, to address psychological issues. This is still inaccessible to most young people. Many students lack the means to seek psychological counseling, and therefore, it would be extremely beneficial if this support were available within the school system itself.
After taking the exam, it is common to hear that nervousness was the main factor affecting performance. Many students believe they could have achieved better results if they had been able to control their anxiety, demonstrating the urgency of investing in strategies to care for students’ mental health, understanding that academic performance is directly related to emotional well-being.
It is essential that preparation for the ENEM be considered comprehensively. Studying the content must be accompanied by actions aimed at psychological balance, seeking to teach strategies for self-control, breathing, and time management. Only in this way will it be possible to offer students a more equitable environment to face the exam, combining knowledge, confidence, and emotional balance.
Rochele Paz Fonseca
Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Graduate Program in Child and Adolescent Health and member of the Board of Directors of the International Neuropsychological Society – INS
“Emotional self-regulation involves self-monitoring and a high degree of inhibitory control, as well as self-awareness of emotions—that is, executive functions, more closely linked to the complex neural circuits located in the frontal lobe. These functions are responsible for managing our mental energy and distributing it across multiple tasks that have some degree of novelty and for which we cannot use our autopilot.
In adolescence, emotional self-regulation is not yet fully mature and requires more effort to be efficient and sufficient in situations of high stress and demand. The first step to controlling and effectively using emotional self-regulation is to recognize that the moment involves complex emotions and anxiety.
The second step requires anxiety management strategies, such as deep diaphragmatic breathing, exhaling in six short steps, as well as thinking about what is productive or unproductive now, among others.
The third step is to remember the goals to be achieved with the upcoming assessment, such as gaining admission to the university program of your choice and choosing an academic and professional career that aligns with your values.
The fourth step involves appreciating the journey to the exam with gratitude, accepting the limitations of what was not studied or explored in depth.
Sustained attention, popularly known as concentration, depends on emotional regulation. Therefore, maintaining it is crucial for optimal performance across all cognitive functions, such as memory. Recalling information or remembering something studied requires a minimal relaxation mechanism.
Executive functions which are more dependent on emotion need to be stimulated in daily life, through confrontation and exposure to situations and activities that demand them more, such as different ENEM practice exams. With each exposure, desensitization will increase—that is, habituation to the stimulus will occur, and it will no longer trigger adverse reactions such as anxiety, or its impact will be increasingly reduced.
An important resource for learning emotional self-regulation is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. There is evidence of improvements in emotional and attentional processing with this therapeutic approach, with a primary focus on reducing anxiety and developing one’s own resources for identifying and managing predominantly negative emotions.
Emotional self-regulation is, therefore, a set of skills that can be honed throughout life and should be the target of constant self-awareness and self-perception.
