Test anxiety is a phenomenon that can be commonly encountered at school. Test anxiety can be seen as a substantial non-intellectual factor affecting the quality of pupils' school work. In the literature we can find a form of fear and anxiety negatively related to school performance, however we can also find a form of anxiety that facilitates school work and results in improved performance. The thesis focuses on test anxiety and fear and examines its form among pupils in mathematics. Using the questionnaire survey in 8th grades of primary schools, we were mapping motivational situation with emphasis on test anxiety in the domain of mathematics and test anxiety before and after perfoming two mathematical tasks. We were interested in a form of test anxiety in mathematics and whether test anxiety in mathematics overlaps with the anxiety in the school task situation. We focused mainly on the evaluative situation itself. We examined the existence of several components of test anxiety (with the regard to basic distinction between emotional and cognitive dimension) with an emphasis on their links with school performance, the direction in which fear ad anxiety affect performance (facilitating, debilitating) and the links among test anxiety and other characteristics. We also pay attention to overlap of fear...

Test anxiety is an individual personality trait, which results in elevated state anxiety in situations of performance evaluation. For school-age children, high-stakes examinations occurring at the culmination of programmes of study are where they frequently experience such evaluation. Alongside its impact on an individual's wellbeing, heightened test anxiety has been reliably linked to deficits in performance on examinations and assessments. Attentional bias has been shown to be an aspect of many forms of anxiety and is considered to have role in the maintenance of state anxiety, though the mechanisms underlying this are not fully clear. However, Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007) implicates preferential allocation of attention to threat in its explanation of performance deficits associated with test anxiety. The presence of attentional bias in test anxiety appears theoretically plausible with some empirical support (e.g. Putwain, Langdale, Woods and Nicholson, 2011); however, its reliability is under question. This study aims to investigate the presence of attentional bias in test anxiety, with a view to further understanding its underlying mechanisms and informing the development of interventions to ameliorate its effects. To ensure ecological validity, this study was conducted in schools and colleges, with a sample of 16-18-year olds following high-stakes programmes of study. Full investigation of test anxiety requires individuals to experience heightened state anxiety through performance evaluation threat; hence, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was modified to make it applicable to this context and population. This study was conducted in two experimental phases, both of which adopted a mixed methodological approach to provide quantitative and qualitative data. The preliminary phase evaluated the materials and anxiety manipulation protocols. The main phase employed the modified-TSST in collaboration with a dot-probe task to investigate participants' attentional bias when under high performance evaluation threat. No patterns of attentional bias were uncovered to indicate a consistent relationship to either trait test anxiety or attentional control. However, there was a level of congruence between how some individuals describe themselves in evaluative situations and the attentional bias they displayed. Further investigation employing mixed methodological approaches such as Single Case Experimental Design is recommended to identify and address attentional bias in test anxiety.

