TEST ANXIETY AND PUPILS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH

LANGUAGE AND MATHEMATICS IN OSOGBO METROPOLIS, OSUN

STATE

BY

MUSTAPHA, Mubarak Ayo

(17/67QV046)

SUPERVISOR

DR. M. O. OGUNJIMI

MAY, 2023

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 CHAPTE ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The academic success of its students determines whether an educational system is

successful in any given society. This may be because providing knowledge and skills to

those receiving education and ensuring their academic success have historically been the

main goals and objectives of education. This emphasizes how crucial it is to comprehend

the status and factors influencing learners’ academic performance in order to implement

successful and effective interventions that will result in high-quality education.

According to Mekonnen (2014) and Muhdin (2016), students’ success is evaluated based

on test results, although the best performance criterion is the sum of the student’s

academic accomplishment in all of the topics they have chosen. Poor academic

achievement, on the other hand, refers to a performance that the examinee deems to be

below the expected level.

In this competitive world, test or examination has been an important tool to assess

students’ overall success in their academic pursuits and anxiety about test has been a

common phenomenon among learners. Ergene (2003) observed that test anxiety is

widespread among learners, particularly among female individuals. Cassady (2010)

found that between 25 to 40 percent of students experienced test anxiety. According to an

estimate, Unal-Karaguven (2015) reported that an average of 2-3 students in every class

was highly test anxious. Unal-Karaguven further estimated that about 10% to 40% of all

students’ experience issues of test anxiety.

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 Test anxiety is a psychological condition in which individuals experience extreme

discomfort, distress and frustration when they are subjected to testing situations

(Akinsola & Nwajei, 2013). It can be described as apprehension, worry, uneasiness or

nervousness that surfaces when a learner encounters a test or examination in any form

and at any level (Onyeizugbo, 2010). Test anxiety has four major components: physical,

behavioral, emotional and cognitive (Zeidner, 1998). The physical component is

characterized by poor study abilities, avoiding and delaying work, and physical

discomfort, whereas the behavioral component includes fidgeting, restlessness among

others (Onyeizugbo, 2010).

The cognitive component refers to the mental activity that is focused on the testing

situation. It includes elements such as worrying about the consequences of failure, racing

thoughts, negative and worrying thoughts, difficulty recalling facts, difficulty reading and

understanding questions and so on. The somatic symptoms of palpitation, nausea,

perspiration, headaches, stomach aches, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth,

and shortness of breath are typically linked to the emotionality component, which is

characterized by tension, fear, apprehension, and nervousness in the lead up to tests or

examinations (Oludipe, 2009).

Many factors, including procrastination, poor study habits, a lack of familiarity

with the course materials, a pattern of poor performance, past experiences and beliefs,

and lack of confidence in one’s abilities, all contribute to the development of test anxiety

(Sujit & Kavita, 2006). Students may experience test anxiety due to test environment

factors such as the test’s format, time restrictions, examiner traits, and physical

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surroundings (Putwain, et al., 2010). In addition, research has indicated that students’

personality traits may have a role in how anxious they become during tests. Hoferichter,

et al. (2014) discovered, for instance, that neurotic teenagers frequently have significant

levels of test anxiety. This may be due to the fact that neurotic people experience testing

situations as more stressful than non-neurotic individuals.

Learning outcomes for students may be impacted by test and exam anxiety. This

result could have a favorable or unfavorable impact. Some people may have stronger

levels of drive, focus, and effort as a result of exam anxiety, which will ultimately result

in better scores (Kader, 2016). Nonetheless, the effects could be crippling for certain

people. Low to moderate test anxiety is frequently regarded as advantageous for students

and acts as a positive motivator by encouraging them to put more effort into obtaining

academic achievement, according to Coon and Mitter (2008). Yet, increased test anxiety

is regarded as a danger to the mental and physical health of pupils. High exam anxiety

levels negatively impact students’ personal, social, and academic lives (Zahrakar, 2008).

Some learners may be prevented from achieving their academic potential by test

and examination anxiety. Pupils have been seen to continuously view exams as a source

of increased worry and a setting filled with improbability/grief in allowing them to

demonstrate their genuine accomplishments (Mondal, et al., 2013). Learners who

experience high levels of test anxiety may become less enthusiastic about their studies.

The greater the increase in anxiety level before to the exam period will be if a student

believes a test is more terrifying (Amiri & Ghonsooly, 2015); thus, pupils who struggle

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with test anxiety may exhibit inappropriate working methods and lack test-taking

strategies.

According to Cassady and Johnson’s (2002) research, greater test anxiety levels

are linked to lower SAT scores, which confirm the conclusion that cognitive test anxiety

exerts a significant stable and negative impact on academic performance indicators. A

continuous pattern of correlations between higher levels of test anxiety and poorer levels

of performance, across multiple testing formats, was discovered by Von der Embse, et al.

