Test Anxiety and Emotional Reactivity on Test Outcome

1200 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Introduction of test anxiety

During studying students are experiencing varieties of emotions. Test anxiety and emotional reactivity to test outcome are one of most frequent and the strongest stressors for students during their college days (Pekrun, Goetz, Titz, & Perry, 2002). Various studies have shown that test anxiety correlate negatively with cumulative grades-point average (Diener, Schwarz, & Nickerson, 2011), academic performance (& Elliot, Pekrun, & Maier, 2009) and students’ health (Conley & Lehman, 2012). Test anxiety and emotional reactivity of test outcome can be influenced by both situational and trait factors (Putwain, Woods, & Symes, 2010). Previous research have shown that achievement goals (Putwain et al., 2010; Putwain & Daniels, 2010; Putwain & Symes, 2012), neuroticism (Chammorro-Premuzic, Ahmetoglu, & Furnham, 2008), perfectionism (Stoeber, Feast, & Hayward, 2009), locus of control (Davis & Davis, 1972) , and even a birth order (Saranson, 1969) are related with test anxiety. Above-mentioned studies suggest that beside situational factors, experience of test anxiety also depend on students’ individual characteristics. Test anxiety can be studied as both trait and state construct. State test anxiety refers to emotional distress in specific academic setting. Common situational factors include lower self-confidence for the specific test or an awareness of being not adequately prepared for the exam (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1992; Zohar, 1998). The trait test anxiety presents relatively stable individual differences in frequency and intensity of emotional response in test setting (Spielberger, 1972). Trait level of test anxiety is usually assessed by questionnaires. There are several questionnaires and scales of test anxiety upon which factor str... ... middle of paper ... ... and Individual Differences, 47(5), 423-428. Torrubia, R., Avila, C., Moltó, J., & Caseras, X. (2001). The Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ) as a measure of Gray's anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(6), 837-862. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063. Živčić-Bećirević, I., Juretić, J., & Miljević, M. (2009). The Role of Metacognitive Beliefs, Automatic Thoughts During Learning and Attribution of Success in Students' Test Anxiety and Academic Achievement. Psihologijske teme, 18(1), 119-136. Zohar, D. (1998). An additive model of test anxiety: Role of exam-specific expectations. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 330.

Show More
Related

  • What Is A Grade By Pat Belanoff Summary

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many students face at least one important test in their life. And if that particular student is one of the many that experience test anxiety, this can affect the students test scores. Test anxiety can be caused by the lack of preparation by the student, but it could be caused by the fear of failure as well. Students have so much resting on college and their ability to do well, such as a good paying job to be able to support themselves. Test anxiety causes nausea, light-headedness, and it could even cause the student to have a panic attack. Students that have severe test anxiety do not have a fair advantage (ADAA,

    Read More

  • Overachievers: The Detriments of Overworking in High School

    1582 Words  | 4 Pages

    There have been reports, even from elementary schools, that young children vomit in their standardized test booklets from stress. If children this young are already becoming sick with school-related stress, we can only begin to imagine their state of being once the added pressure of middle school, high school and college enters their lives. It is critical for school boards to realize that the crippling anxiety that runs rampant through the crowded halls of American schools is a serious cause for concern. Part of this concern stems from the disadvantage at which high stakes testing often puts students with testing anxiety. An example of this can be found when Audrey, whose life Robbins chronicles in The Overachievers, feels that tests do not reflect her knowledge of a topic. Indeed, it is true that if a student is mentally distressed on an extreme level, he/she is not in a good position to show his/her knowledge. In discussing this phenomenon it is important to understand that while most students feel anxious about high stakes tests, it is the ones with clinical anxiety who suffer the most, who vomit in their textbooks and who are

    Read More

  • Cbt Case Study

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    I am not a terrible test taker (situation), but I do experience slight anxiety (emotional reaction) whenever they arise. Usually the first thing that pops into my head (automatic thought) is that I will do poorly and receive a failing grade. This in turn causes my

    Read More

  • High Stakes Testing Pros And Cons

    335 Words  | 1 Pages

    High-stakes testing also has negative effects on learning because it tells students what education means- which appears to be something too complex and difficult to understand and relate to. These tests, being too long and beyond their level of cognitive development, would unnecessarily eat away their confidence, and perhaps even their motivation to learn. In addition, if assessments become too geared toward these tests, affective assessments would take a backseat. Affective assessments, however, are essential to understanding what our students know and prefer and their attitudes

    Read More

  • The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Psychology test do not have to be a stressful thing; test scores can go up with just a few changes by the professor. In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink explains that Motivation 3.0 Autonomy is giving a person the freedom to do things in their own way which produces better result because Motivation 3.0 “presumes that people want to be accountable-and making sure they have control over their task, their time, their technique, and their team in the most effective pathway to the destination” (105). Psychology professors should consider giving their students more autonomy with regards to test taking so that the students can choose the method that best fits their learning style. Professors can do this by giving the students options on what style of test they want, where they would like to take it, and how long would best fit them.

