Test anxiety and self-esteem in senior high school students: a cross-sectional study

The relationships between self-esteem, self-efficacy, and test anxiety: A cross-lagged study

The aim of the present study was to illuminate the causal relationships between self-esteem and test anxiety, as well as between general self-efficacy and test anxiety using two-wave longitudinal research design with a sample of 252 Chinese college students. After controlling for gender, grade and autoregressive effects, the results revealed that (1) self-esteem at T1 did not significantly predict test anxiety at T2; (2) general self-efficacy at T1 did not significantly predict test anxiety at T2; (3) test anxiety at T1 significantly and negatively predicted self-esteem at T2; and (4) test anxiety at T1 marginally significantly and negatively predicted general self-efficacy at T2. These results suggest that test anxiety is more likely to affect self-esteem and general self-efficacy rather than vice versa, and that the causal relationship between self-esteem and test anxiety are clearer than the causal relationship between general self-efficacy and test anxiety. However, given the limitation of the longitudinal research using cross-lagged analysis for revealing causality, these results should be viewed with caution.

Prevalence of test anxiety and its determinants among nursing students in Selangor, Malaysia

The current education system significantly emphasizes tests and evaluations as crucial factors in determining a student's future career path. It has been shown that nursing students have moderate to high levels of Test Anxiety (TA), which results in decreased academic performance, low self-esteem, and an inability to complete the program and pursue a career in nursing successfully. This study aimed to determine nursing students' level of TA and its relationship with demographic characteristics. Four hundred twenty-one nursing students at seven private universities and colleges in Selangor participated in this cross-sectional study. The level of TA was measured using the TA Inventory (TAI). A total of 62.5% of the respondents had mild TA, 25.4% had moderate TA and 2.1% had severe TA. There were significant relationships between TA level and household income (χ2 = 6.70, p = 0.035) and ethnic groups (F (3,417) = 5.20, p = 0.002) where Chinese and Indians are protective from TA compared to the Malays and other ethnic groups and high anxiety was significant in the Ringgit Malaysia (RM 3000) and below group. The study's findings indicate that a significant percentage of nursing students involved in the research had mild to moderate levels of test anxiety (TA) and there is a significant association between TA and demographic characteristics. The results indicate the importance of early identification of TA and the need for interventions to overcome TA to ensure they are emotionally, physically, and academically successful.

[A Cognitive Behavioural-Based Intervention in Reducing Test Anxiety in High School Students: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial]

INTRODUCTION

School-age test anxiety is an important risk factor for school performance. Notwithstanding, few studies seek to identify which strategies are effective in improving test anxiety. The aim of this study was to assess whether a cognitive-behavioural intervention for high school students could significantly reduce test anxiety.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled, unblinded, parallel, trial. Participants were 10th grade students from Alves Martins High School in Viseu, Portugal. Students were randomized at class level to receive a cognitive-behavioural-based intervention combined with mindfulness, psychoeducation, and relaxation techniques, or to a control group with no intervention. Participants' anxiety levels were measured using the Test Anxiety Questionnaire. The analysis of the effect of the intervention was carried out on an intention-to-treat basis at the class level, using multilevel mixed effects models and Bayesian modelling.

RESULTS

The intervention had a significant effect in reducing test anxiety (d = 0.81, 95% CI 0.45;1.17, Bayes factor = 31.3). Male gender was an independent risk factor for smaller reductions in anxiety levels. The intervention was more effective in reducing the worry component of test anxiety (d = 0.76, 95% CI 0.41;1.11, Bayes factor = 19.9) than the emotionality component (d = 0.63, 95% CI 0.31;0.95, Bayes factor = 6.6).

CONCLUSION

A cognitive-behavioural intervention specifically designed to reduce test anxiety, using a combination of mindfulness, psychoeducation and relaxation techniques, was effective in reducing test anxiety levels.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Retrospectively registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05481099) in 08/01/2022.

