Significant Effect Size Research Articles

Does rTMS improve cognitive function in age‐related neurodegenerative diseases? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AbstractBackgroundHigh‐frequency, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeted over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is widely used in research to promote neuroplasticity and cognitive enhancement. RTMS is a promising intervention to tackle cognitive decline in people living with age‐related neurodegenerative diseases. However, there is currently no systematic evidence examining the effects of DLPFC‐targeted, high‐frequency rTMS on cognitive function in this population. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and moderators of this treatment intervention.MethodA comprehensive literature search of five electronic databases was performed to identify articles published before October, 2022. Following PRISMA guidelines, the identified articles were screened, data was extracted, and the methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane tool, Risk of Bias 2 (ROB2). Meta‐analyses were performed using R Studio (v4.1.2).ResultSixteen studies involving 474 participants met the inclusion criteria, of which 8 studies measured global cognitive function. The results from the random‐effects meta‐analysis showed rTMS significantly improved global cognitive function relative to control groups shown by a large, significant effect size (g = 1.39, 95% CI, 0.34‐2.43; p = .017). No significant effects were found between subgroups or for individual cognitive domains.ConclusionHigh‐frequency rTMS, targeted over the DLPFC, appears to improve global cognitive function in people living with age‐related neurodegenerative diseases. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies included, and high between‐study heterogeneity.

Assessing risk taking and decision making associated with late‐life onset mild psychotics symptoms in cognitively normal older adults

AbstractBackgroundLate‐life onset psychosis assessed in the Mild Behavioral Impairment framework (MBI‐psychosis) is a risk factor for dementia and known to be associated with impaired reasoning and memory in people without dementia. There is evidence that psychotic symptoms across diagnostic boundaries share some common genetic and neuropsychological correlates. In this study we aimed to determine whether MBI‐psychosis is associated cognitive deficits typically associated with other psychoses. To do this, we examined the relationship between MBI‐psychosis and scores on a specialised decision making and risk‐taking test, the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT), performance on which is impaired in people with earlier life psychotic syndromes.Method476 participants were drawn from the online PROTECT registry on the basis of the Mild Behavioural Impairment Checklist (MBI‐C) ratings indicating psychosis and invited to complete the Cambridge Gambling Task. The association between performance on six CGT outcome measures, assessing elements of risk taking and decision making, and MBI‐psychosis was tested using linear regression (controlling for age, sex and education level).ResultOverall, there was little evidence of a substantial impact of MBI‐psychosis on CGT scores. Our study was powered to detect medium effect sizes. We found modest evidence of higher risk taking associated with more severe MBI‐psychosis scores (β = ‐0.1, SE = 0.05, p = 0.04) but this did not survive multiple testing correction.ConclusionThis is the first time a specialist decision making and risk‐taking test has been conducted in MBI‐psychosis. Although MBI‐psychosis is associated with a range of cognitive impairments in later‐life and dementia risk it appears that any shared neuropsychological basis with other psychoses is limited (though we cannot rule out a small non‐clinically significant effect size). This has possible implications for the diagnostic classification of later‐life onset mild psychotic symptoms.

Investigating the Effect of Halal Awareness on Purchase Decision for Halal Products in Indonesia: A Metadata Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of research on the influence of halal awareness on purchasing decisions for halal products in Indonesia. The method used is meta-analysis by reviewing 9 studies published in 2018-2023 with the help of the OpenMEE application. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive influence from halal awareness on purchase decisions with a p-value obtained of 0.002 and an estimated value of 0.404, which indicates that the strength of the relationship is in the weak category. It was also found that the most significant average effect size was in the halal cosmetics subgroups with a fairly high estimated value so that it was concluded that halal consumer awareness was more visible in the halal cosmetic industry type.

Feasibility, acceptability, and effects of a self-stigma reduction pilot program for Japanese individuals with type 2 diabetes.