(2018). However, Sommer and Arendasy (2014) contended that selection bias plays a

major role in the negative association between test anxiety and exam performance (that

is, students who are less intelligent tend to be more nervous, which, if ignored, causes an

overestimation of the impact of anxiety on test performance). This is supported by

Howard (2020) who concluded that, after controlling for ability, high levels of test

anxiety are generally associated with small reductions in test performance’.

In contrast, Putwain (2009) observed that exam anxiety had both facilitating and

incapacitating effects. The findings showed that test anxiety prompted some students to

take a more argumentative approach to examination preparation and/or make a greater

effort due to a fear of failing. No connection was observed between test anxiety and

pupils’ academic achievement, according to Kavakci et al. (2014). This is corroborated

by Sommer and Arendasy’s (2015) findings, which supported the notion that test anxiety

and performance are not causally related and were in line with the “deficient hypothesis.”

Potential differences in the effects of test anxiety on academic performance have

also been investigated for different subgroups (Putwain, 2008). Several researchers

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investigated gender differences in test anxiety and discovered that females have higher

levels of overall test anxiety than males (Syokwaa, et al., 2014). In terms of test anxiety,

girls consistently outperformed boys (Unal-Karaguven, 2015). When the test anxiety

levels of both genders were compared, girls scored higher than boys (Paul, 2013). This

could be due to girls’ greater willingness to describe test anxiety. Girls are more

concerned with achieving higher academic achievement scores, whereas boys are more

concerned with reasoning ability while striving for higher academic performance

(Zember & Blume, 2011).

Statement of the Problem

Enhancing academic performance of pupils has been at the fore front of Nigerian

explicit school reform goals. It is believed that no stone must be left unturned inorder to

help basic school pupils perform maximally in their academic pursuits. However, several

factors such as economic, political, environmental, parental, school, teachers and

personal factors have been an impediment to achieving these goals and one of the key

personal factors is test anxiety. It may not be adequate to categorically state that test

anxiety has a causal effect on pupils’ academic performance but empirically, it has been

established by few studies (Kader, 2016; Putwain & von der Embse, 2018; Howard,

2020) that, as much as test anxiety could serve as a motivator and driver for an individual

towards academic success; its excess or severe level of it could as well lead to poor

academic performance. This is because it may lead to worry and an inability to

concentrate (and/or a tendency to procrastinate) in the weeks and months building up to

the examination period, limiting pupils’ ability to work and revise material effectively.

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Test anxiety may also lead to problems during the examination itself, leading to an

inability to focus or forgetting key content, such as ‘going blank’ in the exam.

It is worthy of note that while there is ample studies on test anxiety-academic

performance link in developed countries (such as America and Europe), few studies

(Adewuyi, Taiwo & Olley, 2012; Akinsola & Nwajei, 2013) have examined the role of

test anxiety on academic performance in Nigeria. Besides, the few available studies

focused more on secondary school students. This sample may limit generalization of their

results to students in the basic school pupils that form the foundation of education

system. In addition, few previous studies considered the role of demographic variables in

moderating the relationship that exists between test anxiety and academic performance.

Hence, the need for investigating tests anxiety and pupils’ academic performance in

English Language and Mathematics in Osogbo metropolis, Osun State, Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship that exists

between test anxiety and pupils’ academic performance in Osogbo metropolis.

Specifically, the study will be:

1. To determine the level of test anxiety of pupils.

2. To find out the level of pupils’ performance in English Language.

3. To find out the level of pupils’ performance in Mathematics.

4. To determine the relationship between pupils’ test anxiety and academic

performance in English Language.

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 5. To determine the relationship between pupils’ test anxiety and academic

performance in Mathematics.

Research Questions

The following research questions emerged from the purpose 1 to 3:

1. What is the level of test anxiety among pupils in Osogbo?

2. What is the level of pupils’ performance in English Language?

3. What is the level of pupils’ performance in Mathematics?

Research Hypotheses

The research hypotheses were generated from the purpose 4 to 5:

1. There is no significant relationship between pupils’ test anxiety and academic

performance in English Language.

2. There is no significant relationship between pupils’ test anxiety and academic

performance in Mathematics.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study would of immense benefits to the pupils, teachers,

parents, school counsellors, school administrators and future researchers.

The results of this study would help pupils with low levels of academic

performance to facilitate their learning and studying skills having learnt the connection

between test anxiety and their academic performance. They would be able to develop or

seek for appropriate coping strategies to adjust with testing situation and useful studying

skills that could enhance their learning ability; thus, achieving the best in their

educational pursuits.

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 Understanding the relationship that exists between test anxiety and academic

performance of pupils would educate teachers on psychological factor that could be an

impediment to pupil’s success in the teaching and learning situation. It would thus help

teachers in developing effective practices for teaching and learning in order to improve

academic achievement of pupils.

The role of parents in the life of a child cannot be overemphasized in view of this,

the findings of this study would be useful to the parents should they come across it. It

would help parents as a guide to understand their children’s personal needs, their

educational demands and enable them to provide better support for their wards at home.

