Examined kindergartners' behaviors while taking, and before and after taking, an achievement test. Qualitative observations indicated that children's behaviors during testing were not typical of their behaviors before and after testing. Quantitative observations indicated that children exhibited more stress behaviors during the testing than before…

An experiment used relaxation training and other Gestalt techniques to reduce test anxiety in university students. Results of self-reports and an anxiety inventory show a significant difference in anxiety between the experimental group (n=27) and control group (n=11), suggesting the techniques are effective. (Author/MSE)

Summarizes research related to humor in testing and presents new evidence on the effectiveness of humor in constructed-response items. Findings from a survey at Johns Hopkins University's School of Nursing indicated that students feel that humor makes a difference in their test performance. Describes specific strategies for using humor in tests.…

As the classroom and workplace, among other contexts, become more diverse in their population characteristics, the need to be aware of specific factors impacting testing outcome issues correspondingly increases. The focus in this study, among other purposes, was to identify possible interactions between examinee's individual-difference…

We experimentally investigated the effect of authorized crib cards on undergraduates' multiple-choice exam performance for lower order and higher order questions and on anxiety levels in an upper division child and adolescent development course. Students (N =54) in 2 sections could use crib cards during 2 of the 4 exams. Despite student…

Given the high incidence of test-anxiety impairment and the need to treat more students, the study was undertaken to assess a group-administered intervention requiring a minimum of staff hours. An "active control" training was used which has been shown to provide strong anxiety reduction and respectable test score gains in prior studies. The…

The current study explored differences in test anxiety on high-stakes standardized achievement testing and classroom testing among elementary school children. This is the first study to directly examine differences in student test anxiety across two testing conditions with different stakes among young children. Three hundred and thirty-five…

The detrimental effects of test anxiety on knowledge acquisition as well as performance can occur by interfering with students' motivational tendencies and the use of effective cognitive and learning strategies. A promising conceptual approach to the constellation of student characteristics that may moderate the effects of test anxiety is…

The association of anxiety and medical students' performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part I Examination was investigated. The Debilitating Anxiety Scale was completed by 62 second-year medical students before taking the NBME Examination. Debilitating test anxiety has been described as anxiety that interferes with test…

The primary purpose of the interview-type of language proficiency evaluation is to get a rough idea of the language learner's ability at oral communicative exchange. However, interview examinations are often structured in such a way that true exchange is unlikely. Questions elicit obvious answers in a way unlike everyday conversation. Potential…

The roles of humor and anxiety in test performance were investigated. Measures of trait anxiety, state anxiety and achievement were obtained on a sample of undergraduate students; the A-Trait and A-State scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Half of the students received additional humorous items in the achievement test. The…

Parents and teachers can help relieve student test-taking anxiety by redirecting the student from fear of failure toward productive study skills. (DF)

Examined the effects of self-coping cognitive treatment for test anxiety delivered in a massed format and a spaced format. Ninety-three test-anxiety subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) workshop, (b) six-session treatment, or (c) control. Results suggest that this treatment is effective in treating test anxiety.…

Investigated: (1) "potent" testing cues that were identified by high-test-anxious (HTA) and low-test-anxious (LTA) undergraduate students (N=133); (2) differences between HTA (N=93) and LTA (N=40) students for frequencies and intensities of responses to testing cues; and (3) differences between HTA and LTA students for attentional…

Ninety fourth-graders were assessed as either high or low test anxious and randomly assigned to one of three treatments. After treatment, students were tested on a paired associate learning task and a second anxiety measure. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)