EDPS 612.

01

THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN TEST
ANXIETY, TIME SPENT
STUDYING, AND TEST
PERFORMANCE

Andrea Janzen
Corrie Brownlee
Alicia Marchini

OUTLINE
Introduction
Justification
Purpose of the Study

Review of Literature
Research Question & Hypotheses
Methods
Participants, sampling method
Measures/Instruments
Procedure
Research Design & Statistical Analysis

Limitations & Ethical Considerations

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
- Research Question: What is the relationship between the state test
anxiety component, worry, as defined by Liebert and Morris (1967), and
the amount of studying time and test performance?
Operational Definition of Variables:
-

Time Spent Studying: Direct time spent in test preparation, including

(but not limited to) reviewing of notes, completing practice tests, and
listening to lecture recordings.

Test Anxiety (Worry): The cognitive component of Liebert and Morris

(1967) two-factor model of state test anxiety. This factor is classified
as worry, which represents the cognitive concern that manifests
regarding ones impending performance and conceivable
consequences. It is important to note that state anxiety is a transitory
experience of worry.

Test Performance: Numerical grade on the final course exam.

LITERATURE ON TEST ANXIETY

Liebert and Morris (1967) developed a two-factor model of
test anxiety
Cognitive component = Worry: cognitive concern about
performance and possible consequences
Emotional component = Emotionality: physiological responses
that accompany test anxiety (e.g., increased respiration rate,
blood pressure, and tension)

LITERATURE ON TEST ANXIETY

Liebert and Morris (1967) two-factor model of test anxiety
Refers to state test anxiety, rather than trait test anxiety
State anxiety: transitory experience of worry and emotionality
(Morris, Davis, & Hutchings, 1981)
Trait anxiety: vulnerability to worry and emotionality in ones
personality, which extends across situations (Morris et al., 1981)

LITERATURE ON TEST ANXIETY

Kim & Rocklin (1994) and Morris, Davis, & Hutchings (1981):
Both studies suggested that:
Worry and emotional responses are elicited and maintained by
situational factors
Worry and emotionality show a strong relationship with test
circumstances
Worry is the component that shows a strong negative correlation
with performance

LITERATURE ON TEST ANXIETY

Morris & Engle, 1981:
A number of studies have results that show a
significant decrease in emotionality scores as
the testing session goes on

Spiegler, Morris, & Liebert, 1968:

Results that show a significant decrease in
emotionality scores as the testing session goes
on, despite the students expected performance

Morris & Liebert, 1973 and Morris & Fulmer, 1976:

Results show a significant decrease in emotionality
scores as the testing session goes on, despite the
item difficulty
Why does this make sense? Because the emotional
responses subside when the student begins to focus
on the test itself

JUSTIFICATION & PURPOSE OF STUDY

Justification:
Studying behaviours also influence test
anxiety and performance
Culler and Holahan (1980):
The quality and amount of studying time were positively related to
academic performance for undergraduate students who
demonstrated higher test anxiety
Research to support this relationship is limited

Purpose:
The current study will further examine
the relationship between the state test
anxiety component, worry, as defined
by Liebert and Morris (1967), and the
amount of studying time and test performance.

HYPOTHESES
Based on the results of previous studies, it is expected that:
1. Worry will have a negative correlation with test performance
2. Worry will decrease with more studying
3. An increased amount of studying will result in better test
performance

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects will be first-semester first year students from a large

university in Western Canada
Students will be from a Bachelor of Arts program across four
faculties (i.e. Psychology, History, Criminal Justice, Music)
Students will be selected from an introductory course from their
major

SAMPLING METHOD
This experiment will use a combination of random sampling and
cluster sampling
Introductory courses will be lecture-based and randomly chosen
from the each faculty selected
At the beginning of the semester, students from each selected
course section will be given the opportunity to be part of a research
project.
Researchers will explain the university is conducting research about
test anxiety among first-year students. Researchers will explain the
cost/benefits of participating in this research.
Students will have the option to opt out of the study at this point.
Consent forms will be signed and gathered after the presentation.