This will go a long way in reducing the test anxiety level of students and consequently,

enhance their academic performance level.

The school counsellors would find the results of this study useful to their effective

practices in the school system. It would provide them with ample of information that can

be used to diagnose reasons for pupils’ academic successes and failures, through which

they can develop appropriate guidance and counseling programmes and relevant

counselling interventions that can be used to subdue anxiety level of students in testing

situation for positive academic performance.

Administrators of basic schools would also benefit from the outcomes of this study

as it would provide them with empirical evidence that could lead to better understanding

of various manifestations of test anxiety among the pupils and appropriate programmes or

intervention that can be designed to effectively enhance pupils’ academic performance.

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 Future researchers would find the results of this study useful. They would be able

to study the research gaps uncovered by this current study, develop their own research

topic having found a related academic problem and contribute new ideals to the existing

pool of knowledge in the realm of testing and examination situations and learner’s

academic performance.

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined as used in this study:

Academic Performance: Overall session grades of basic school pupils in English

Language and Mathematics. The result will be collected from the class teachers following

the approval of the school authority.

Anxiety: Fretful condition that takes an individual off-balance and renders him/her

incapable to perform usual and normal activities with ease.

Pupils: Primary or basic school learners between class 3 to 9.

Test Anxiety: Examination or evaluation situations that evoke apprehension or concerns

in pupils.

Scope of the Study

This study is limited to test anxiety and pupils’ academic performance in Osogbo

metropolis, Osun State. The relative influence of gender will also be examined on the

respondents’ anxiety and academic performance. A randomly selected 384 pupils will

participate in this study. The instrument for data collection will be questionnaire on “Test

Anxiety”; while the academic performance of the respondents will be measured using

their session grades in English Language and Mathematics. Percentage will be used to

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presents the respondents demographic characteristics; while Pearson Product Moment

Correlation (r) and independent t-test statistics will be used to test the hypotheses

formulated at 0.05 level of significance.

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 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Chapter two deals with the review of related literature in related to the focus of the

study. It presents the conceptual review, the theoretical framework and the empirical

review of related studies. Literature in textbooks, online journal publications and similar

materials were consulted to come up with ideas relevant to the topic of this research.

Hence, the following review was carried out:

 Concept of Test Anxiety

 Components of Test Anxiety

 Causes of Test Anxiety

 Consequences of Test Anxiety

 Academic Performance as a Concept

 Test Anxiety and Academic Performance

 Relevant Theories Underpinning the Study

Concept of Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a psychological condition in which people experience extreme

distress and anxiety in testing situations. Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety. In

situations where the pressure is on and a good performance counts, people can become so

anxious that they are actually unable to do their best (APA, 2023). It is is a combination

of physiological over-arousal, tension and somatic symptoms, along with worry, dread,

fear of failure, and catastrophizing, that occur before or during test situations (Zeidner,

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1998). It is a psychological condition in which people experience extreme stress, anxiety,

and discomfort during and/or before taking a test.

Pekrun (2001) defined test anxiety as anxiety which subjectively relates to tests

and their consequences (the term ‘test’ being used in a broad way and including exams as

well). Typically, being afraid of failing a test, and of the consequences of failing, is at the

heart of this emotion. Test anxiety can be experienced both before and during the taking

of a test. Seen from the perspective of trait-state conceptions of anxiety, such anxiety is a

state emotion when it relates to a specified test and is experienced before or during that

test. As it is experienced habitually over extended periods of time and for dispositional

reasons, test anxiety is a situation-specific type of trait anxiety. Trait test anxiety may be

an important part of a student's personality.

The term ‘achievement anxiety’ has sometimes been used interchangeably with

‘test anxiety (Pekrun, 2001).’ Achievement anxiety, however, may also relate to

situations normally not defined as being tests (e.g., situations at work or in sport which,

like tests, imply the possibility of failure, but do not imply test-taking). Anxiety related to

such situations may be similar to test anxiety. An example is competitive anxiety in sport.

It could also be referred to the set of phenomenological, physiological, and behavioral

responses that accompany concern about possible negative consequences or poor

performance on an examination or a similar evaluative situation (Zeidner, 1998). Test-

anxious behavior is typically evoked when a student believes that his/her intellectual,

motivational, and social capabilities are taxed or exceeded by demands stemming from

the test situation.

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 Test anxiety has taken on a variety of different meanings throughout its relatively

brief history as a scientific construct. In the early days of research, the construct was

defined in motivational terms, either as drive level, goal interruption, or a need to avoid

failure. Subsequently, it was conceptualized as a relatively stable personality disposition

linked to cognitive–attentional phenomena. Accordingly, the highly anxious person is one

who attends excessively to evaluative cues concerning personal competence, and to

feelings of physiological arousal. Test anxiety may also be a concomitant of self-

handicapping employed to preserve ones self-merit in the face of potential failure

(Zeidner & Matthews, 2005). Cybernetic self-regulative models have seen test anxiety as

resulting from a conflict between competing reference values (Zeidner, 2007).

