Things are not going well. Test results are poor. Effort levels are low. Students are chatting about anything but the task in front of them. But the class do not seem bothered by their poor performance. 

It’s time, you decide, for desperate steps. It’s time to scare them into action. It’s time for a fear appeal.

Fear appeals are statements that emphasise the importance of upcoming high-stakes assessments, or highlight the necessity of achieving a certain standard to access the next stage of education or future employment.

In an attempt to motivate students to improve their work ethic, you might say things like, “There’s no way you’ll get a decent job without a good GCSE in English,” or, “If you can’t do long division, you’re going to really struggle with maths when you go to secondary school.”

Are fear appeals effective?

Unfortunately, research shows that fear appeals rarely have the desired effect. While a few students may be inspired to increase their productivity, those who react well to scare tactics are usually already confident and knowledgeable.

The vast majority of students perceive fear appeals as hostile and anxiety-inducing. As research from Ofqual has found, if students do not “believe that they can achieve the desired outcome, they typically interpret it as a threat and respond with behaviours that impede academic success, such as procrastination and avoidance”.

Other studies have shown fear appeals to be similarly detrimental. Research from 2022 found that fear appeals were associated with psychological distress among underperforming students, while a 2017 study demonstrated a link between fear appeals and “lower behavioural and emotional engagement”. Given these findings, it’s not surprising that fear appeals have also been linked to lower assessment outcomes.

In summary, when teachers turn up the classroom pressure cooker, the research picture suggests that most students will experience more test anxiety, have lower motivation and perform more poorly on tasks as a result.

Why do teachers use fear appeals?

So, if the effects are so negative, why do teachers use fear appeals? The evidence suggests that there are two main reasons, the first being teachers not feeling confident in their ability to achieve good outcomes with disengaged and struggling students. Research has found that teachers who lack belief in their ability to engage switched-off students use fear appeals more frequently.

However, pressurised school cultures can also be a driver. Research into more than 100,000 teachers in over 40 countries, carried out by John Jerrim and Sam Sims, found a positive correlation between school-system accountability and teacher stress levels. They also found “strong evidence of ‘emotional contagion’ of stress amongst colleagues within schools, with teachers more likely to feel stressed by accountability if their colleagues do as well”.

Where excessive accountability pressures exist, then, teachers appear to transfer their anxieties about high-stakes assessments on to children and colleagues. In such an environment, fear appeals may become normalised.

What should you do instead?

But how can teachers motivate learners more effectively - even within a pressurised school environment? Instead of using counterproductive fear appeals, I’d recommend the following:

1. Employ efficacy messages

Researchers Maryam Alqassab and Jaime León define efficacy messages as “messages that highlight the capability of students to reach a learning goal or outcome”. These boost student confidence by emphasising our high expectations.

Imagine, for example, a scenario where your class has performed badly on an important test. The temptation may be to castigate them for their dismal efforts and threaten them with dire consequences if things don’t improve.

Yet the research makes it clear that this approach is likely to backfire. So, even when you’re inwardly concerned about your students’ progress, a message like “everyone here is still capable of getting a good grade” sends out a reassuring appraisal of their potential. And research shows that, unlike fear appeals, these efficacy messages have a positive impact on student performance.

2. Show that you understand the challenges they face

You can also motivate students by displaying empathy about stressful contexts. For example, in a high-pressure situation, such as the final year of GCSEs, instead of warning students about the vital importance of getting these qualifications, you might say things like, “I know you’ve got a lot of revision at the moment, but things will settle down after the mock exams.”

Secondly, you should give messages that express hope, encouragement and optimism. Research by Renee Kaufmann has found that messages of reassurance help students in times of difficulty and uncertainty. Alqassab and Leon similarly found that when students seem overwhelmed by the magnitude of upcoming assessments, messages such as “don’t give up” and “it’s all going to be fine”, “were associated with more intrinsic motivation” and “higher academic performance”.

3. Don’t just ask them to work harder

You should also think carefully about urging students to up their effort levels, which is less effective than giving them specific areas of focus.

Vague exhortations like “you need to work harder” can lead to students becoming disheartened when the extra effort doesn’t lead to success. In contrast, a pupil who is struggling with certain key concepts ahead of their key stage 2 Sats, for example, will benefit more from being told that they “need to prioritise converting between mixed numbers and improper fractions”. Instead of generic “do more work or else” fear appeals, give them a clear target to work towards.

In the classroom, motivational messages play a crucial role in helping students to cope with challenging situations and academic setbacks. The evidence is clear: no matter how frustrated we are, it’s time to ditch the fear appeals and communicate positively about students’ academic prospects.

Mark Roberts is an English teacher and director of research at Carrickfergus Grammar School. His new book Fail Better: how teachers can help students overcome failure, perfectionism, procrastination, impostor syndrome and test anxiety will be published in January 2026

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