To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of a self-stigma reduction program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We adopted a within-subjects pre-post study design, measuring self-stigma among T2DM patients who received treatment at a tertiary-level hospital. Of the 17 participants, 11 participants completed the program (mean age: 54.36 ± 8.58 years; women: 63.6%; mean T2DM duration: 12.09 ± 10.41 years). Participants experienced reduced levels of self-stigma between the pre- and post-study time points (mean pre-study score: 35.82 ± 16.26; mean post-study score: 25.55 ± 16.91). The difference in self-stigma was not significant (effect size: d = 0.8, χ2 = 3.6, p = 0.057). Overall, participants who completed the program were satisfied except for the duration of each session. The self-stigma reduction program was relatively feasible and acceptable. Although due to the small sample size our results were not statistically significant, a large reduction of self-stigma was found in those who completed the program, which is promising. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to measure the program's long-term effects on the reduction of self-stigma. This program is innovative as the researchers and healthcare professionals collaborated with patients who contributed their narratives.

The Effects of Auricular Therapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of auricular therapy on alleviating indicators of disease status in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases using relevant search terms. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials and the Risk of Bias tool for non-randomized studies of interventions. Results: Ten studies were included for the systematic review. Most of the studies were conducted in Asia, and randomized controlled trials were primarily chosen as the study design. The auricular therapy points most commonly used were related to the pancreas, which is associated with diabetes. A meta-analysis using a random-effects model to analyze glycated hemoglobin showed a Hedges' g value of -0.11 (95% CI: -0.53 to 0.32, <i>p</i>=.623), which was not statistically significant. However, the standardized mean difference for fasting blood sugar was -0.97 (95% CI=-1.22 to -0.72, <i>p</i><.001), indicating a large and statistically significant effect size. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that auricular therapy may have an impact on fasting blood sugar levels. However, the studies used in this analysis were limited and some publication bias was identified, requiring further research to determine the broader implications and effectiveness of auricular therapy

THE EFFECT OF IMPLEMENTING A COOPERATIVE LEARNING MODEL OF GROUP INVESTIGATION (GI) TYPE ON STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES ON ECOSYSTEM MATERIALS IN CLASS XA OF STATE MIDDLE SCHOOL 2 SINTANG

This study analyzed the effect of implementing the group investigation (gi) cooperative learning model on student learning outcomes on ecosystem material in class XA of SMA Negeri 2 Sintang. The researcher used a qualitative method to conduct the study. Thirty-four student samples from Class X A were taken using purposive sampling. The learning model implementation was going well and proven from the observation sheet; 84.62% of teachers and 88.89% of students were in the "excellent" category. The result of the normality test for pre-test data with the Chi-Square count table value is X2 count < X2 table or 6.93 < 11.070. Then, the post-test result is normal with the value X2 count < X2 table or 2.99 < 11.070. The pre-test homogeneity test obtained Fcount data at 2.5 ≤ Ftable 2.34. In the post-test homogeneity test, the data obtained was Fcount 1.6 ≤ Ftable 2.34, so the variances were homogeneous. In hypothesis testing, the data obtained was Tcount 9.35 > Ftable 2.34. Then H0 was rejected, meaning the group investigation cooperative learning model influenced student learning outcomes. The application of the Group Investigation (GI) type cooperative learning model to ecosystem material affects students' understanding and learning outcomes with a significant effect size (d) 1.64 (big criterion) because it is almost close to 2.0.

Meta-Analysis: The Effect of Electronic Learning Media on Students' 21st Century Skills in The Industrial Revolution Era 4.0

The industrial revolution era, which is characterized by the entry of technology into all spheres of life, including education, has an impact on 21st century learning. Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation are the focus of this 21st century learning. This kind of study is a meta-analysis study, which gathers, examines, and compares data from several previously finished investigations. The research sample was made up of 24 source papers that met the requirements for the problem formulation. The data analysis technique applied in this study reduces the impact of each publication. It has been found that electronic learning media have the following effects on 21st century skills in the industrial revolution era: First, depending on the kind of media, AR is the most successful in affecting 21st century abilities. Second, according to the classification of 21st century skills, technology-based learning materials have an impact on critical thinking, creativity, and communication abilities. In the sense that technology-based learning media has a significant effect size for improving students' 21st century skills in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0

Consent for Research Involving Spanish- and English-Speaking Latinx Adults With Schizophrenia.