Zeidner (1998) emphasized the distinction between test anxiety as an attribute of

the person and as a dynamic process. From the first perspective, dispositional test anxiety

may be construed as a contextualized personality trait. Accordingly, test anxiety refers to

the individual's disposition to react with extensive worry, intrusive thoughts, mental

disorganization, tension, and physiological arousal when exposed to evaluative contexts

or situations. The more transient-state expressions of anxiety may be assessed separately

from the more stable trait. From the second, process-oriented perspective, test anxiety

depends on the reciprocal interaction of a number of distinct elements at play in the

ongoing stressful encounter between a person and certain parameters of an evaluative

situation (Zeidner, 2010). These elements include the specific educational context,

individual differences in vulnerability (trait anxiety), threat perceptions, appraisals and

reappraisals, state anxiety, coping patterns, and adaptive outcomes (Zeidner, 2010).

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 A basic consideration is that test anxiety is more than a combination of

physiological arousal, negative self-preoccupation, a deficit in stress-related coping skills,

and poor study habits. It is the complex interaction among these diverse components that

seems to define test anxiety. Because the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components

of test anxiety all contribute to the problem of test anxiety and its treatment, it is

predicted that an induced change in one system would generally be followed by a change

in the other. Thus, therapeutic approaches, which often emphasize cognition, extend to

the emotional life and vice versa. For example, it is likely that emotion-focused training

(e.g., progressive relaxation) may make the client less anxious and result in a decrease in

anxiety-focused, task-irrelevant ideation. Similarly, some forms of cognitive therapy may

provide test-anxious subjects with an increased sense of perceived control, which might

spill over into the emotional domain and result in lower emotional arousal in a test

situation (Zeidner, 2004).

Test anxiety can also be labeled as anticipatory anxiety, situational anxiety or

evaluation anxiety. Some anxiety is normal and often helpful to stay mentally and

physically alert (Birjandi & Alemi, 2010). Examples of test anxiety include fear of public

speaking, participating in classes or meetings, playing a musical instrument in public, and

eating in public. If the fear associated with performance anxiety is focused on negative

evaluation by others, embarrassment, or humiliation, the anxiety may be classified as a

social phobia.

Test anxiety is prevalent amongst the student populations of the world (Dalkiran,

et al., 2014). It has been studied formally since the early 1950s beginning with

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researchers George Mandler and Seymour Sarason. Sarason's brother, Irwin G. Sarason,

then contributed to early investigation of test anxiety, clarifying the relationship between

the focused effects of test anxiety, other focused forms of anxiety, and generalized

anxiety (Sarason, 1960).

Early scales, by authors such as Charles Spielberger, tended to focus on

physiological and somatic features and on worry, commonly referred to

as emotionality, while more recent offerings, such as that by Cassady and Johnson

(2001), emphasize cognitive processes. "Test anxiety" for these authors consists of

physiological and mental processes, and impaired test performance is seen as the result.

The Children's Test Anxiety Questionnaire is specifically designed to measure test

anxiety in children 8–12 years of age. It provides scores for three dimensions of test

anxiety: "worrisome thoughts concerning failure (i.e. 'when I take tests, I worry about

failing'), automatic reactions concerning students' general and specific somatic

indications of anxiety (i.e. 'when I take tests, my heart beats fast'), and off-task

behaviours concerning nervous habits and distracting behaviours (i.e. 'when I take tests, I

play with my pencil') (Wren & Benson, 2004)."

The Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescent (TAICA) is a way to

measure and assess test anxiety in children and adolescents in Grades 4 through 12.

Those individuals who are being assessed rate their responses on a 5-point Likert-type

scale ranging from 1 (never true about me) to 5 (always true about me). The TAICA is a

45-item self-report measure which consists of four sub scales (Lowe , et al., 2008).

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 Cognitive Obstruction/Inattention subscale assesses memory and attention difficulties

and obstructed cognitions associated with test anxiety

 Physiological Hyperarousal subscale measures physical symptoms associated with the

test-taking process.

 Social Humiliation subscale measures fear associated with failing a test and being

belittled or ridiculed by significant others

 Worry subscale assesses negative thoughts and worries that adversely affect test

performance.

Components of Test Anxiety

Similar to other emotions, test anxiety is comprised of a complex array of

component processes. These processes can include (1) affective components in terms of

uneasy, nervous feelings; (2) physiological components including physiological

activation and symptoms such as increased heart rate, increased respiration rate, or

sweating; (3) cognitive components involving worries about possible failure and its

consequences; (4) motivational components in terms of motivation to avoid failure and

impulses to escape from the situation; and (5) behavioral components in terms of facial

and postural expression of anxiety. Although a prototypical case of intense test anxiety

comprises all of these components, they are only loosely coupled, and not all of them

need to be present in all episodes of test anxiety (Pekrun & Stephen, 2015).

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, symptoms of

test anxiety can be physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional (Anxiety & Depression

Association of America, 2023).

