Exam Anxiety among University Students
Keywords:
Examination anxiety, University students, Departments, Gender differences
Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the level of exam anxiety among university students of KIU during exams and also analysis the difference in anxiety between male and female students. A sample size of 200 (97 female & 103 males) students was selected from ten KIU departments with respect to age 19-28 years and by stratified Convenient sampling. Westside Test Anxiety Scale applied on participants. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0. The results of the study show that 17% students have comfortable low exam anxiety, 32% normal test anxiety, 12% high normal test anxiety, 28% moderately high, 10% have high test anxiety, While 1% have extremely high anxiety. However, when compared with cutoff score, studied sample reported high level of exam anxiety. The result also showed no significant difference in anxiety level among students of different departments in KIU, and there is no gender difference in exam anxiety; male and female students have equal exam anxiety. However, students studying semester significantly influenced their reported exam anxiety.
References
Audin, C. (2006). Carbon monoxide poisoning following a natural disaster: a report on Hurricane Rita. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 32(5), 409-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2006.07.005.
Alcala, F. R. (2002). Making oral tests more human and less anxiety generating. Humanising Language Teaching, 4(4), 1-3.
Bateson, M., Brilot, B., & Nettle, D. (2011). Anxiety: An evolutionary approach. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 56(12), 707-715.
Cassady, J. C. (2010). Test anxiety: Contemporary theories and implications for learning. Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences, and solutions for academic anxieties. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Cassady, J. C. (2010). Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences, and solutions for academic anxieties. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang
Cassady, J. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2002). Cognitive test anxiety and academic performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27(2), 270-295. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1094.
Cherry, S. R., Sorenson, J. A., & Phelps, M. E. (2012). Physics in nuclear medicine e-Book. Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Cohen, S., Kozlovsky, N., Matar, M. A., Kaplan, Z., Zohar, J., & Cohen, H. (2012). Post-exposure sleep deprivation facilitates correctly timed interactions between glucocorticoid and adrenergic systems, which attenuate traumatic stress responses. Neuropsychopharmacology, 37(11), 2388-2404.
Culler, R. E., & Holahan, C. J. (1980). Test anxiety and academic performance: The effects of study-related behaviors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 72(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.72.1.16.
Driscol, L., & Beckett, E. (2014). Sucrose preference and progressive ratio performance in rats exposed postnatally to the polybrominated diphenyl ether commercial mixture DE-71. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 4, 96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2014.04.064.
Everson, H. T., Millsap, R. E., & Rodriguez, C. M. (1991). Isolating gender differences in test anxiety: A confirmatory factor analysis of the Test Anxiety Inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51(1), 243-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164491511024.
Gaudry, E., & Spielberger, C. D. (1971). Anxiety and educational achievement. New York, NY: J. Wiley & Sons Australasia.
Harris, H. L ., & Coy, D. R. Sarason (2003). Helping students cope with test anxiety. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED479355.
Hembree, R. (1988). Correlates, causes, effects, and treatment of test anxiety. Review of Educational Research, 58(1), 47-77 https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543058001047.
Holroyd, K. A ., Westbrook, T ., Wolf, M ., & Badhorn, E. (1978). Performance, cognition, and psychological responding and test anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(4), 442. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.87.4.442.
Hurlock, E. B. (1980). Development psychology: A life span approach. Jakarta, Indonesia: Raja Grafindo Persada.
Kavitha, T., Rajendran, A. D. A. A., Durairajan, A., & Shanmugam, A. (2012). Heat transfer enhancement using Nano fluids and innovative methods-an overview. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering & Technology (IJMET), 3(2), 769-782.
Kendra, J. M., & Wachtendorf, T. (2016). American Dunkirk: The waterborne evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11. Pennsylvania, PA: Temple University Press.
King, G., Tomz, M., & Wittenberg, J. (2000). Making the most of statistical analyses: Improving interpretation and presentation. American Journal of Political Science, 347-361. https://doi.org/10.2307/2669316.
Lazarus, R. S., & Averill, J. R. (1972). Emotion and cognition: With special reference to anxiety. In Anxiety: Current Trends in Theory and Research. Massachusetts, MA: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-657402-9.50006-5.
Leta, S. (2001). Depression Rates among College Students on the Rise. The Daily California, 3(2), 189-192.
Liebert, R. M ., & Morris, L. W. (1967). Cognitive and emotional components of test anxiety: A distinction and some initial data. Psychological Reports, 20(3), 975-978. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1967.20.3.975.
Mandler, G., & Sarason, S. B. (1952). A study of anxiety and learning. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47(2), 166. https:// doi.org/10.1037/h0062855.
McDonald, (2001). Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 50(1), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.1032.
