Test Anxiety Research

Paper Summary:

The paper examines a study that sought to determine the effectiveness, if any, of brief cognitive therapy intervention in the reduction of test anxiety. The paper explains that it would appear from the data that cognitive intervention had successfully reduced anxiety and with this available data, a hypotheses could have been proved. However, the paper discusses the drawbacks of the study; it may have been biased and there were too few participants used. The paper concludes that certainly other factors could have been integrated into the study and may have produced results other than what was produced by this study. But, for as far as it went, this study accomplished its goals and objectives. It proved that such cognitive therapy did work, albeit to a small degree.

From the Paper:

"There are a number of factors that affect how a study is perceived and whether the conclusion of the study is deemed valid or not. Especially difficult to verify are components of studies and tests that measure or attempt to measure items of a mental nature. In assessing these types of tests, many outside factors that cannot be controlled affect the tests as well, and oftentimes these uncontrollable factors leads to controversy concerning the studies."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Addressing Test Anxiety in a High Stakes Environment: Strategies for Classrooms and Schools, (2005), Curriculum Review, Vol. 45, Issue 1, pg 12 Cangelosi, James. (1990) Designing Tests for Evaluating Student Achievement, New York; Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc. Cassady, Jerrell C., Johnson, Ronald E., (2002) Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance, Contemporary Educational Psychology 27, pp 270-295, http://www.idealibrary.com, accessed May 25, 2006 Davies, Don. (1988) Maximizing Examination Performance, New York; Nichols Publishing Do-Rego, Jean Claude, Wiana, Alice F., Le Maitre, Erwan, Deniel, Audrey, Leroux-Nicollet, Isabelle, Costentin, Jean (2006) Comparisons Between Anxiety Tests for Selection of Anxious and non-anxious Mice, Behavioural Brain Research, Vol. 169, Issue 2, pp 282-288 Ergene, Tuncay (2003) Effective Interventions on Test Anxiety Reduction: A Meta-Analysis, School Psychology International, Vol. 24, Issue 3, pp 313-28 Grover, Sonja C. (1981) The Cognitive Basis of Intellect: a Response to Jensen's "Bias in Mental Testing", Calgary: University of Calgary Hong, Eunsook, Karstensson, Lewis (2002) Antecedents of State Test Anxiety, Contemporary Educational Psychology 27, pp 348-367, http://www.idealibrary.com, accessed May 26, 2006 Hunsley, John (1985) Test Anxiety, Academic Performance, and Cognitive Appraisals, Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol.77, Issue 6, pp. 678 - 682 Jensen, Arthur (1980) Bias in Mental Testing, New York: The Free Press, a Division of Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc. Miele, Frank (2002) Intelligence, Race, and Genetics, Boulder (CO); Westview Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group Modgil, Sohan, Modgil, Celia (1987) Arthur Jensen, Consensus and Controversy, New York: The Falmer Press Ottens, Allen J. (1991) Coping With Academic Anxiety, New York: Rosen Publishing Group Ryan, Ann Marie. (2001) Explaining the Black - White Test Score Gap: The Role of Test Perceptions, Human Performance, Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 45-75 Shadish, William, Cook, Thomas, Campbell, Donald T. (2002) Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Casual Inference, Boston, Houghton-Mifflin Company Stricker, Lawrence J., Wilder, Gita Z., Rock, Donald A., (2004) Attitudes about the Computer Based Test of English as a Second Language, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 20, Issue 1, pp. 37 -54 Wainer, H. (1993) Measurement Problems, Journal of Educational Measurement, Vol. 30, pp. 1-31 Yehuda, Shlomo (2005) Mixture of Essential Fatty Acids Lowers Test Anxiety, Nutritional Neuroscience, Vol. 8, Issue 4, pg 265
• Cangelosi, James. (1990) Designing Tests for Evaluating Student Achievement, New York; Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc.
• Cassady, Jerrell C., Johnson, Ronald E., (2002) Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance, Contemporary Educational Psychology 27, pp 270-295, http://www.idealibrary.com, accessed May 25, 2006
• Davies, Don. (1988) Maximizing Examination Performance, New York; Nichols Publishing
• Do-Rego, Jean Claude, Wiana, Alice F., Le Maitre, Erwan, Deniel, Audrey, Leroux-Nicollet, Isabelle, Costentin, Jean (2006) Comparisons Between Anxiety Tests for Selection of Anxious and non-anxious Mice, Behavioural Brain Research, Vol. 169, Issue 2, pp 282-288

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• Research Proposal # 49092 : "Ability Grouping"

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