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Physical Component: Physical symptoms of test anxiety include shortness of breath,

sweating, stomach ache, shaking, rapid heartbeat, panicking, dry mouth, headache,

fainting, sweaty palms and nausea or vomiting. Sometimes these symptoms might feel

like a case of "butterflies" in the stomach, but they can also be more serious symptoms of

physical illness such as nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting (Anxiety & Depression Association

of America, 2023). Allen (2022) also highlighted feeling hot, muscle tension, difficulty

breathing and dizziness as some of the physical symptoms of test anxiety experienced by

school pupils.

Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms: Cognitive and behavioral symptoms can include

avoiding situations that involve testing, restlessness, fidgeting and nervousness. This can

involve skipping class or even dropping out of school. In other cases, people might use

drugs or alcohol to cope with symptoms of anxiety. Other cognitive symptoms include

memory problems, clouded judgment, difficulty concentrating, procrastination, negative

self-talk, negative thoughts and comparing oneself to others (Anxiety & Depression

Association of America, 2023). Black out feeling, flashbacks or ruminating thoughts

about the past, dread feeling about the consequences of failure and pressure thoughts

related to needing to study harder are some of manifestations of test anxiety identified by

Allen (2022).

Emotional Symptoms: Emotional symptoms of test anxiety can include the feelings of

depression, self-doubt, low self-esteem, fear, anger, inadequacy and a feeling

of hopelessness (Anxiety & Depression Association of America, 2023). Racing thoughts,

stress, feeling of shame, sadness, frustration and disappointment in oneself are also parts f

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the manifestations of examination anxiety in pupils (Allen, 2022). Fortunately, there are

steps that students can take to alleviate these unpleasant and oftentimes harmful

symptoms. By learning more about the possible causes of their test anxiety, students can

begin to look for helpful solutions.

Causes of Test Anxiety

The causes of examination anxiety are divided into three major categories, which

include: behavioural, physical and cognitive/psychological factors:

Behavioural Causes: Hashmat, et al. (2008) reported behavioural causes such as

inadequate rest, insufficient physical activity, poor nutrition, lack of time management

and required information, procrastination, poor study habits, and poor test-taking skills as

key contributors to examination anxiety. Birenbaum (2007) agrees with them when

reporting that inconsistent content coverage, studying all night before examinations and

poor revision of studied course material are significant causes of examination-related

anxiety in students. The California Polytechnic Academic Skills Centre (2013) highlights

additional common behavioural causes of test anxiety including, among others, lack of

examination preparation, cramming the night before the examination, poor study habits

and poor time management.

Physical Causes: The physical factors causing test anxiety among students as

highlighted by Barksdale-Ladd and Thomas (2000) include pressure from peers, family,

and teachers; unfavourable testing environments, ineffective teaching and poor prior test

performance. Lufi, et al. (2004) also report negative outcomes of examinations and

helplessness over examination situations as other physical causes of test anxiety among

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students. Parents have been found to create test anxiety in their children with constant

demands for high grades. Barksdale-Ladd and Thomas (2000) additionally report that

parental concerns about their children’s performance and their continuous admonishing

of their children to work harder at school often make children anxious. Al-Sahman, et al.

(2019) demonstrated in their finding that the major factors causing examination anxiety

were excessive course load and studying all night before exams.

Cognitive or Psychological Causes: Equally significant are the cognitive and

psychological causes of test anxiety. The California Polytechnic Academic Skills Centre

(2013) reports that lack of information organisation and worries about past test

performance cause test anxiety among students. Einat (2000) also opines that test anxiety

is caused by the high personal standards of people who expect maximum success, yet fear

not being able to meet their own standards. Such students, Einat adds, often perceive tests

as threats and thus react to them by worrying and entertaining irrelevant thoughts, which

eventually affect their performance. Negative and irrational thinking about exams,

outcomes of exams and feelings of no control over exam situation are reported in several

studies (Miller & Surtees, 1991).

Al-Sahman, et al. (2019) indicated fear of failure during exam and distraction

during examination as factors responsible for students’ anxiety in a testing situation. High

expectation is another cognitive factor. For example, if a student believes that they will

do badly on a test, then they will more than likely start to have anxiety before and during

the test. Previous test anxiety may result into fearful situation about it happening again

the next time a student takes an important examination (Mometrix Test Preparation,

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2022). This view is a combination of the psychological and cognitive factors as causes of

test anxiety among students.

Consequences of Test Anxiety

This anxiety creates significant barriers to learning and performance (Andrews &

Wilding, 2004). Research suggests that high levels of emotional distress have a direct

correlation to reduced academic performance and higher overall student drop-out rates

(Andrews & Wilding, 2004). Test anxiety can have broader consequences, negatively

affecting a student's social, emotional and behavioural development, as well as their

feelings about themselves and school (Salend, 2012).