McCraty, R .,. (2010). Emotion self-regulation, psychophysiological coherence, and test anxiety: Results from an experiment using electrophysiological measures. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 35(4), 261-283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-010-9134-x.
McClure, R., Cooke, R., & Carlin, A. (2011). The search for the skunk ape: Studying the impact of an online information literacy tutorial on student writing. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(2), 26-45. https://doi.org/10.11645/5.2.1638.
Meichenbaum, D ., & Butler, L. (1980). Toward a conceptual model for the treatment of test anxiety: Implications for research and treatment. Test Anxiety: Theory, research, and applications, Hillsdale, NJ: Eribaum.
Mills, N. J. (2012). Host instar preference and functional response of Aphidius transcaspicus, a parasitoid of mealy aphids (Hyalopterus species). BioControl, 57(5), 603-610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9440-8.
Morris, L. W., & Liebert, R. M. (1973). Effects of negative feedback, threat of shock, and level of trait anxiety on the arousal of two components of anxiety. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 20(4), 321. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0034768.
Nelson, J. M., & Harwood, H. (2011). Learning disabilities and anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219409359939.
Neveh, N., & Weissman, C. (1990). The correlation between excessive vitreal protein levels, prostaglandins E2 levels and the blood retinal barrier. Prostaglandins, 39(2), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-6980(90)90071-3.
Ohata, K. (2005). Potential sources of anxiety for Japanese learners of English: Preliminary case interviews with five Japanese college students in the US. TESL-EJ, 9(3), n3.
Putwain, D. W., Woods, K. A., & Symes, W. (2010). Personal and situational predictors of test anxiety of students in post-compulsory education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 137-160. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709909X466082.
Revlin, R. (2012). Cognition: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Piech, R. M., McHugo, M., Smith, S. D., Dukic, M. S., Van Der Meer, J., Abou-Khalil, B., ... & Zald, D. H. (2011). Attentional capture by emotional stimuli is preserved in patients with amygdala lesions. Neuropsychologia, 49(12), 3314-3319.
Robinson, B. F., Epstein, S. E., Beiser, G. D., & Braunwald, E. (1966). Control of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system: Studies in man on the interrelation between baroreceptor mechanisms and exercise. Circulation Research, 19(2), 400-411. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.19.2.400.
Rodriguez, D. (2012). Overcoming College Anxiety. Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3RnCnPq.
Rosenwald, G. C. (1961). The assessment of anxiety in psychological experimentation: A theoretical reformulation and test. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 62(3), 666–673. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041638.
Sady, M. D ., (2010). Relationship of preinjury caregiver and family functioning to community integration in adults with traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91(10), 1542-1550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2010.07.012.
Sarason, I. G. (1984). Stress, anxiety, and cognitive interference: Reactions to tests. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(4), 929. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.46.4.929.
Sarason, I. G ., & Ganzer, V. J. (1963). Effects of test anxiety and reinforcement history on verbal behavior. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(5), 513-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0048592.
Sarason, S. B., & Mandler, G. (1952). Some correlates of test anxiety. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47(4), 810-817. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0060009.
Sarason, I. G., & Sarason, B. R. (1990). Test anxiety. In Handbook of social and evaluation anxiety. Boston, MA: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2504-6_16.
Sarason, I. G. (1957). Test anxiety, general anxiety, and intellectual performance. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21(6), 485–490. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0043012.
Spielberger, C. D. (1966). Theory and research on anxiety. Anxiety and Behavior, 1(3), 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4832-3131-0.50006-8.
Hassan, S. Z., Bawazir, M. A., Irshad. A., Ayaz, K., Aslam, A., & Mir, J. (2022). Mobile cloud computing (MCC): A survey of privacy, security and their impact on social life of users. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(2), 92-101. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-6.2.11.
Wilding, J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 509-521. https://doi.org/10.1348/0007126042369802.
Wine, J. (1971). Test anxiety and direction of attention. Psychological Bulletin, 76(2), 92-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0031332.
Wright, H. E. (1967). A square-rod piston sampler for lake sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 37(3), 975-976. https://doi.org/10.1306/74D71807-2B21-11D7-8648000102C1865D.
Wittmier, J. F., & Orebaugh, A. L. (1976). Instructions as a determinant of paper-disposal behaviors. Environment and Behavior, 8(3), 417-439. https://doi.org/10.1177/136327527600800305.
Young, J. E. (1999). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach. Florida, FL: Professional Resource Press/Professional Resource Exchange.
Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media.
Zeidner, M., & Schleyer, E. J. (1999). The big-fish-little-pond effect for academic self-concept, test anxiety, and school grades in gifted children. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24(4), 305-329. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1998.0985.