Latinxs are vastly underrepresented in mental health research; one of many contributing factors may be complexities in the research consent process, including language preferences. We examined determinants of comprehension of research consent procedures and tested the effects of a preconsent research schema condition among 180 adults with schizophrenia (60 Latinx-English and 60 Latinx-Spanish preference, and 60 non-Latinx White). Participants were randomly assigned (equal allocation) to an educational session regarding clinical research concepts and processes (schema condition) or to an attention control. Following a subsequent simulated consent procedure for a hypothetical drug trail, comprehension of consent disclosures was measured with 2 standard measures. One-way ANOVAs showed significant medium effect size differences between ethnicity/language groups on both measures of comprehension (η2s = 0.066-0.070). The Latinx-Spanish group showed lower comprehension than non-Latinx White participants; differences between the 2 Latinx groups did not reach statistical significance. Group differences were not statistically significant after adjusting for differences in education, or on scores from structured measures of acculturation, health literacy, or research literacy. Two-way ANOVAs showed no significant main effects for consent procedure on either comprehension measure (Ps > .369; partial η2s < 0.006) and no significant group-by-consent interactions (Ps > .554; partial η2s < 0.008). Although the preconsent procedure was not effective, the results suggest health and research literacy may be targets for reducing disparities in consent comprehension. The onus is on researchers to improve communication of consent information as an important step to addressing health care disparities.

Caregiver Psychological Maltreatment Behaviors Toward Children on TikTok.

We examined TikTok user engagement when parents post videos engaging in psychological maltreatment (PM) behaviors towards their children, using the APSAC-endorsed definition of PM. A new TikTok account was created and seeded with PM behavior videos identified previously; similar videos then appeared on the new account's "For You Page" (an algorithmic feed curated by TikTok). Researchers identified 35 creators who had posted at least one PM behavior video, resulting in their full profile being coded (N = 2684 videos) for five engagement metrics, presence of children, and presence of PM behavior. Non-parametric paired comparisons (Mann-Whitney tests) were made within individual creators for: (1) engagement metrics before and after the first PM behavior video, (2) engagement metrics for PM behavior videos versus non-PM videos, (3) engagement metrics for child videos versus non-child videos, and (4) proportion of videos containing children before and after the first PM video. All but one analysis was significant (effect sizes from .28 to .59, average r = .46). We discuss directions for future research, as well as how child welfare and content moderation policy can be updated to change social norms around sharenting.

Effect of intervention programs to promote fundamental motor skills among typically developing children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundProficiency in fundamental motor skills (FMS) is associated with children's overall development and long-term physical literacy. However, FMS is not acquired naturally, but needs to be trained. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate and provide up-to-date evidence on the effectiveness of intervention programs focused on promoting FMS among typically developing children between 2010 and 2022. MethodsFollowing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a search was conducted in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORT Discus) from January 2010 to December 2022. Studies included any interventions in preschools and primary schools that aimed to improve fundamental motor skills in typically developing children aged 3 to 12, and reported fundamental motor skills outcomes and statistics. ResultsThirty-six articles (21 randomized controlled trials, 11 pre-post trials, and four quasi-experimental trials) satisfied all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Outcomes were primarily demonstrated in composite fundamental motor skills (n = 32) and its three primary parts: locomotor skills (n = 26), object control skills (n = 26), and balance skills (n = 4). A meta-analysis was conducted on 16 of these publications, revealing significant intervention effects for overall FMS proficiency (Std diff in means = 0.928, 95 % confidence interval 0.744–1.112, P = 0.001), locomotor skills (Std diff in means = 0.636, 95 % confidence interval 0.508–0.765, P = 0.001) and object control skills (Std diff in means = 0.871, 95 % confidence interval 0.660–1.081, P = 0.001).Discussion and Conclusions: The results indicate that implementing FMS development intervention programs in preschools and primary schools can be effective in promoting typically developing children's fundamental motor skills. The interventions on object control skills had a more significant effect size than locomotor skills. However, existing evidence cannot conclude which types of interventions are most effective.

FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI STRUKTUR MODAL PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR DI BEI

This study aims to test and analyze whether there is influence between the structure of assets (tangibility), profitability, liquidity, and firm size on capital structure in manufacturing companies that have been listed in IDX during the period 2018-2020. This research, there are 80 companies to be studied by having the amount of data as much as 240 data. The company is using the secondary data in the form of financial statements of the company taken from the website IDX. The selection of the sample in this study using non probability purposive sampling method and the processing performed by using EViews 12. The results of the research that has been done shows that the structure of assets (tangibility) and profitability has no effect while the liquidity of the significant negative effect and firm size have a significant positive effect on capital structure.