Highly test-anxious students score about 12 percentile points below their low

anxiety peers (Cassidy & Johnson, 2001). When one experiences too much anxiety,

however, it can result in emotional or physical distress, difficulty concentrating, and

emotional worry. Inferior performance arises not because of intellectual problems or poor

academic preparation, but because testing situations create a sense of threat for those

experiencing test anxiety; anxiety resulting from the sense of threat then disrupts

attention and memory function (Sarason, et al., 1995). Cassady (2020) suggested that

between 25 and 40 percent of students experience test anxiety. Students with disabilities

and students in gifted educations classes tend to experience high rates of test anxiety

(Nelson & Harwood, 2011). Students who experience test anxiety tend to be easily

distracted during a test, experience difficulty with comprehending relatively simple

instructions, and have trouble organizing or recalling relevant information.

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 Chapell, et al. (2005) additionally reveal that anxiety interferes in students’

performance in most assessment situations. Equally significant are Yousefi (2012), who

also indicated a higher probability of students dropping out of school early or falling into

truancy mainly because of their test anxiety experiences. Bodas and Ollendick (2005)

suggested that test anxiety is a key cause of psychological distress, low academic

performance or underachievement, and feelings of insecurity among students. Mulvenon,

et al. (2005) emphasised the predominantly negative impact of test anxiety on students’

performance over the years. Robinson (2009) reported that test anxiety leads to cognitive

difficulties during a test and, like Chapell, et. al. (2005) found that low performance on

standardised tests correlated with increased levels of anxiety and stress among students.

He thus concluded that increasingly using tests only aggravated the test anxiety problem

and harmed more students.

Academic Performance as a Concept

Educational institutions are the areas in which all students are prepared to

compete. Performance according to Campbell and Mande (1990) is the knowledge

obtained and skills developed in the school, which is often depicted by test scores. That

is, the mark earned by each student from task (test). Performance is very important in

human life and every society has its own goals and aspiration. Students’ success or

failure in the school therefore presents a relatively defined criterion of performance.

Students’ performance can be assessed in various methods. For systematic

grading, learners prove their understanding through printed and verbal examinations,

turning in homework and partaking in classroom works and deliberations. At the state

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level, students are evaluated by their performance on standardised tests. So, most

evaluations are centred on students’ response to traditional teaching methods.

Standardised testing is best responded to by students who excel in reading, mathematics

and test taking; a skill that is in itself indicative of academic worth (Hess, 1998).

Academic performance means the ability of students to study and learn certain

subjects in the school whether at the primary, secondary or tertiary institution levels with

the aim of performing excellently in the course of study. Kiggundu (2009) argued that

academic performance is the measured ability and achievement level of a learner in a

school, subject or particular skills.It could be described as notable actions or attainments

by certain students in their field of study or discipline. Academic performance is

measured through achievement test which is also known as paper and pencil test.

Achievement test is a type of ability test designed to measure what an individual had

learnt at the completion of a course of study (Richardson, 1994).

Academic performance really means three things: the ability to study and

remember facts, being able to study effectively and see how facts fit together and form

larger patterns of knowledge and being able to think for oneself in relation to facts and

thirdly being able to communicate one’s knowledge verbally (Chance, 2003). According

to Gbadura (2010), students’ academic performance varies according to individual

students’ scores such as high, average or low academic performance. Students who place

higher premium on education are inspired to enhance the development of their intellect

and this fosters academic performance.

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 However, in a success-oriented society, academic performance is a significant

measure of success in life. The reasons for this cannot be farfetched; it provides the

singular index of intellectual ability and aptitude on every individual. Gbadura (2010)

opined that academic performance serves as the only clear cut measure of student success

and adequacy for a life career. Similarly, Hess (1998) emphasised that high and low

performance is when a learner does well or poorly in a presented task. It may be said that

obtaining scores in an examination best describes what performance is all about: Who

stated that examinations are the most useful yard stick in assessing students’ knowledge?

She further stated that when the result is good or bad, it serves as guide for deciding who

gets promoted to the next class, demoted to a lower class, or who finally gets what job

after graduation. This is a pointer to the fact that the issue of performance to learners

cannot be under-estimated. Ojo (1997) stated that students’ performance is a measure of

how well they have mastered the learning task presented to them. It covers the way they

handle controversial issues, pass relevant judgment and the level at which they pass

examinations.

In the same vein, academic performance is the students’ accomplishment in terms

of grades obtained in a given test. Academic performance is often determined by the

individual scores in relation to a given standard, or sometimes in relation to the

performance of other students in a class test or examination. Poor academic performance

among students has prompted the development in various examinations specifically the

assessments administered by West African Examination Council and National

Examination Council.

24
 Recently, dwelling in students’ performance becomes a great concern to parents,

teachers, government, society, communities, counsellors and administrators. Excellent

academic performance is seen as a powerful instrument for the enhancement of growth

and development. High or low standard of education in any system can influence high or

low performance in education (Linder, 2002). Asonibare (1985) attributed this low

academic performance to low students’ ability, poor attitude, lack of capacity, interest or

low enthusiasm and emotional state of students. Senior Secondary school certificate

examination (SSSCE) results of Nigeria students are used as measures of academic

performance because it is a standardised type of summative evaluation.

Salam (2002) explained some problems connected with poor attitude towards

schooling and poor study habits of secondary school students to include students’ refusal

to carry out assignment given to them by subject teachers. This has negative influence on

the continuous assessment scores and grades. Similarly, many students do not care to go

over their notes until when examinations remain only one day. Also poor time

management, hatred of one subject or the other, usually leads to students’ poor

performance.

Test Anxiety and Academic Performance

Kassim, et al. (2011) investigated the consequences of test anxiety on academic

performance at the university level in Malysia using data collected through the Revised

Test Anxiety (RTA) instrument and Sarason's four-factor model as a basis for measuring

test anxiety. The study also investigates the effect of demographic factors on test anxiety.

25
Findings reveal that test anxiety is significantly and negatively related to academic

performance. Reasons for these findings are addressed.

DordiNejad, et al. (2011) examined the relationship between test anxiety and

academic performance of Iranian university students in a Medical university. For this

purpose, the valid and reliable questionnaire of Sarason was administered to 150 female

and male students. Man Whitney and correlation Spearman methods revealed that test

anxiety has negative effect on participants’ academic performance. Participants’

psychological and physiological experience was also descriptively discussed before,

during, and after taking the test. Results show that students studying in lower degrees are

more anxious than those who are more familiar with the test taking process in academic

environment.

Javanbakht and Hadian (2014) explored the effects of test anxiety on Iranian EFL

learners’ reading test performance. A total of 34 intermediate male learners at Iran

Language Institute (ILI) of Urmia attended the study. Participants took two reading

comprehension tests and also completed two questionnaires of Test Anxiety Scale (TAS)

and Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) designed to measure their test

anxiety and level of foreign language reading anxiety, respectively. The study employed

Cronbach's alpha to determine the reliability of TAS and FLRAS and descriptive

statistics to provide simple and meaningful interpretations of the data. The study also

used One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test to investigate the normality of variables’

distribution. Results based on Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient indicated

that at the intermediate level of proficiency, learners did not feel anxious during reading

26
test performance and no correlation existed between test anxiety and performance on

reading comprehension tests.

Zhang and Herderson (2014) assessed the level of students' test anxiety, and the

relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. The researchers recruited

166 third-quarter students. The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) was administered to all

participants. Total scores from written examinations and objective structured clinical

examinations (OSCEs) were used as response variables. Multiple regression analysis

shows that there was a modest, but statistically significant negative correlation between

TAI scores and written exam scores, but not OSCE scores. Worry and emotionality were

the best predictive models for written exam scores. Mean total anxiety and emotionality

scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, but not worry scores.

Moderate-to-high test anxiety was observed in 85% of the chiropractic students

examined. However, total test anxiety, as measured by the TAI score, was a very weak

predictive model for written exam performance. Multiple regression analysis

demonstrated that replacing total anxiety (TAI) with worry and emotionality (TAI

subscales) produces a much more effective predictive model of written exam

performance. Sex, age, highest current academic degree, and ethnicity contributed little

additional predictive power in either regression model. Moreover, TAI scores were not

found to be statistically significant predictors of physical exam skill performance, as

measured by OSCEs.

Balogun, et al. (2017) investigated the moderating role of achievement motivation

in the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. Three hundred and

27
ninety three participants (192 males and 201 females) selected from a public university in

Ondo State, Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique, participated in the study.

They responded to measures of test anxiety and achievement motivation. Three

hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results

showed that test anxiety had a negative impact on academic performance (β = –.23; p

< .05). Achievement motivation had a positive impact on academic performance (β = .38;

p < .05). Also, achievement motivation significantly moderated the relationship between

test anxiety and academic performance (β = .10; p < .01). These findings suggest that

university management should design appropriate psycho-educational interventions that

would enhance students’ achievement motivation.

Bentil (2020) investigated the relationship between examination anxiety and

pupils’ academic performance in Junior High Schools in Effutu Municipality in the

Central Region of Ghana. Grounded in Smith and Ellsworth (1987) transactional model

of testrelated emotions, this study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey design

with quantitative approach where seven-hundred and forty one (741) Junior High School

pupils were sampled through the multi-stage sampling technique. Closed-ended

questionnaire was used to collect quantifiable data. After satisfying validity and

reliability requirements, the instrument was self-administered to the participants and the

data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean, standard

deviation) and inferential statistics such as t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson Product Moment

Correlation. The findings of the study revealed that generally there was high examination

anxiety among the Junior High School pupils. Besides, the results showed that there was

28
a strong and statistically significant inverse relationship between examination anxiety and

pupils overall academic performance. The study further disclosed that the level of pupils

and age of the pupils did not significantly affect examination anxiety. Furthermore, it was

revealed that sex and type of school attended significantly influenced examination

anxiety

Alemu and Feyssa (2020) worked on the relationship between test anxiety and

academic achievement of grade ten students of Shirka Woreda, Oromia Regional State,