Ziauddin, I., Khan, M., Jam, F., & Hijazi, S. (2010). The impacts of employees’ job stress on organizational commitment. European Journal of Social Sciences, 13(4), 617-622.
Zoller, U., & Ben-Chaim, D. (1990). Gender differences in examination-type preferences, test anxiety, and academic achievements in college science education-a case study. Science Education, 74(6), 597-608. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.3730740603.
Alcala, F. R. (2002). Making oral tests more human and less anxiety generating. Humanising Language Teaching, 4(4), 1-3.
Bateson, M., Brilot, B., & Nettle, D. (2011). Anxiety: An evolutionary approach. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 56(12), 707-715.
Cassady, J. C. (2010). Test anxiety: Contemporary theories and implications for learning. Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences, and solutions for academic anxieties. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Cassady, J. C. (2010). Anxiety in schools: The causes, consequences, and solutions for academic anxieties. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang
Cassady, J. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2002). Cognitive test anxiety and academic performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27(2), 270-295. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1094.
Cherry, S. R., Sorenson, J. A., & Phelps, M. E. (2012). Physics in nuclear medicine e-Book. Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Cohen, S., Kozlovsky, N., Matar, M. A., Kaplan, Z., Zohar, J., & Cohen, H. (2012). Post-exposure sleep deprivation facilitates correctly timed interactions between glucocorticoid and adrenergic systems, which attenuate traumatic stress responses. Neuropsychopharmacology, 37(11), 2388-2404.
Culler, R. E., & Holahan, C. J. (1980). Test anxiety and academic performance: The effects of study-related behaviors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 72(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.72.1.16.
Driscol, L., & Beckett, E. (2014). Sucrose preference and progressive ratio performance in rats exposed postnatally to the polybrominated diphenyl ether commercial mixture DE-71. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 4, 96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2014.04.064.
Everson, H. T., Millsap, R. E., & Rodriguez, C. M. (1991). Isolating gender differences in test anxiety: A confirmatory factor analysis of the Test Anxiety Inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51(1), 243-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164491511024.
Gaudry, E., & Spielberger, C. D. (1971). Anxiety and educational achievement. New York, NY: J. Wiley & Sons Australasia.
Harris, H. L ., & Coy, D. R. Sarason (2003). Helping students cope with test anxiety. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED479355.
Hembree, R. (1988). Correlates, causes, effects, and treatment of test anxiety. Review of Educational Research, 58(1), 47-77 https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543058001047.
Holroyd, K. A ., Westbrook, T ., Wolf, M ., & Badhorn, E. (1978). Performance, cognition, and psychological responding and test anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(4), 442. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.87.4.442.
Hurlock, E. B. (1980). Development psychology: A life span approach. Jakarta, Indonesia: Raja Grafindo Persada.
Kavitha, T., Rajendran, A. D. A. A., Durairajan, A., & Shanmugam, A. (2012). Heat transfer enhancement using Nano fluids and innovative methods-an overview. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering & Technology (IJMET), 3(2), 769-782.
Kendra, J. M., & Wachtendorf, T. (2016). American Dunkirk: The waterborne evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11. Pennsylvania, PA: Temple University Press.
King, G., Tomz, M., & Wittenberg, J. (2000). Making the most of statistical analyses: Improving interpretation and presentation. American Journal of Political Science, 347-361. https://doi.org/10.2307/2669316.
Lazarus, R. S., & Averill, J. R. (1972). Emotion and cognition: With special reference to anxiety. In Anxiety: Current Trends in Theory and Research. Massachusetts, MA: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-657402-9.50006-5.
Leta, S. (2001). Depression Rates among College Students on the Rise. The Daily California, 3(2), 189-192.
Liebert, R. M ., & Morris, L. W. (1967). Cognitive and emotional components of test anxiety: A distinction and some initial data. Psychological Reports, 20(3), 975-978. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1967.20.3.975.
Mandler, G., & Sarason, S. B. (1952). A study of anxiety and learning. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47(2), 166. https:// doi.org/10.1037/h0062855.
McDonald, (2001). Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 50(1), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.1032.
McCraty, R .,. (2010). Emotion self-regulation, psychophysiological coherence, and test anxiety: Results from an experiment using electrophysiological measures. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 35(4), 261-283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-010-9134-x.
McClure, R., Cooke, R., & Carlin, A. (2011). The search for the skunk ape: Studying the impact of an online information literacy tutorial on student writing. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(2), 26-45. https://doi.org/10.11645/5.2.1638.
Meichenbaum, D ., & Butler, L. (1980). Toward a conceptual model for the treatment of test anxiety: Implications for research and treatment. Test Anxiety: Theory, research, and applications, Hillsdale, NJ: Eribaum.
Mills, N. J. (2012). Host instar preference and functional response of Aphidius transcaspicus, a parasitoid of mealy aphids (Hyalopterus species). BioControl, 57(5), 603-610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9440-8.
Morris, L. W., & Liebert, R. M. (1973). Effects of negative feedback, threat of shock, and level of trait anxiety on the arousal of two components of anxiety. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 20(4), 321. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0034768.
Nelson, J. M., & Harwood, H. (2011). Learning disabilities and anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219409359939.
Neveh, N., & Weissman, C. (1990). The correlation between excessive vitreal protein levels, prostaglandins E2 levels and the blood retinal barrier. Prostaglandins, 39(2), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-6980(90)90071-3.
Ohata, K. (2005). Potential sources of anxiety for Japanese learners of English: Preliminary case interviews with five Japanese college students in the US. TESL-EJ, 9(3), n3.
Putwain, D. W., Woods, K. A., & Symes, W. (2010). Personal and situational predictors of test anxiety of students in post-compulsory education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 137-160. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709909X466082.
Revlin, R. (2012). Cognition: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Piech, R. M., McHugo, M., Smith, S. D., Dukic, M. S., Van Der Meer, J., Abou-Khalil, B., ... & Zald, D. H. (2011). Attentional capture by emotional stimuli is preserved in patients with amygdala lesions. Neuropsychologia, 49(12), 3314-3319.
Robinson, B. F., Epstein, S. E., Beiser, G. D., & Braunwald, E. (1966). Control of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system: Studies in man on the interrelation between baroreceptor mechanisms and exercise. Circulation Research, 19(2), 400-411. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.19.2.400.
Rodriguez, D. (2012). Overcoming College Anxiety. Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3RnCnPq.
Rosenwald, G. C. (1961). The assessment of anxiety in psychological experimentation: A theoretical reformulation and test. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 62(3), 666–673. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041638.
Sady, M. D ., (2010). Relationship of preinjury caregiver and family functioning to community integration in adults with traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91(10), 1542-1550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2010.07.012.
Sarason, I. G. (1984). Stress, anxiety, and cognitive interference: Reactions to tests. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(4), 929. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.46.4.929.
Sarason, I. G ., & Ganzer, V. J. (1963). Effects of test anxiety and reinforcement history on verbal behavior. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(5), 513-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0048592.
Sarason, S. B., & Mandler, G. (1952). Some correlates of test anxiety. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47(4), 810-817. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0060009.
Sarason, I. G., & Sarason, B. R. (1990). Test anxiety. In Handbook of social and evaluation anxiety. Boston, MA: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2504-6_16.
Sarason, I. G. (1957). Test anxiety, general anxiety, and intellectual performance. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21(6), 485–490. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0043012.
Spielberger, C. D. (1966). Theory and research on anxiety. Anxiety and Behavior, 1(3), 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4832-3131-0.50006-8.
Hassan, S. Z., Bawazir, M. A., Irshad. A., Ayaz, K., Aslam, A., & Mir, J. (2022). Mobile cloud computing (MCC): A survey of privacy, security and their impact on social life of users. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(2), 92-101. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-6.2.11.
Wilding, J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 509-521. https://doi.org/10.1348/0007126042369802.
Wine, J. (1971). Test anxiety and direction of attention. Psychological Bulletin, 76(2), 92-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0031332.
Wright, H. E. (1967). A square-rod piston sampler for lake sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 37(3), 975-976. https://doi.org/10.1306/74D71807-2B21-11D7-8648000102C1865D.
Wittmier, J. F., & Orebaugh, A. L. (1976). Instructions as a determinant of paper-disposal behaviors. Environment and Behavior, 8(3), 417-439. https://doi.org/10.1177/136327527600800305.
Young, J. E. (1999). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach. Florida, FL: Professional Resource Press/Professional Resource Exchange.
Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety: The state of the art. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media.
Zeidner, M., & Schleyer, E. J. (1999). The big-fish-little-pond effect for academic self-concept, test anxiety, and school grades in gifted children. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24(4), 305-329. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1998.0985.
Ziauddin, I., Khan, M., Jam, F., & Hijazi, S. (2010). The impacts of employees’ job stress on organizational commitment. European Journal of Social Sciences, 13(4), 617-622.
Zoller, U., & Ben-Chaim, D. (1990). Gender differences in examination-type preferences, test anxiety, and academic achievements in college science education-a case study. Science Education, 74(6), 597-608. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.3730740603.
Published
2022-07-28
How to Cite
Anum Zahra, Dr. Sajid Mahmood Alvi, & Parsa Muazzam. (2022). Exam Anxiety among University Students. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(4), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-6.4.3
Issue
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
