Learning in the panic zone: strategies for managing learner anxiety

Purpose – This study aims to highlight the value of stressful and challenging environments as a strategy to enhance learning and to provide an inventory of strategies for use in cases where participants experience anxiety‐related blockages to learning.Design/methodology/approach – This article adopted a qualitative research strategy which consisted of a literature review which was then triangulated with a survey and practitioner interviews.Findings – This paper describes the behaviour of anxious learners when faced with a stressful learning environment. It then reviews suggestions from the literature which indicate theoretical solutions to debilitating anxiety and, finally, reports on the techniques that trainers actually use when helping delegates to overcome anxiety‐related blockages to learning. The Yerkes‐Dodson law, and not Rohnke, would appear to be the foundation for the various “comfort‐stretch‐panic” models. Moderate levels of stress would appear to encourage and stimulate learning.Research limit...