Functional connectivity changes in mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis of M/EEG studies

ObjectiveEarly synchrony alterations have been observed through electrophysiological techniques in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which is considered the intermediate phase between healthy aging (HC) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the documented direction (hyper/hypo-synchronization), regions and frequency bands affected are inconsistent. This meta-analysis intended to elucidate existing evidence linked to potential neurophysiological biomarkers of AD. MethodsWe conducted a random-effects meta-analysis that entailed the unbiased inclusion of Non-statistically Significant Unreported Effect Sizes (“MetaNSUE”) of electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalogram (MEG) studies investigating functional connectivity changes at rest along the healthy-pathological aging continuum, searched through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO databases until June 2023. ResultsOf the 3852 articles extracted, we analyzed 12 papers, and we found an alpha synchrony decrease in MCI compared to HC, specifically between temporal-parietal (d = -0.26) and frontal-parietal areas (d = -0.25). ConclusionsAlterations of alpha synchrony are present even at MCI stage. SignificanceSynchrony measures may be promising for the detection of the first hallmarks of connectivity alterations, even at the prodromal stages of the AD, before clinical symptoms occur.

6 Semantic and Phonemic Fluency in Alcohol Dependent Individuals

Objective:Verbal fluency consists of semantic and phonemic fluency and is often used to detect verbal ability and executive control (Shao et al., 2014). While research has found general verbal fluency impairments in chronic alcohol use, few studies have examined semantic and phonemic fluency separately (Stavro et al., 2012; Stephan et al., 2017). This meta-analytical study examines the performance of abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals on semantic fluency (categories) and phonemic fluency (letters).Participants and Methods:As part of a larger study, two researchers independently searched eight databases, extracted required data, and calculated effect sizes on neuropsychological data in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals. Inclusion criteria for articles were: (a) comparison of abstinent alcohol-dependent patients to healthy controls, (b) matched control group on age, education, or IQ, and (c) standardized neuropsychological testing. Exclusion criteria included: (a) diagnosis of Axis I disorders (other than alcohol dependence), (b) comorbidity with other disorders that impact neuropsychological functioning, or (c) not published or translated into English. A total of 31 articles (AD n=1,080 and HC n=1,090) was analyzed in this study.Results:Semantic fluency evidenced a statistically significant and medium effect size estimate (g = 0.632, p &lt; 0.001). The heterogeneity for semantic fluency was statistically significant (Q=152.468, df=20, p=0.000). Phonemic fluency evidenced a statistically significant and medium effect size estimate (g = 0.572, p &lt; 0.001). The heterogeneity for phonemic fluency was also statistically significant (Q=236.697, df=24, p=0.000).Conclusions:Deficits in semantic and phonemic fluency are both associated with alcohol dependence. Although some previous research has reported more frontal lobe impact of alcohol, which would be expected to impact phonemic more readily than semantic fluency, this is not evident in the current data. There are many possible reasons for this failure to observe this dissociation meta-analytically. Some potential reasons include the possibility that alcohol affects multiple regions of the brain, that both these measures are affected by alcohol but miss the subtlety associated with frontal damage, or the likelihood that when studies are aggregated in meta-analysis the heterogeneity results in a regression to the mean effect size. These and other reasons are not mutually exclusive and future research should attempt to examine these and other hypotheses.