Test anxiety and its determinants among health sciences students at Mattu University: a cross-sectional study

Background

Test anxiety is a particular type of anxiety that is marked by physical, cognitive, and behavioural symptoms when taking and performing tests. It is defined as "severe stress" before, during, and after exams and other assessments. Test anxiety could cause poor academic performance and increase dropout rates. This study aimed to determine the levels of test anxiety and its determinants among health sciences students at Mattu University.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 selected students from June 1 to June 30, 2021. The study utilized the Westside Test Anxiety, the Oslo Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Kessler Scale to assess test anxiety, social support, self-esteem, and psychological distress, respectively. The collected data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and then exported to STATA version 14.0 for analysis. A linear regression model was used to determine factors associated with test anxiety. The multiple regression assumptions were checked for each variable. Statistically significant effects were assumed for a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval in the multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

A total of 416 (99%) participants were completed out of the 420 questionnaires administered. The mean score of test anxiety among participants was 25.3 (SD: ±5.51). Tobacco use (β: 1.028; 95% CI: 0.709-1.347), khat chewing (β: 0.115; 95% CI: 0.038-0.192), self-esteem (β: -0.049; 95% CI: -0.062-(-0.036)), psychological distress (β: 0.022; 95% CI: 0.017-0.027), and physical activity (β: -0.162; 95% CI: -0.224-(-0.099)) were shown to have a significant association with test anxiety.

Conclusion

Test anxiety was common in the study area. Current substance use (tobacco use and khat chewing) and psychological distress were discovered to be factors that exacerbated test anxiety, whereas self-esteem and physical activity were discovered to be factors that alleviated test anxiety. Therefore, students and stakeholders need to work to discourage those factors that increase test anxiety while promoting factors that alleviate it.

Factors associated with test anxiety among adolescents in Shenzhen, China

BACKGROUND

Test anxiety is prevalent among adolescents and may have long-term negative consequences on their physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of test anxiety and its related attributing factors among adolescents in Shenzhen, China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 18, 2020 to January 12, 2021 in Shenzhen, China. Test anxiety symptoms were measured by using the Test Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess test anxiety and risk factors.

RESULTS

In total, 7047 students aged 10 to 19 were included for this survey. The prevalence of test anxiety was found to be 46.7 %. In multivariate analysis, gender, age, frequency of feeling lonely, parents' marital status, family functioning, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, academic performance level, relationship with classmates, school bullying and Internet addiction were positive related to test anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

This cross-sectional design limits the establishment of causal relationships. Reporting bias and recalling bias may be possible.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that a significant number of adolescents in Shenzhen had test anxiety symptoms. Also, we found some risk factors, which might help to provide new guidance of psychological interventions to promote adolescents' mental health.

The association between academic stress and test anxiety in college students: The mediating role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and the moderating role of parental expectations

Academic stress has been showed to be an important factor associated with test anxiety. However, the internal mechanism between them is still not clear. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the relationship between academic stress and test anxiety was affected by parental expectations and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. This study recruited 1,315 volunteers aged 17-25 to complete self-reports on academic stress, parental expectations, regulatory emotional self-efficacy and test anxiety. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between academic stress and test anxiety. Additionally, parental expectations were negatively correlated with academic stress but positively correlated with regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy was negatively correlated with academic stress and test anxiety. The results showed that regulatory emotional self-efficacy played a mediating role in academic stress and test anxiety, and the relationship between academic stress and regulatory emotional self-efficacy was moderated by parental expectations, which indicated that parental expectations and regulatory emotional self-efficacy may play an important role in the relationship between academic stress and test anxiety.

Gender gaps in Mathematics and Language: The bias of competitive achievement tests

This research paper examines the extent to which high-stakes competitive tests affect gender gaps in standardized tests of Mathematics and Language. To this end, we estimate models that predict students' results in two national standardized tests: a test that does not affect students' educational trajectory, and a second test that determines access to the most selective universities in Chile. We used data from different gender twins who took these tests. This strategy allows us to control, through household fixed effects, the observed and unobserved household characteristics. Our results show that competitive tests negatively affect women. In Mathematics, according to both tests, there is a gender gap in favor of men, which increases in the university entrance exam, especially for high-performance students. As the literature review shows, women are negatively stereotyped in Mathematics, so this stereotype threat could penalize high-achieving women, that is, those that go against the stereotype. In Language tests, women outperform men in the standardized test taken in high school, but the situation is reversed in the university entrance exam. From our analysis of Chilean national data, we find no evidence that the gender effect observed in the competitive test depends on the students' achievement level. Following the literature, this gender gap may be linked to women's risk aversion, lower self-confidence, lower preference for competition, as well as the effect of answering a test under time pressure.