Test anxiety has been a problem for many individuals not only in the workforce, but also in many schools and colleges (Driscoll, Evans, Ramsey & Wheeler 2009). According to Driscoll et al., when compared to high school students and the general public (17%), nursing students are shown to have over double (55-60%) the rate of moderately high to high test anxiety. Cognitive test anxiety can account for a 7 to 8% drop in test grades, which can drop test score’s an entire letter grade (Cassady & Johnson, 2001). The purpose of this research is to explore the level of test anxiety in East Tennessee State University (ETSU) nursing students using the Cassady Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale. This study, “Test Anxiety and Nursing Students” was conducted at a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for students at a large regional university. The Cassady Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale was administered to 220 nursing students one week prior to a major test at the end of the class period. All of the students completing the surveys volunteered to do so. After collection, data was analyzed using IBM Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 18.0.2. This study confirmed the findings of Driscoll et al. (2009) and Cassady et al. (2001), that nursing students have a higher occurrence of test anxiety. Intervention has the potential to improve test scores. This allows for ETSU students to have a better first-pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and improve student retention rates. In addition, it provides the opportunity for further research interventions to reduce test anxiety for nursing students.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of frequent versus conventional testing on Chemistry achievement test anxiety, and attitudes toward science of students enrolled in general chemistry classes at the University Technology of Malaysia. The subjects consisted of 278 students taking first year Chemistry at the University Technology of Malaysia. The students were given a pretest and posttest in achievement, test anxiety, and attitudes toward science. The instruments included an achievement test in chemistry made up of selected items from previous American Chemical Society Cooperative Examinations and translated versions of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Science Attitude Questionnaire. Pretest scores were used to assign students randomly into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was subjected to frequent testing, while the control group was subjected to conventional testing. The data were analyzed using one-way and three-way analysis of covariance. The analysis revealed significant difference between the experimental and control groups in student (a) achievement in chemistry with the experimental group achieving at higher levels and (b) test anxiety with the experimental group having lower test anxiety than the control group. No significant difference was found in students attitudes toward science between the experimental and control groups. It was concluded that first year Chemistry students at the University Technology of Malaysia achieve significantly higher in chemistry when they are subjected to frequent rather than conventional testing. It was further concluded that frequent testing was significantly more effective than conventional testing in lowering student test anxiety. / Graduation date: 1989

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between gender, self-control, emotion regulation, rumination and test anxiety. In other words, the study aimed at investigating how well each of the mentioned independent variables contributes to explain variance of test anxiety. The participants (N=188) were reached by convenient sampling procedure. The sample consisted of preparatory students studying in a private university in Ankara. Data were collected by a demographic form and four scales as Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980), Self-Control Scale (Tangney, Baumeister, &amp / Boone, 2004), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross &amp / John, 2003), and Ruminative Response Scale (Treynor, Gonzalez, &amp / Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003). For this study, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine the data. The results revealed that gender, self-control, two emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and suppression) and also brooding as a ruminative response significantly correlated to test anxiety of university students. Furthermore, self-control and cognitive reappraisal were found to be correlated with test anxiety stronger than the other independent variables. Reflection as another ruminative response was not found to be correlating with test anxiety within the suggested model. The findings obtained from the present study are discussed with regards to the related literature, and conclusions were drawn accordingly.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Ο σκοπός της παρούσας ερευνητικής εργασίας ήταν η δημιουργία ενός ψυχοεκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος για την πρόληψη και μείωση του άγχους εξέτασης μαθητών της Ε΄και ΣΤ΄τάξης Δημοτικού Σχολείου, το οποίο θα προσέφερε την ευκαιρία σε κάθε εκπαιδευτικό να το εφαρμόσει στην τάξη με τους μαθητές του. Στη συνέχεια το ολοκληρωμένο και σχεδιασμένο πρόγραμμα υλοποιήθηκε και ελέγχθηκε πειραματικά ως προς συγκεκριμένες υποθέσεις με σκοπό αυτή η έρευνα να οδηγήσει στην αξιολόγηση του προγράμματος και της αποτελεσματικότητας του ως προς την πρόληψη/ μείωση του άγχους εξέτασης. Το δείγμα της έρευνας αποτέλεσαν μαθητές της Ε΄και ΣΤ΄τάξης του 1ου 12/θ Δημοτικού Σχολείου Σκάλας Λακωνίας. Ο αριθμός των συμμετεχόντων στο πρόγραμμα ψυχοεκπαίδευσης ανέρχεται συνολικά σε 56 υποκείμενα. Τριάντα (30) μαθητές, εκ των οποίων 15 αγόρια και 15 κορίτσια, χωρίστηκαν σε δύο υποομάδες ως προς την τάξη φοίτησής του με αποτέλεσμα να προκύψει η πειραματική ομάδα Ε΄τάξης και η πειραματική ομάδα ΣΤ΄τάξης με 15 μέλη έκαστη. Οι υπόλοιποι 26 μαθητές (11 αγόρια και 15 κορίτσια) σχημάτισαν την ομάδα ελέγχου. Τα μέλη της πειραματικής ομάδας συμμετείχαν σε οκτώ συναντήσεις (μία συνάντηση/ εβδομάδα), βασισμένες σε συγκεκριμένες θεματικές και με συγκεκριμένους στόχους η καθεμιά, το χρονικό διάστημα Φεβρουάριος 2014- Απρίλιος 2014. Για τη συλλογή των δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκαν κατάλληλα εργαλεία μέτρησης και κλίμακες αξιολόγησης. Σύμφωνα με τις ερευνητικές υποθέσεις, τα μέλη της πειραματικής ομάδας θα δήλωναν λιγότερο άγχος εξέτασης μετά το πέρας της ψυχοεκπαίδευσης εν συγκρίσει με την ομάδα ελέγχου. Επίσης, τα μέλη της πειραματικής ομάδας θα εμφάνιζαν λιγότερο κοινωνικό άγχος/ φόβο αρνητικής αξιολόγησης εν συγκρίσει με την ομάδα ελέγχου μετά τη λήξη του προγράμματος και τα μέλη της πειραματικής ομάδας θα παρουσίαζαν μειωμένα καταθλιπτικά συμπτώματα σε σχέση με την ομάδα ελέγχου. Ως προς το άγχος εξέτασης, βρέθηκε πως τα μέλη της πειραματικής ομάδας εμφάνισαν τάση για μείωση σε δύο υπο-κλίμακες (σωματικά συμπτώματα και άσχετες ως προς το έργο συμπεριφορές ) έως και ένα μήνα μετά το πέρας του ψυχοεκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος ενώ στην υπο- κλίμακα (σκέψεις) δε βρέθηκε στατιστικά σημαντική διαφορά. Τέλος, ως προς το κοινωνικό άγχος και τα καταθλιπτικά συμπτώματα δεν επιβεβαιώθηκαν οι υποθέσεις. / The purpose of this research was the creation of a psychoeducational programme for the prevention and reduction of test anxiety among students in the fifth and sixth year of Primary School. This programme would offer teachers the opportunity to apply it in class with their students. The complete and designed programme was conducted and checked on an experimental basis according to certain suppositions in order for this research to lead to the evaluation of the programme and its efficiency for the prevention of test anxiety The sample of the research were students of the fifth and sixth year of the 1st Primary School in Skala, Lakonia. The number of the participants in the psychoeducational group is totally 56 students. Thirty (30) students of whom 15 were boys and 15 were girls, were divided into two subgroups according to their class. As a result two experimental groups were created the group of the fifth year and with group of the sixth year with 15 members each. The remaining 26 students (11 boys and 15 girls) formed the checking group. The members of the experimental group took part in eight meetings (one meeting per week) based on specific topics and specific goals each, the time being February 2014 to April 2014. For the data collection suitable measurement tools and scales of evaluation were used. According to the research suppositions, the members of the group would show less test anxiety after the end of psychoeducation compared to the checking team. Moreover, the members of the group would show less fear of negative evaluation compared to the checking group after the end of the programme and they would show less symptoms of depression compared with the checking group. As for the test anxiety, it was found that the members of the group showed a tendency of reduction into two sub-scales (autonomic reactions and off- task behaviors) up to one month after the end of the psychoeducational programme while no significant differences were found statistically in the sub-scale (thoughts). Finally concerning the fear of negative evaluation and the symptoms of depression suppositions were not confirmed.

