Test Anxiety

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses test anxiety and the effects that it has on students and their academic performance. The paper begins by describing symptoms of anxiety in general and then focuses more specifically on test anxiety. The paper suggests methods for students, their parents and schools to adopt in order to reduce test anxiety levels among students in order to improve testing outcomes in these students.

From the Paper:

"The incidence of test anxiety depends on the subject. A study sought to determine the extent to which Statistics and Mathematics exams produce anxiety in 162 pre-service teachers, used as subjects in an academic teacher-training program for elementary and middle schools in Israel (Nasser 2004). Result showed that a student's mathematical aptitude, mathematics anxiety, attitudes toward mathematics and motivation conduced to his or her feelings about statistics at 51%. The study observed that this was the tendency among students with little prior or no experience in statistics and that the lack of experience could produce negative attitudes, which could convert into anxiety. It concluded that preconceptions on the nature of statistics could produce that anxiety. Mathematical aptitude would best determine success or achievement in statistics and foster more positive attitudes towards mathematics and statistics. Therefore, anxiety towards tests in mathematics and statistics would tend to develop in students with lower mathematical aptitude and achievement or experience (Nasser). (Deustche 2005)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Berger, R. (1997). Building a School Culture of High Standards. New Horizons for Learning : Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum. http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/cabc/berger.htm
• Coombe, C and Hubley, N. (1999). Creating Effective Classroom Tests. Testing Assessment and Evaluation Special Group, Org. http://tesolarabia.org/tae/createxi.html
• Gilbert, M D. (2004). Vocabulary Knowledge of Pharmacy Students Whose First or Best Language is not English. Humanities Department: University of Philadelphia. http://www.ajpe.org/view.asp?art=aj680491&pdf=yes
• Hodges, N. and Byford, J. M. (2004). A Study of Test Anxiety and Students in Special Education. Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative and Indiana University Northwest. http://www.nssa.us/25_2/25-2%2007%20HodgesAStudy.htm
• Le, J.(2004). Affective Characteristics of American Students Studying Chinese in China: a Study of Heritage and Non-Heritage Learners' Beliefs and Non-Beliefs and Foreign Language Anxiety. University of Texas at Austin. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/etd/d/2004/lej52550/kej52550.pdf#oages=3

More papers on Test Anxiety:

• Analytical Essay # 142183 : "College Students and Test Anxiety"
• Research Proposal # 139257 : "Test Anxiety and Immediate Feedback Assessment"
• Term Paper # 138691 : "Impact of Test Anxiety"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: