Research Proposal: Timed Tests, Anxiety, and Student Performance

Kortney Kling

School of Education, Louisiana State University

ELRC 4249 Understanding and Applying Research in Education

Dr. Xue Wen

December 6, 2020
 Part I: Introduction

In the United States, every student has had to take a timed-standardized test at least once.

Standardized testing has become a tool used to measure students’ intellectual growth and to

monitor their progress throughout their educational careers. These tests are believed to gauge a

student’s potential for success in the educational area that the test is designed measure

knowledge on. Some tests are said to also measure whether or not a student has fallen behind, in

comparison to other students, and needs remediation. Other tests are used to measure the

effectiveness of an educational professionals’ curriculum. These all appear to be practical

reasons for the administration of such examinations, but should they be timed? Does timing a

high stakes test truly provide an accurate representation of the student’s understanding and

application of information or is timing them just a logistical measure for schools and test

administers to know when the exam itself will be over? The research that I am proposing will

focus on analyzing students’ performance in correlation to timed tests.

During the research, interviews will be conducted with high school juniors and seniors

after taking the ACT. The subject pool will come from taking the ACT in June after their junior

year and high school seniors taking the ACT in October. Subjects will sign a consent form

granting access to their ACT scores and use of their answers during their post-exam interview.

Confidentiality is assured, but not guaranteed. The interviews will focus on anxiety experienced

at specific points during the test taking process and their relationship to the amount of time

granted. The final research will be focused on the qualitative data gathered from interviews, also

including quantitative data from individual test scores to determine any correlation between test

anxiety and test outcome. The forms of qualitative research that will be conducted are correlation

and survey.
Objective

The objective of the research study is to understand the relationship of timed testing,

student anxiety, and if the relationship is positive or negative in terms of student scores. The

research will investigate whether or not timed standardized tests paint a clear picture of the

knowledge obtained and overall success of students in their respective programs. To time

standardized tests that determine the future of individuals is inequitable. If students are timed on

standardized tests, then they will experience more anxiety and receive lower scores than those

students who are not.

Significance

The significance of such research is the simple matters of access and equity in higher

education. When you provide students the opportunity to succeed, often times, they will. A

person’s future should not turn on the helm of whether or not they can guess the right answers in

a predetermined amount of time. Students should be given the chance to represent themselves to

the best of their ability when the criteria are a determinant for their admission to an institution of

higher education. The request for more time to adequately complete a high stakes test should not

be kept as a luxury but should be a requirement. The results of this research could change the

future of higher education in terms of access. The significance is practical in that the results

could provide answers to the future enrollment crisis that institutions of higher education will

experience within the next decade due to the decrease of high school graduate across the nation.

With the data collected, test administers, such as the ACT, inc. and leaders in government and

high education can collaborate on solutions to ending timed testing and alleviating much of the

anxiety experienced by students while taking tests like the ACT.

The topic of whether or not timed testing is equitable is not a new phenomenon, but the
present research is limited, and the jury still out on whether or not standardized tests should be a

requirement for admissions to higher education programs.

Part II: Literature Review

Why Time Tests?

Upon researching the topic of why standardized tests are timed, it has become evident

that there is no clear reason. Escobar (2019) states that the matter of timing such tests is a

logistical matter. Now, the topic of using standardized tests as a measure for student success at

post-secondary institutions have become highly controversial. Many primary and secondary

educators have been calling for the removal of standardized testing as a measure of a student’s

ability to learn and professional’s ability to teach (Teachers’ Union Call, 2014). Institutions have

also recognized that students’ scores on these exams are not necessarily representative of their

ability as a student and have decided to drop the requirement in the application process (Ha,

2019; Forrest, 2020; U. Drop SAT, 2020). Some professionals may attribute the sudden interest

to drop standardized test scores to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the subject of putting an end to

timed testing has been discussed since their implementation. It is only until recently that

universities began to truly fight the matter that higher education has seen results. Professionals

continue to debate the topic of whether or not standardized tests should be timed (Kronholz,

2002).

Outcomes and Impact on Students

Anytime individuals are put into a high-stake situation, they are likely to experience some

level of anxiety. Moms and Liebert (1970) decided that the correlation between anxiety to be

linear in that when anxiety increases, performance decreases. The Yerkes-Dodson law

determined that the relationship was curvilinear, using an inverted U-shaped depicting a
Figure 1

relationship between arousal and performance (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). Figures 1a and 1b

graph the linear and nonlinear anxiety—performance relationships. Anxiety—performance

relationship is straight forward in Moms and Liebert’s graph, whereas Yerkes and Dodson’s

requires explanation. Zeidner (1998) explains how differing levels of arousal played a role in

performance in Yerkes and Dodson’s discovery, stating:

[T]he optimal level of motivation for effective performance lies in the middle range,

rather than the high or low end of the arousal or stress continuum; drive levels above or

below that optimal level will lead to less efficient performance. Furthermore, the peak of
 this inverted U-function is obtained at lower levels of stimulation for more complex types

of learning. This is frequently taken as implying that at low levels of baseline arousal or

anxiety, increases in arousal facilitate performance on easy tasks, but hinder performance

on more complex tasks; at extremely high levels of arousal, performance on all types of

tasks seems to be hindered. The law assumes that there is an optimal level of performance

occurring at some moderate level of arousal; as tasks become more and more difficult,

the optimal drive level becomes lower and lower. (p. 211)

Mandinach, Bridgeman, Cahalan-Laitusis and Trapani (2005) researched the impact of extended

time on students and found that extra time helps medium- and high-ability test-takers with and

without disabilities.” The results shown in Table 1 (math) and Table 2 (verbal) are based on non-

disabled students’ scores on the PSAT and NMSQT (Mandinach, Bridgeman, Cahalan-Laitusis

& Trapani, 2005). The scores are based on how much time the students were allotted ranging

from regular time, time and a half and double time. Based on the evidence it is evident that

removing or, at least, increasing the allotted time on tests could slightly increase outcomes for

those students who would normally perform below average. For those students scoring

Table 1
 Table 2

average and above, the correlation is positive between heightened scores and increased time.

These results may seem insignificant but can mean the difference in a student’s enrollment

decision. More students would have access to a four-year college education based on

standardized testing scores alone, by removing or increasing time. The College Board’s research

also suggests a positive correlation in the results of disabled students when provided additional

time to take exams. Colker (2018) argues that by removing time on standardized testing the test

becomes “more equitable for a range of people, including racial minorities, women, people with

low socio-economic status, older applicants, and individuals with disabilities.” Students who

would normally only look at enrolling to an open-access, two-year institution now have a better

opportunity of getting into a four-year institution. Another issue at stake is the overall

accessibility of additional time. As of right now, people who qualify for additional time are those

with disabilities and students whose parents can afford to get them tested and “diagnosed” with a

need for an additional time accommodation (Escobar, 2019). A simple way to alleviate this
inequity is by simply providing the accommodation to all students, which would offer equal

opportunity for success.

Research Gap

The problem that is trying to be remedied is the anxiety experienced by students when

taking timed, standardized tests and how their performance is affected. The research gap that has

been found is the correlation between anxiety and timed tests themselves. In reviewing the

literature, it has been found that almost all studies have been conducted separately on test anxiety

and student achievement when granted additional time. The research I am proposing to be

conducted exclusively closes the gap between the two and will attempt to articulate the

correlation between them so that students may have a better, more equitable experience when

taking timed exams.

Part III: Methods

Subjects for Study

For my research, the subjects that I will be studying are high school students taking the

ACT either the summer after their junior year or in the fall of their senior year. A large sample

will be gathered from high schools within the Lafayette Parish School System administering the

ACT during the months of June and October. Upon receiving permission from the LPSS school

board, I will distribute the survey I have created to be administered to all students at approved

testing locations to be taken after the completion of the ACT. I have chosen LPSS schools to

gather research samples because I am a former employee and am familiar with the locations of

the high schools, as well as their administrators. It is evident the subjects relate to the research

question, as they are students participating in a timed, high-stake exam.

Measurement
 The measurement that will be used in this research study are a post-exam survey that has

been piloted on a small group of students at varying educational levels. Another measurement

that will be used are the individual scores on the ACT exam. The key independent variables in

this study are the high school students and the ACT test itself. The key dependent variables are

the students’ performance on the ACT and the levels of anxiety each student experiences. The

dependent variables will be measured by conducting surveys and gathering individual responses,

while the test scores will be gathered from each respective school when the results are posted.

The measurements are drawn from previous research pertaining to test anxiety and student

performance as it relates to timed tests. The measurements will be retrospective in that the survey

given on student anxiety will be conducted after the timed test has already been taken, which

could allow for inaccurate experiential data collection.

Data-Collection Methods

The kind of research I am proposing is qualitative consisting of both correlation and

survey studies. I will collect my data through samples of high school students taking the ACT

during the summer after their junior year and/or the fall of their senior year. The survey will be

conducted within LPSS, where post-exam surveys will be administered to all students once the

ACT session is complete. The survey will gauge the levels of anxiety students experienced at

specific instances during the ACT exam and whether or not they believe they could have

performed differently if provided additional time. Individual scores on the ACT will be collected

from students’ schools once their scores have been posted.

Analysis

The analyzation of data will consist of a series of processes. Using SPSS, the survey data

will be input to quantify scale questions to find the mean median, mode, and to depict bell-curve
data to better review the data. Google Form, on which the survey will be conducted, also

generates charts for each question to show percentages of how participants answered their

questions. Once results from the ACT have been released and the schools have provided student

scores, the ACT scores will be paired with the survey responses so that survey results can be

compared to performance on the ACT to determine if there are any visible trends between low

scores and high anxiety, high scores and low anxiety, etc. Once the data is analyzed, the trends

found could provide a new understanding on the research topic, but precision cannot be

guaranteed. The data will also be examined for any other relationships among variables. I intend

to explain the relationship between timed testing, anxiety, and whether or not time constraints

should be kept, increased, or removed all together. If the trends in the data show a correlation

between low scores and the amount of time granted on a timed exam (or the latter), then it can be

concluded that there is a relationship between the two variables.

 Schedule

TIME
(MONTHS)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Literature Review

x
x
x
Development of

x
x
x
Questionnaires

Recruiting Participants,

x
x
x
x

Planning Data Collection

Conducting Observations and

x
x

Interviews

ACTIVITY
Preliminary Analysis Phase
x
x

Analysis Phase
x
x

Assimilation, Writing of
x
x
x
x
x

Results, and Revision

 References

Beigman Klebanov, B., Ramineni, C., Kaufer, D., Yeoh, P., & Ishizaki, S. (2019). Advancing the

Validity Argument for Standardized Writing Tests Using Quantitative Rhetorical

Analysis. Language Testing, 36(1), 125–144.

Colker, R. (2018). Test Validity: Faster is Not Necessarily Better. Seton Hall

Law Review, Vol. 49, Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 457, Available at

SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3243860 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3243860

Escobar, N. (2019). The Time Crunch on Standardized Tests Is Unnecessary.

Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/

2019/03/standardized-test-extended-time/585580/

Ha, A. (2019). UC to Consider Changing SAT/ACT Requirement for

Application. Guardian, The: University of California - San Diego (CA).

Forrest, J. (2020). UO officially ditches SAT/ACT application requirement. Daily

Emerald: University of Oregon (Eugene, OR).

Kronholz, J. (2002). Pros Debate Whether Standardized Tests Should Be Timed.

Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, 240(101), B1.

Mandinach, E., B., Bridgeman, B., Cahalan-Laitusis, C. and Trapani, C. (2005). The

Impact of Extended Time on SAT® Test Performance, Research Report No. 2005-8. The

College Board (NY).

Moms, L. W., Liebert, R. M. (1970) Relationship of cognitive and emotional components of test

anxiety to physiological arousal and academic performance. Journal of Consulting and

Clinical Psychology. 35, 332—337.

Teachers’ union call for standardized test moratorium is ill-timed, ill-conceived. (2014, April
 16). Bangor Daily News (ME).

U. drops SAT, ACT requirement, cancels Early Action application option for Class of 2025

applicants. (2020, June 18). Daily Princetonian, The: Princeton University (NJ).

Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-

formation. Journal of Comparative and Neurological Psychology. 55, 28—33.

Zeidner, M. (1998). Test anxiety. [electronic resource] : the state of the art. Kluwer Academic

Publishers.
 Appendix

Interview Protocol

Instructions

Review with the students the use of the data being collected and the assurance of

confidentiality, emphasizing that participation is voluntary. Students will then be directed to

follow the instructions provided with each question to properly answer and that the questions

should be answered based off of the timed test they have just completed.

Demographic Questions

1) Last name and last four digits of SSN

2) Sex

3) Age

4) Race

5) Educational level being pursued

6) Name of timed test (ACT, SAT, GRE, etc.)

7) Current institution (full name)

Interview Questions

1) On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel you did on your test?

2) Did taking this test cause you anxiety?

3) When did you experience the most anxiety?

4) On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about the amount of time granted for each

section?

5) On a scale of 1 to 5, how much anxiety did you experience during the test due to the

amount of time granted?

 6) On a scale of 1 to 5, if given more time on each section, how much better do you think

you would have done?

7) Do you think having more time on the test would have allowed you to perform

differently (whether negative or positive)?

8) How much time do you think would be adequate enough to complete the test?

9) When time was running low what did you do?

10) Do you think the test accurately gauges your knowledge on the content covered?

11) When you receive your test results, what would you do if you did not score as highly

as you would have liked?

12) How dependent are your future plans on the results of this test?

Link to Complete Online Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s0CZnJ3lOsLZo50ExtnzE3izvtkV9m8dF7--OVigTzA/edit