Revisiting the Role of Worries in Explaining the Link Between Test Anxiety and Test Performance

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Frieder L. Schillinger - , Professur Kognitive und Klinische Neurowissenschaft, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg (Autor:in)
  • Jochen A. Mosbacher - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)
  • Clemens Brunner - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)
  • Stephan E. Vogel - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)
  • Roland H. Grabner - , Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Autor:in)

Abstract

The inverse relationship between test anxiety and test performance is commonly explained by test-anxious students’ tendency to worry about a test and the consequences of failing. However, other cognitive facets of test anxiety have been identified that could account for this link, including interference by test-irrelevant thoughts and lack of confidence. In this study, we compare different facets of test anxiety in predicting test performance. Seven hundred thirty university students filled out the German Test Anxiety Inventory after completing a battery of standardized tests assessing general intelligence and mathematical competencies. Multiple regressions revealed that interference and lack of confidence but not worry or arousal explained unique variance in students’ test performance. No evidence was found for a curvilinear relationship between arousal and performance. The present results call for revisiting the role of worries in explaining the test anxiety-performance link and can help educators to identify students who are especially at risk of underperforming on tests.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)1887-1906
Seitenumfang20
FachzeitschriftEducational Psychology Review
Jahrgang33
Ausgabenummer4
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Dez. 2021
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Education, Mathematics, Test anxiety, Test performance, Worry