9 The Relationship Between Depressive Mood and Mini Mental Status Examination Scores in Individuals with Heart Failure

Objective:Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to support a flow of blood that meets the body’s needs, ultimately resulting in decreased oxygenation throughout the body— including the brain. Results of previous research suggest that individuals with heart failure exhibit both localized and diffuse neuropsychological deficits. The aims of this study are to meta-analytically examine a) the performance of participants with heart-failure and healthy controls on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), a neuropsychological test of general cognition, and b) the role of depressive mood as a potential moderator of performance on the MMSE in these participants.Participants and Methods:Two researchers independently searched eight databases for articles that examined the neuropsychological functioning of patients with heart failure.Inclusion criteria identified studies that had a heart failure group with a comparable control group and reported on neuropsychological assessment for both groups. Studies were excluded if a heart failure group had any other type of major organ failure or if the comparison was between different classes of heart failure rather than between a heart failure group and healthy controls.Results:A meta-analysis using a random-effects model revealed a statistically significant and large effect size estimate (g= 0.727, p &lt;.001) CI [.331, 1.123]. The heterogeneity was found to be statistically significant and in the large range, I2 = 83.027%, tau2 = .155, p &lt; .001. A meta-regression analyzing the relationship between depressive mood and MMSE effect size estimates was statistically significant, Q residual = 8.715, df = 3, p = .03.Conclusions:This study is the first to examine the relationship between depressive mood and general cognitive status (as measured by the MMSE) in participants with heart failure. The strong relationship between cognitive status and heart failure, and the role of depression in explaining a statistically significant portion of the heterogeneity in the relationship seen in primary studies, highlights the importance of accurately assessing depression when studying the effect of heart failure on cognition. Further research needs to examine the impact of depression on quality of life in patients with heart failure as potentially mediated by difficulties in cognition.

Effect of biochar in soil on microbial diversity: a meta-analysis

The diversity, structure, and behavior of soil microbes communities, which are crucial to the breakdown of organic matter, cycling of nutrients, and general health of the soil, can be impacted by biochar. This study uses a meta-analysis approach to examine how biochar affects soil microbial diversity, and it anticipates that the results will take the form of a summary of the information that has already been published in journals. This study presents a meta-analysis of 24 articles published between 2018 and 2023 that reported biochar’s effect on soil microbial diversity and richness. Alpha diversity indexes such as Shannon, Simpson (Diversity index), Chao1, and ACE (Richness Index) were measured as parameters, as well as the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) count. The levels of biochar dosage varied from 0 to 50% w/w. Simpson (0.546), the OTUs (0.473), Chao1 (0.227), Shannon (0.125), and ACE (0.056) had the most significant effect sizes for the biochar (Hedges’d), with the majority of the values impact sizes being on the right. According to aggregate-driven tree analysis, the type of biochar, application rate, use of the soil, and length of the experiment all play a significant role in how biochar affects soil microbial diversity. In conclusion, adding biochar requires considering biochar application rates and type to improve microbes’ diversity.

Exploratory Matching Model Search Algorithm (EMMSA) for Causal Analysis: Application to the Cardboard Industry

This paper aims to present a methodology for the application of matching methods in industry to measure causal effect size. Matching methods allow us to obtain treatment and control samples with their covariates as similar as possible. The matching techniques used are nearest, optimal, full, coarsened exact matching (CEM), and genetic. These methods have been widely used in medical, psychological, and economic sciences. The proposed methodology provides two algorithms to execute these methods and to conduct an exhaustive search for the best models. It uses three conditions to ensure, as far as possible, the balance of all covariates, the maximum number of units in the treatment and control groups, and the most significant causal effect sizes. These techniques are applied in the carton board industry, where the causal variable is downtime, and the outcome variable is waste generated. A dataset from the carton board industry is used, and the results are contrasted with an expert in this process. Meta-analysis techniques are used to integrate the results of different comparative studies, which could help to determine and prioritize where to reduce waste. Two machines were found to generate more waste in terms of standardized measures whose values are 0.52 and 0.53, representing 48.60 and 36.79 linear meters (LM) on average for each production order with a total downtime of more than 3000 s. In general, for all machines, the maximum average wastage for each production order is 24.98 LM and its confidence interval is [13.40;36.23] LM. The main contribution of this work is the use of causal methodology to estimate the effect of downtime on waste in an industry. Particularly relevant is the contribution of an algorithm that aims to obtain the best matching model for this application. Its advantages and disadvantages are evaluated, and future areas of research are outlined. We believe that this methodology can be applied to other industries and fields of knowledge.

