In this episode of The Research to Practice Gap, Dr. Helen Flores speaks with Tabitha Lim about the impact of high-stakes testing on student learning, stress, and well-being. Drawing from neuroscience, embodied cognition, and her experiences in both Malaysia and the United States, Tabitha shares practical strategies educators can use to help students regulate stress, improve memory and retrieval, and create calmer learning environments during high-pressure academic periods. The conversation explores the connection between emotions, physiology, and learning—and why supporting student well-being is essential for meaningful academic success.

Tabitha Lim

TLS International School

TNT Consultancy

Resources for Teachers:

Battling Test Anxiety

Brain Targeted Teaching (by Dr. Mariale Hardiman)

Embodied Learning: How To Bring Movement Into the Classroom, and Why It Matters

Preparing Students for Assessments

Teaching About Stress and the Brain (Elementary)

Teaching About Stress and the Brain (Secondary)

You Aren’t at the Mercy of Your Emotions: Your Brain Creates Them

Research & Background:

Education in Malaysia

Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett

Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

The Psychological Toll of High Stakes Testing

Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)

The Standardized Tests Debate

Third Grade Retention Laws and Effects

Heissel, J. A., Adam, E. K., Doleac, J. L., Figlio, D. N., & Meer, J. (2021). Testing, stress, and performance: How students respond physiologically to high-stakes testing.

Macedonia, M. (2019). Embodied learning: Why at school the mind needs the body. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2098.

Artwork and logo by The Interior Gaze

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