MEASURES
Test Anxiety Inventory Worry Scale (TAI-W):

(Spielberger, 2010)

This is a 8-item four-point Likert Scale (1 = Almost Never; 2= Sometimes;

3 = Often; 4 = Almost Always) measuring the cognitive concerns about
performance, such as worry, about the testing situation or negative
performance.
e.g. The harder I work at taking a test the more confused I get.
Cronbach alpha coefficient = 0.72
(Rana & Mahmood, 2010)
TAI has demonstrated good validity
and has since been widely used across
various cultures and languages.
(Spielberger, 1980)

MEASURES
Test Performance: Scores from two pop quizzes will
be recorded. These will be used as pre-test
/post-test comparisons.

Student log book: Students will record the

amount of time spent studying, including
(but not limited to) reviewing of notes, completing practice
tests, and listening to lecture recordings.

PROCEDURES
Students will be given a surprise pop quiz at the same number of
weeks after semester begins.
Students will be asked to think about their feelings and thoughts
about taking a surprise pop quiz. The 8-item TAI-W will be stapled
to the front of the pop quiz. When the students have completed the
questions, they will be instructed to complete the quiz.
After the quiz, students will be told that they will be given another
quiz in a set number of weeks. They will be asked to log the amount
of time they have spent in preparing for the quiz.
Quiz #1 scores will be scored and recorded.

PROCEDURES cont...
TAI-W will be scored. Those students with scores one standard
deviation above the mean will be considered high-test anxiety
students. Students who score at or below the mean will be
considered low-test anxiety students.
At the set time, Quiz #2 will be given. Students will repeat the same
procedure again, completing the TAI-W before commencing with the
quiz.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
One group pre-test/post-test design
Pre-test Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), pop-quiz based on course
material
Provision of a study log
Post-test TAI and pop-quiz based on course material

Data collected for each variable will be analyzed using

Pearson correlation coefficient to establish the degree of
relationships as proposed in the hypotheses

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Respect for persons - humans are to be treated as
autonomous agents
Participants are volunteering
Participants are being advised of the topic of study
Mild deception may be used

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Beneficence individuals need to be protected from
harm and have their general well-being respected
Do Not Harm study may create anxiety provoking
circumstances
Maximize possible benefits, minimize possible harms
debriefing following study, as well as connection with student
support services

Justice equals ought to be treated equally

Research participants will be receiving the same conditions, and
thus no individual member will be treated differently

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS APPLICATIONS

Informed Consent

Information through an initial written disclosure and

awareness of ongoing right to withdraw
Comprehension addressed in the layout and presentation of
the informed consent document, and through ongoing judgment
of researchers
Voluntariness no influence from coercion or undue influence

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS APPLICATIONS

Assessment of Risks and Benefits
POTENTIAL POTENTIAL
RISKS
BENEFITS
1-Cause of
undue
anxiety
(unlikely as
students
are
exposed to
the
proposed
modalities
in typical
situations)

1-Linking
participants
with
support for
test anxiety
(through
debriefing)

2-Those
enrolled in
class who

2-Increased
exposure to
course

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS APPLICATION

Selection of Participants
Social justice participants are adults who are not knowingly at a
disadvantage in an identified way
Individual justice
Specific groups of individuals are not being singled out in terms of
gender, cultural group, socio-economic status, etc.
as specific treatment is not being offered, groups of individuals are not
losing out

LIMITATIONS

Participants

are randomly selected from the pool of identified

volunteers within the Arts faculties, however the results may not
generalize to all members of the university population
We do not have a true experiment as there is no control group
Testing effect may play a role as the reason for the study is very
clear, and there is no control group for comparison
TAI and student log book are both self-report data and thus to
some degree subjective
Recent information suggests that TAI norms should be updated

APPENDIX

THANK YOU!
Thank you for your time, please post questions and comments
in D2L within the discussion area

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REFERENCES
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