Overcoming barriers to teaching 21C skills: the Bridge21 approach

ABSTRACT The global twenty-first century (21C) skills agenda has become a common feature in the educational policy of many countries. However, teachers can face operational, definitional and systemic barriers to the integration of 21C skills in practice. The operational barriers include insufficient teacher capacity, which in turn is influenced by insufficient teaching materials and ultimately teacher beliefs. This paper explores how we can address these issues, at secondary school level, through the promotion of the use of a pedagogical model designed to support the teaching of 21C skills and an associated approach to teacher professional development (PD). Using a comparative methodology two research questions are addressed. RQ1. Do teachers who participated in the PD report more positive beliefs and greater agency in relation to teaching 21C skills, than their peers who did not partake in the PD? RQ2. Are teachers who participated in the PD more likely to implement approaches that support the development of 21C skills, than their peers who did not partake in the PD? Statistically significant, positive differences, with small and medium effect sizes, were found in responses (N = 510) to questionnaire sub-scales pertinent to the research questions. Implications of the findings on future reforms are considered.

Gendered Understanding and Experiences of Sexual Harassment: Informing a Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions

Sexual harassment policies in South African higher education institutions show variations in focus and content. In this study, we set out to determine students’ understandings and experiences of sexual harassment with the broader aim of informing a framework that higher education institutions could use to strengthen their sexual harassment policies. A total of 640 (of a potential 2 222) students completed an online survey that, among other things, incorporated the Sexual Experience Questionnaire. Non-parametric procedures were used to identify significant gender differences and effect sizes in students’ understandings and experiences of sexual harassment. More female students experienced some form of sexual harassment, and they were more likely to recognise different types of verbal sexual harassment (possibly because they present a broader definition of harassment). The female students appeared less tolerant of harassment behaviour, but they were significantly more hesitant to report sexual harassment than the male students. In addition, the female students were less likely to consider themselves familiar with the guidelines on reporting incidents of sexual harassment and they were more likely to feel that perpetrators get away with harassment behaviour than the male students. Both male and female students indicated that sexual harassment is more likely to occur between student groups than between students and lecturers. The male and female students expressed strong support for the proposed policy components, including defining sexual harassment, procedures for reporting and disciplinary sanctions for sexual harassment.

An Experimental Study on Measuring the Impact of Using Virtual Laboratories in Developing Some Metacognition Skills (Planning, Monitoring, and Control) in the Subject of Physics

The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of using virtual laboratories in developing some Metacognition skills in the subject of physics among third-grade female students. The research adopted a quasi-experimental design, with a sample of 30 students evenly divided between the control and experimental groups, with 15 students in each group. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher designed a scale for Metacognition skills. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the average scores of the experimental group and the control group in some Metacognition skills (planning, monitoring, and control) in the post-application phase in favor of the experimental group, which studied using virtual laboratories. Furthermore, the results indicated a significant effect size of using virtual laboratories in developing Metacognition skills among third-grade female students in Jeddah. Based on the findings, the research recommends the utilization of virtual laboratory technology in teaching physics and the organization of training courses for physics teachers.

Effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral intervention in reducing test anxiety among psychology undergraduates in Kathmandu, Nepal

Background: High test anxiety negatively impacts students, affecting academic performance, well-being, focus, and retention rates. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a promising approach to reducing test anxiety, and we aimed to assess the effectiveness of group-based CBT in reducing test anxiety among undergraduate students. Material and Method: This experimental, independent two-group design enrolled 80 test-anxious participants, randomly assigning them to a control or intervention group (40 participants each). Westside Test Anxiety Scale was the primary outcome measure, and participant's feedback was collected. The intervention group received ten sessions of group-based CBT. Baseline and endline data were analyzed, and effect size was reported. Results: Participant feedback was analyzed qualitatively. The intervention group demonstrated 16% reduction in test anxiety score from their baseline, while the control group showed only 5.54% reduction from their baseline. In contrast, the control group showed a 2-point reduction, representing a 5.54% decrease. This difference was statistically significant (effect size= -0.53), supporting moderate effectiveness. Further, scores in specific test anxiety areas, such as worry about forgetting during the study and performance after exams, showed notable improvement. Participant feedback highlighted improved stress management, self-awareness, and understanding of emotions. Suggestions incorporating visual aids and increasing interactivity for the future. Conclusion: This study demonstrates utility of group-based CBT in reducing test anxiety among undergraduate students. A larger scale randomized controlled trial is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of group CBT in a larger population, and future studies can focus on examining the effect of group CBT delivered by non-specialists in a broader population.