There is a positive relationship between a selected measure of test anxiety and several measures of self-perception. Hypotheses of concommitant decreases in self-esteem as test anxiety increased were offered. Subjects consisted of 193 undergraduate students (123 females and 70 males) enrolled in educational psychology and foundations of education…

Evidence is cited from one situation that suggests that test anxiety has a positive influence on performance in course assessment, which may be viewed as a less stressful test situation. This result is discussed in terms of Spence's "drive theory." (Author/LBH)

The relative contributions of test anxiety and exam-taking skills to information-processing deficits were investigated in a dual-task paradigm comparing high and low test-anxious students with either good or poor exam-taking skills. Sixty-four undergraduate students (21 males, 43 females) were selected based upon pre-test scores on the Test…

An experiment investigated the effects of the instruction rubric at the beginning of an examination paper and of the format of the examination questions themselves. A history test whose questions originally differed widely in format was modified so that its rubric was as clear and concise as possible and all the short answer questions were of the…

The focus of this paper is on improving the measurement of test anxiety. Background information is given about the role of motivation and the importance of testing. The present research is directed at developing a shorter, more reliable and valid measure of test anxiety, thus furthering the predictive, diagnostic, and test program uses of test…

Undoubtedly test anxiety is a troublesome condition found to be prevalent today among college students. Over the years various attempts have been made to explore how test anxiety influences academic achievement. This paper discusses the extent to which test anxiety affects academic achievement of college students, and the techniques found to be…

It is suggested that little attention is given to understanding student concerns about testing: what will be tested, and in what depth. Reexamination is indicated for the purposes of testing, test quality and frequency, and instructor autonomy. Tests are seen as powerful determinants of learning that are often not used appropriately. (MSE)

Summarizes interviews with 60 Indiana superintendents and principals concerning the effects of statewide student achievement testing on the operation of schools or school systems. It describes side effects from the testing, noting they are so numerous and severe they may be worse than the problems they are supposed to cure. (SM)

It is well known among scholars and practitioners that stress and anxiety responses are genuine scientifically measurable reactions to a perceived stressor. It is also common knowledge that high levels of stress and anxiety have a multitude of negative psycho-physiological effects. These effects can contribute to the development of depression and…

The effects of achievement-oriented and neutral instructions on the humor ratings of both testing and non-testing cartoons were assessed for high- and low test-anxious students. The effects of humor in reducing state anxiety were also evaluated. Fifty-two undergraduate students were selected on the basis of their Test Anxiety Scale scores. Both…

To test the effects of altering situational variables in stressful examinations on high test anxious and low test anxious undergraduates, mid-terms and final examinations were administered in two environmental settings: large lecture halls and small language laboratories. Mean test scores for high test anxious students in the language labs were…

The effects of humorous test questions on test performance of high and low-anxious college students was investigated. It was hypothesized that humor should reduce the anxiety level of high-anxious subjects, and thus improve their performance, while having little effect on low-anxious subjects. Students were assigned to a low or high-anxious group…

Suggestions for students, parents, and teachers on how to prepare students to take standardized tests are presented. The value of deliberate efforts to teach students test-taking skills is supported by research. Activities to prepare students include the following: (1) teachers should develop some of their tests and worksheets in formats similar…

A large amount of research has been done in the past few decades to pinpoint the effects of test anxiety on the performance of those taking tests. Much of that research is listed in this bibliography, which originated with a computer search of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) data base, Psychological Abstracts, Comprehensive…