Previous studies have found that West Indian pupils under-achieve in English schools. Unlike other ethnic minorities their "English-speaking" classification often precludes special language assistance. This study investigated the language usage and cultural affiliations of pupils of West Indian descent, using a sample of 241 twelve year olds from 7 schools. A special English test based on differences between Standard English and West Indian Dialect and an Attitude Test based on children's statements about culture, language, race and education were constructed and administered with a Cognitive Test and Anxiety Test. Teachers' views were obtained from a Teachers' Questionnaire. The experimental group was composed of pupils of West Indian descent taught by a compensatory programme that attempted to boost pupils' cultural self-esteem and correct language errors stemming from differences between 'Standard' and 'Dialect'. One control group comprised pupils of West Indian descent who received no special programme. The other was composed of white indigenous English children in similar schools. The main findings of the study were as follows: 1. English Test results indicated significant differences of score between the English and West Indian pupils on key grammar terms. 2. Cultural 'poles' of attitude groupings indicated sharp differences between these groups despite the British birth and education of the pupils of West Indian descent. 3. The experimental group, supposedly withdrawn at random from main group classes for the special cultural and linguistic enrichment programme, expressed unhappy attitudes and obtained significantly lower scores on the English and Cognitive Tests than either of the other groups. 4. Subsequent testing was carried out in the schools from which the experimental group had been obtained. This offered further evidence of the experimental group’s unusual characteristics, and provided additional information in a comparison made with the original control groups. The findings indicate that children of West Indian descent experience some difficulty with elements of language where ‘Standard’ and 'Dialect' differ and that these language elements should be taught in the main class group. The method of withdrawing West Indian pupils for special language and cultural classes is not recommended, as neither linguistic nor cultural benefits were observed and definite contra-indications were noted. Futhermore, 'multiculturalism' appears to be as important for the ethnic majority as for the minorities. Future research could develop the Attitude Test for use in correlative studies with English and other tests. It has been a particularly useful tool for identifying linguistic and cultural attitudes of a minority and has revealed group characteristics not previously identified. The English Test could contribute to the construction of diagnostic tests and lay the basis for a teaching programme based on features of 'Dialect' and ‘Standard’, in order to meet the needs of pupils of West Indian descent within a multicultural context in an integrated classroom.

This study aimed to explore the roles of students&amp / #8217 / motivational beliefs (self-efficacy, intrinsic value, test anxiety) and learning styles on tenth grade students&amp / #8217 / biology achievement. In this study Turkish version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, Learning Style Inventory, and Biology Achievement Test were used as measuring instruments. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was adapted into Turkish and pilot tested with 238 tenth grade students from two representative schools. The main study was conducted in 11 randomly selected schools throughout the &Ccedil / ankaya and Yenimahalle districts of Ankara with a total of 980 tenth grade students in fall 2002-2003 semester. The data obtained from the administration of the measuring instruments were analyzed by using analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and bivariate correlations. Results of the statistical analyses indicated that students&amp / #8217 / learning styles had a significant effect on their biology achievement when students&amp / #8217 / motivational beliefs were controlled. The most common learning style type was found to be assimilating for the subjects of this study. Moreover, the biology achievement test mean scores of assimilators were found to be higher than that of convergers, divergers, and accommodators. Bivariate correlations revealed low positive correlations between each of the three components of motivational belief and students&amp / #8217 / biology achievement.

This study aimed at investigating the role of hope and study skills in predicting test anxiety levels of female and male university students. The sample consisted of 442 students from four different undergraduate programs of Faculty of Education at Ege University. Turkish version of State Hope Scale (SHS, Snyder, 1996), Turkish form of Dispositional Hope Scale (DHS, Akman &amp / Korkut, 1993), Study Skills Scale (SSI, Y*ld*r*m, Do*anay &amp / T&uuml / rko*lu, 2000) and Turkish form of Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI, Albayrak-Kaymak,1985 / &Ouml / ner, 1986 / 1990 / &Ouml / ner &amp / Albayrak Kaymak, 1986) were used for data collection. Adaptation study of the SHS and validity and reliability studies of the SSI were also conducted as part of the study. For the purpose of investigating the role of hope and study skills in predicting worry and emotionality dimensions of test anxiety, four stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for the worry and emotionality subscales scores of females and males. SHS scores, DHS scores, Course Participation subscale scores and Effective Reading subscale scores appeared as significant predictors for the emotionality scores, whereas SHS scores, Course Participation subscale scores and Effective Reading subscale scores emerged as significant predictors of the worry scores for the female group. The State Hope Scale (SHS) scores, Preparation for Exams subscale score, the Dispositional Hope Scale Scores (DHS), and Listening Subscale scores predicted the emotionality scores of the male students, and the State Hope Scale (SHS) scores, Preparation for Exams subscale, the Dispositional Hope, Motivation subscale, Health and Nutrition subscale and Writing Subscale scores predicted the worry scores of the male students.