Test anxiety in online exams: scale development and validity

Considering the increasing use of online tests, this study aims to develop an up-to-date and reliable scale to measure university students' online test anxiety. This study was designed by using mixed research model by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods together. The study consisted of four stages: planning, structuring, quantitative evaluation, reliability and validation. While in the first phase an extensive literature review was conducted, students' opinions were obtained to create an item pool in the second phase. In the third phase, the 29-item scale was administered to 442 university students for factor and reliability analysis. A total of nine items were dropped out from the pool. The Cronbach's alpha value was .98. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the items loaded on two factors: the psychological and physiological anxiety factor (α = .95), the technical anxiety factor (α = .89). The two-factor solution accounted for more than 63% of the total variance. The final version of the scale was administered to 387 university students for confirmatory factor analysis in the fourth stage. The results proved that the scale had two factors and the fit indices were at an acceptable level. The reliability analysis was run and Cronbach's alpha values were .94 the whole scale, .93 for the psychological and physiological anxiety factor, and .90 for the technical anxiety factor. According to the result, it was concluded that the Test Anxiety Scale for Online Exams is a reliable and valid measurement tool in determining university students' online test anxiety. Finally, recommendations for future research are provided.

School educational models and child mental health among K-12 students: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

The promotion of mental health among children and adolescents is a public health imperative worldwide, and schools have been proposed as the primary and targeted settings for mental health promotion for students in grades K-12. This review sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of key factors involved in models of school education contributing to student mental health development, interrelationships among these factors and the cross-cultural differences across nations and societies.

METHODS

This scoping review followed the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and holistically reviewed the current evidence on the potential impacts of school-related factors or school-based interventions on student mental health in recent 5 years based on the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and PsycExtra databases.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

After screening 558 full-texts, this review contained a total of 197 original articles on school education and student mental health. Based on the five key factors (including curriculum, homework and tests, physical activities, interpersonal relationships and after-school activities) identified in student mental development according to thematic analyses, a multi-component school educational model integrating academic, social and physical factors was proposed so as to conceptualize the five school-based dimensions for K-12 students to promote student mental health development.

CONCLUSIONS

The lessons learned from previous studies indicate that developing multi-component school strategies to promote student mental health remains a major challenge. This review may help establish appropriate school educational models and call for a greater emphasis on advancement of student mental health in the K-12 school context among different nations or societies.

Artificial neural network application for identifying risk of depression in high school students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Identifying important factors contributing to depression is necessary for interrupting risk pathways to minimize adolescent depression. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression in high school students and develop a model for identifying risk of depression among adolescents.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1190 adolescents from two high schools in eastern China participated in the study. Artificial neurol network (ANN) was used to establish the identification model.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression was 29.9% among the students. The model showed the top five protective and risk factors including perceived stress, life events, optimism, self-compassion and resilience. ANN model accuracy was 81.06%, with sensitivity 65.3%, specificity 88.4%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves 0.846 in testing dataset.

CONCLUSION

The ANN showed the good performance in identifying risk of depression. Promoting the protective factors and reducing the level of risk factors facilitate preventing and relieving depression.

Well-Being of Adolescents in De-Escalation Situation: Physical, Emotional, Social, and Academic Impact

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world we knew in recent months. In the interest of maintaining social distance, lockdown periods have been established and schools in many countries have closed their doors. In this context, the objective of this research was to analyze the well-being of adolescents in Spain after lock-down and during the de-escalation process in a holistic way; taking into account their indicators on physical, emotional, social, and academic levels. The "Well-being of Children in Lockdown" (WCL) scale was used to measure the well-being of adolescents using these same parameters. The results point out that the general well-being of adolescents in the pandemic situation was situated at an intermediate level. Taking into account the different aspects measured within the general well-being, the domains that obtained the lowest scores were the domains of addictions and playful and creative activities. Intermediate scores were also obtained in the physical activity, emotional and academic domains, with the routine and academic domains having the highest scores. Boys and younger adolescents are those who show higher scores in the general well-being. Moreover, correlations appear between academic task stress and emotions, playful and creative activities, addictions, physical activity, routine, academic and overall well-being.

