Impact Of Anxiety Caused By The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Cognitive Activities Of Primary School Students

This study aimed to identify the level of anxiety caused by the emerging coronavirus pandemic in primary school Pupils and its relationship to some cognitive activities. Two hundred students from fifth graders (age: 10.3 ± 3.23) volunteered to participate in the study. The descriptive correlative approach was used to find out the relationship between anxiety caused by the emerging coronavirus pandemic and some cognitive activities, in addition to the comparative descriptive approach to compare the students who suffer from anxiety caused by the Coronavirus pandemic and students who did not suffer from this anxiety at the level of cognitive activities. The working memory test was applied as an indicator of some cognitive activities, which included four dimensions (Phonological Loop- Visual Spatial Sketch Pad- Central Executive- Episodic buffer). In addition to the scale of anxiety caused by the emerging coronavirus pandemic, which included three dimensions (the physiological dimension - the psychological dimension - the cognitive dimension). Results showed that there were statistically significant differences in some cognitive activities (working memory tasks) among students with high and low anxiety due to the Corona pandemic, and there was a negative correlation between anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic and cognitive activities. The study suggested that it is necessary to prepare a set of educational plans directed at reducing anxiety caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, in addition to preparing appropriate treatment programs to improve and raise the efficiency of working memory for primary school students who suffer from anxiety caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.