Global InformationTest anxiety information
Test anxiety is a combination of physiological over-arousal, tension and somatic symptoms, along with worry, dread, fear of failure, and catastrophizing, that occur before or during test situations.[1] It is a psychological condition in which people experience extreme stress, anxiety, and discomfort during and/or before taking a test. This anxiety creates significant barriers to learning and performance.[2] Research suggests that high levels of emotional distress have a direct correlation to reduced academic performance and higher overall student drop-out rates.[2][3][4] Test anxiety can have broader consequences, negatively affecting a student's social, emotional and behavioural development, as well as their feelings about themselves and school.[5]
Highly test-anxious students score about 12 percentile points below their low anxiety peers.[6][7][8] Test anxiety is prevalent amongst the student populations of the world.[9][10] It has been studied formally since the early 1950s beginning with researchers George Mandler and Seymour Sarason.[11] Sarason's brother, Irwin G. Sarason, then contributed to early investigation of test anxiety, clarifying the relationship between the focused effects of test anxiety, other focused forms of anxiety, and generalized anxiety.[12]
Test anxiety can also be labeled as anticipatory anxiety, situational anxiety or evaluation anxiety. Some anxiety is normal and often helpful to stay mentally and physically alert.[13] When one experiences too much anxiety, however, it can result in emotional or physical distress, difficulty concentrating, and emotional worry. Inferior performance arises not because of intellectual problems or poor academic preparation, but because testing situations create a sense of threat for those experiencing test anxiety; anxiety resulting from the sense of threat then disrupts attention and memory function.[14][15][16][17] Researchers suggest that between 25 and 40 percent of students experience test anxiety.[18] Students with disabilities and students in gifted educations classes tend to experience high rates of test anxiety.[19] Students who experience test anxiety tend to be easily distracted during a test, experience difficulty with comprehending relatively simple instructions, and have trouble organizing or recalling relevant information.[1]
- ^ a b Zeidner M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. New York, NY: Plenum
- ^ a b Andrews, B.; Wilding, J. M. (2004). "The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students". British Journal of Psychology. 95 (4): 509–521. doi:10.1348/0007126042369802. PMID 15527535.
- ^ Pritchard, M. E.; Wilson, G. S. (2003). "Using emotional and social factors to predict student success". Journal of College Student Development. 44: 18–28. doi:10.1353/csd.2003.0008. S2CID 16769612.
- ^ Vaez, M.; Laflamme, L. (2008). "Experienced stress, psychological symptoms, self-rated health and academic achievement: A longitudinal study of Swedish university students". Social Behavior and Personality. 36 (2): 183–196. doi:10.2224/sbp.2008.36.2.183.
- ^ Salend, S. J. (2012). "Teaching students not to sweat the test". Phi Delta Kappan. 93 (6): 20–25. doi:10.1177/003172171209300605. S2CID 144098336.
- ^ Hembree, R (1988). "Correlates, Causes, Effects and Treatment of Test Anxiety". Review of Educational Research. 58 (1): 47–77. doi:10.3102/00346543058001047. S2CID 27947882.
- ^ Cassidy, J & Johnson. R. (2001). Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 270-295
- ^ McDonald, A (2001). "The Prevalence and Effects of Test Anxiety in School Children". Educational Psychology. 21 (1): 89–101. doi:10.1080/01443410020019867. S2CID 144222364.
- ^ Lowe, P. A.; Ang, R. P. (2012). "Cross-cultural examination of test anxiety among US and Singapore students on the Test Anxiety Scale for Elementary Students (TAS-E)". Educational Psychology. 32 (1): 107–126. doi:10.1080/01443410.2011.625625. S2CID 146529864.
- ^ Dalkiran, E.; Baltaci, H. Ş.; Karatas, Z.; Nacakci, Z. (2014). "Developing of individual instrument performance anxiety scale: Validity-reliability study". International Journal of Assessment Tools in Educatio. 1 (22374): 13–25. doi:10.21449/ijate.239569.
- ^ The original research and development of the TAQ (Test Anxiety Questionnaire) was conducted by: Mandler, G.; Sarason, S. B. (1952). "A study of anxiety and learning". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 47 (2): 166–173. doi:10.1037/h0062855. PMID 14937950.
- ^ Sarason, I.G. (1960). "Empirical findings and theoretical problems in the use of anxiety scales". Psychological Bulletin. 57 (5): 403–415. doi:10.1037/h0041113. PMID 13746471.
- ^ Parviz Birjandi & Minoo Alemi (October 2010). "The Impact of Test Anxiety on Test Performance among Iranian EFL Learners". BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience. 1 (4): 45.
- ^ Sarason, I.G. (1957). "Test anxiety, general anxiety, and intellectual performance". Journal of Consulting Psychology. 21 (6): 485–490. doi:10.1037/h0043012. PMID 13481208.
- ^ Sarason, I.G. (1959). "Intellectual and personality correlates of test anxiety". The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 59 (2): 272–275. doi:10.1037/h0042200. PMID 14441705.
- ^ Sarason, I.G. (1963). "Test anxiety and intellectual performance". The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 66: 73–75. doi:10.1037/h0047059. PMID 13991467.
- ^ Sarason, I.G. Sarason, B.G. Pierce, G.R. (1995). Cognitive interference: At the intelligence–personality crossroads. In D.H. Saklofske & M. Zeidner, (Eds.) International handbook of personality and intelligence (pp. 285-296). New York: Plenum Press.
- ^ Cassady, J.C. (2010). Test anxiety: Contemporary theories and implications for learning. In J.C. Cassady (Ed.), Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences, and solutions for academic anxieties (pp. 7-26). New York, NY: Peter Lang,
- ^ Nelson, J.M.; Harwood, H. (2011). "Learning disabilities and anxiety: A meta-analysis". Journal of Learning Disabilities. 44 (1): 3–17. doi:10.1177/0022219409359939. PMID 20375288. S2CID 25623149.