The association between anxiety and academic performance in children with reading disorder: A longitudinal cohort study

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between anxiety and overall academic performance (AP) in children with reading disorder (RD). This two-year longitudinal cohort study included 128 participants (aged 7-14 years) with RD. Anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the School Anxiety Scale - Teacher Report for the first year and the eight-item Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for the second year. AP was assessed by teacher ratings of progress in academic content areas, including reading, writing and math. Teachers completed evaluations every 3 months. We standardized all scores (to z scores). Multivariate linear regression models (adjusting for age, sex and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms) assessed the association cross-sectionally at each timepoint of survey completion. Repeated measures analysis using mixed models assessed the relationship longitudinally. Results from both univariate and multivariate analyses showed anxiety being significantly negatively associated with AP in children with RD, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Importantly, increased anxiety was significantly associated with reduced AP over time within an individual (adjusted β = -0.22, p = .002). This lends support to screening for anxiety disorders in children with RD. Future research should examine the directionality of this relationship, potential mediators in the pathway and whether interventions to reduce anxiety increase AP.

Test Anxiety in Adolescent Students: Different Responses According to the Components of Anxiety as a Function of Sociodemographic and Academic Variables

Objective

Test anxiety (TA) is a construct that has scarcely been studied based on Lang’s three-dimensional model of anxiety. The objective of this article is to investigate the repercussion of sociodemographic and academic variables on different responses for each component of anxiety and for the type of test in adolescent students.

Method

A total of 1181 students from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.7 and SD = 1.8) participated, of whom 569 were boys (48.2%) and 612 girls (51.8%). A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Cuestionario de Ansiedad ante los examenes-Adaptado (CAEX-A) [Test Anxiety Questionnaire-Adapted] an adaptation for Spanish secondary school levels (ESO) and Bachillerato were administered.

Results

Girls scored higher on the cognitive and physiological components of TA than boys, the intensity of the physiological response increasing with age. Bachillerato level students reported more physiological anxiety than those of ESO level. Students with better marks in the previous year presented more anxiety in the cognitive component, while those who obtained the lower mark presented higher anxiety values in the behavioral component. Participants reported that the types of tests that cause them more anxiety were oral tests in front of the class, oral presentation in front of a panel, and mathematics tests.

Conclusion

Adolescents show a differential response of TA based on the physiological, cognitive and motor components, mediated by the variables of gender, age, grade, academic performance and type of exam. These results serve to design specific intervention programs to manage anxiety in situations of academic assessment.

Academic Stress in the Final Years of School: A Systematic Literature Review

Heightened academic stress in the final years of schooling is a common concern, yet little is known about how stress changes over time and what individual, school and family factors are associated with distress. We conducted a systematic review to examine the nature of distress in students in their final two years of secondary school. Sixty studies were eligible for inclusion. The main findings indicated severity of distress differed across the 17 countries sampled and measures used. There was some consistencies suggesting about 1 in 6 students experienced excessive distress. Female gender and anxiety proneness were consistently associated with increased distress, and freedom from negative cognitions with reduced distress. There was some evidence that individual characteristics (perfectionism, avoidance, coping, self-efficacy, resilience), lifestyle (sleep, homework), school, family and peer connectedness were associated with distress. Overall at-risk students can be predicted by theoretical models of anxiety and distress targeted with psychological interventions.

Self-esteem, study skills, self-concept, social support, psychological distress, and coping mechanism effects on test anxiety and academic performance

The purpose of this article is to assess the association of test anxiety and academic performance with study skills, coping mechanism, self-concept, self-esteem, and psychological distress among university and high school students. A series of validated measures were administered to 284 Kosovar students, most of whom were in college (60.3%). Being in college and social support resulted as protective factors for test anxiety. Better study skills, self-concept, and psychological distress were indicative of higher test anxiety. Higher levels of self-esteem were associated with higher student success. Practical implications and research future directions have also been discussed.