    Read More

  • A Constructivist Approach in the Classroom

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Woolfolk, A. E., Winne, P. H., & Perry, N. E. (2011). Educational psychology (5th ed.) Toronto: Pearson.

    Read More

  • Tests & Stress

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it comes to taking tests I normally do not stress over them. I go into it with a good and open mindset that I am going to pass with flying colors. If I stress before I even begin the test, then my whole mindset will be thrown off and it makes it hard for me to concentrate. I have to be in a quiet room by myself in order to take tests/quizzes. I do have a tendency to stress when a test is timed. For example, I am taking a timed test that has 40 questions and I have five minutes left but I’ve only answered one-fourth of the questions. I will then become a little worried that I will not get done with the test. As far as when taking short answer or essay tests I will become stressed and overwhelmed. Short answer and essay tests/quizzes are my least favorite tests to take.

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Western Psychology

    2137 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wong, P. T. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. What to do about the negative?, 52(2), 69-70.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students with academic anxiety are self-engrossed and lead to their own academic demise. Test anxiety does not only affect a student's performance on a test, but Huberty (2009) asserts that test anxiety over time tends to contribute to more common underachievement. He describes the consequences of constant test anxiety including lowered self-esteem, reduced effort, and loss of desire to complete school tasks. Students who have academic anxiety also have a higher risk of developing depression, and often feel deprived of confidence (Cunningham, 2008). Thus, academic anxiety can become extreme, and have negative effects on students’ well-being.

    Read More

  • Research Paper

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first thing you need to know about exams are they are causing way too much stress among students of any level of school. Stress is one of the body’s natural responses to something that is threatening or frightening. We all experience this feeling sometime in our lives. Sometimes it can be for a good reason and sometimes the opposite. There is good stress and there is also bad stress. Bad stress can cause you to not perform at your highest level possible and it impairs your abilities (Exam Stress, 2014). Research is showing that college students are stressed t...

    Read More

  • Effects Of Test Anxiety

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...gh review, researchers found no testing measures used in the state of Maryland that are implemented to examine test anxiety levels in the population of incoming students of colleges and universities. This research will enable collegiate students to gain a greater understanding of the degree of test anxiety they are experiencing, the factors that may be related to test anxiety, and through practical application learn to use productive coping strategies to achieve academic success. Without proper testing techniques students fall well under the expected performance rate and risk failing college and dropping from the higher education track. Researchers hypothesize that there will be a statistically significant difference between male and female students on test anxiety measures. Researchers will explore the relationships between age, classification, and test anxiety.

    Read More

  • Lee Vygotsky's Theory of Learning

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Krause, K, Bochner, S, Duchesne, S & McNaugh, A 2010, Educational Psychology: for learning & teaching, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Victoria

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Common Core Standards

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, students lament this system because of how it has jeopardized them psychologically. With teachers using fear as a motivation to work and pass tests, students with high test anxiety perceive failure as a threat. In 2015, a group of psychologists conducted a study to determine how Common Core has impacted students. The psychologists concluded "Fear appeals when preparing students to take high-stakes assessments, well-intentioned teachers may use fear appeals in hopes of motivating students, believing that students will make greater efforts to prepare for tests and to avoid failure" (Saeki). Research has proven that because of the Common Core Standards, teachers must resort to instilling fear into the minds of students in hopes that they will pass tests. Using fear as a method of motivation significantly damages a student's level of self-esteem, as well as their ability to

    Read More

  • Excessive Testing Argumentative Analysis

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Jasmine Evans states “the pressure placed on students to perform well ends up impeding the very thing standardized tests are designed to assess: how much students know,” this further explains my point because the amount of tests students get, gives many anxiety since each test carries an immense amount of pressure. Therefore giving countless quantity of tests to students actually contradicts the learning process and the statistics pulled from those tests would be faulty. The stress and anxiety created by tests isn’t limited to teenagers, as it can affect college students also. Valerie Strauss reports from a professor at Eastern Illinois University, that a mother once told her “her son had burst into tears the night before the big end-of –year exam, saying he was afraid he wouldn’t be promoted to the next grade,” this proves how a student’s mental state and health are altered before an exam, causing a poor performance. On a personal level, I can connect with this women’s son because I have had 4 or 5 tests the same day on multiple occasions. The night before is always a late one, and even when I finally go to bed I’m constantly waking up throughout the night thinking about everything that can go wrong. Even if I study every night for a week leading up to the tests, I’m still stressing out about not studying enough for each

    Read More

  • Does Standardized Testing Accurately Measures a Student´s Performance?

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    The argument about whether or not standardized testing accurately measures a student's performance continues to be debated. In this paper, I would like to argue that standardized testing does not accurately measure a student's performance. After looking at various opinions of standardized testing, I will consider the subject matter in regards to external factors that can influence a student's thinking process during a standardized test, such as anxiety, stress, and any other problems the student may be encountering. As a Secondary Mathematics Education major, I will have to prepare my future students for standardized testing. Through reviewing both sides of the debate about standardized testing, I can learn how to focus on the objectives of standardized testing in order to apply them to other aspects of academics and real-life situations.

    Read More

More about Test Anxiety and Emotional Reactivity on Test Outcome

Open Document