Ethiopia. A descriptive correlation, cross sectional design was utilized. A stratified

sample of 300 grade ten students and 8 teachers were drawn from three secondary

schools. Data were collected by using the Test Anxiety Inventory developed by

Spielberger (1980), it is a four point Likert scale with 20 items to find out how often

participants experience the feeling described in each statement. The students' first

semester 2019 academic year average score of 6 subjects were used to measure their

academic achievement. Pearson correlation, percentage, the mean and standard deviation

were run. It was found that a significant negative relationship exists between test anxiety

and students’ achievement scores. Results showed that a cognitive factor contributes

more in test anxiety than affective factors. The results of the study were suggested that

the female reported significantly higher test anxiety level compared to male students.

Therefore, it is concluded that test anxiety is one of the factors which are responsible for

students’ underachievement and low performance but it can be managed by appropriate

training of students in dealing with factors causing test anxiety.

29
 Rehman, et al. (2021) conducted a study on the effects of Test Anxiety on

student’s Academic Achievement at Secondary school level in Lahore. Causal

Comparative research design was used to determine the causes of differences that were

already therein the population. The population of study consisted of all secondary school

students enrolled in district Lahore. A total of 840 students from 30 schools were selected

as a sample from Lahore district. Test Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire was adapted and

translated into Urdu in the study for data collection from secondary school students. The

findings of the study indicate a negative relationship between test anxiety and academic

achievement. Results showed that girls have higher test anxiety scores as compared to

boys.

Bada and Idoko (2021) woked on appraisal of test anxiety on students’ academic

performance in Federal University Dutsin-ma. A descriptive survey research design was

adopted for the study. The population comprised of all undergraduate students in Federal

University DutsinMa, Katsina State. Two hundred and twenty (220) participants were

sampled for the study through Simple random sampling technique, which consist of one

hundred and seventeen (117) males and one hundred and three (103) females. Two

departments were selected from Federal University Dutsin-ma, Katsina State, Nigeria

using random sampling technique. Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) was used to collect

data from the respondents. The questionnaire was adopted from the original source; the

reliability of the instrument was determined through a pilot testing. The questionnaire

consist of two (2) sections: section “A” contains personal data of respondents; section

“B” contained information on students test anxiety. Mean, ranking order, percentage and

30
range were used to answer the research questions while Pearson product moment

correlation statistic was used for the testing of the hypotheses at 0.05 level of

significance. Findings revealed that test anxiety has no significant relative influence on

students’ academic performance, In addition, there is no significant influence of test

anxiety on students’ academic performance based on gender and that there is significant

relationship between the academic performance of students based on faculty.

Steinmayr, et al. (2021) studied the subjective well-being, test anxiety, academic

achievement: testing for reciprocal effects. The study investigated to what extent SWB,

academic achievement, and test anxiety influence each other over time. A sample of N =

290 11th grade students (n = 138 female; age: M = 16.54 years, SD = 0.57) completed

measures of SWB and test anxiety in the time span of 1 year. Grade point average (GPA)

indicated students’ academic achievement. We analyzed the reciprocal relations using

cross-lagged structural equation modeling. The model fit was satisfactory for all

computed models. Results indicated that the worry component of test anxiety negatively

and GPA positively predicted changes in the cognitive component of SWB (life

satisfaction). Worry also negatively predicted changes in the affective component of

SWB. Moreover, worry negatively predicted changes in students’ GPA. Directions for

future research and the differential predictive influences of academic achievement and

test anxiety on adolescents’ SWB are discussed with regard to potential underlying

processes.

Theobald, et al.’s (2022) study asked if test-anxious students do perform worse in

exam situations than their knowledge would otherwise allow? We analyzed data from

31
309 medical students who prepared for a high-stakes exam using a digital learning

platform. Using log files from the learning platform, we assessed students’ level of

knowledge throughout the exam-preparation phase and their average performance in

mock exams that were completed shortly before the final exam. The results showed that

test anxiety did not predict exam performance over and above students’ knowledge level

as assessed in the mock exams or during the exam-preparation phase. Leveraging

additional ambulatory assessment data from the exam-preparation phase, we found that

high trait test anxiety predicted smaller gains in knowledge over the exam-preparation

phase. Taken together, these findings are incompatible with the hypothesis that test

anxiety interferes with the retrieval of previously learned knowledge during the exam.

Jerrim (2022) presented new evidence on whether test anxiety is associated with

examination performance. It focused upon how test anxiety – as measured by five

questions included in the PISA 2015 survey – is related to the grades 15/16-year-olds

achieve in England’s high-stakes GCSE examinations. I find little evidence that teenagers

with low or high levels of test anxiety achieve lower GCSE grades than pupils with

average levels of test anxiety. Thus, in contrast to much of the existing literature, no clear

relationship between test anxiety and examination performance is found.

Hassan and Ravi (2022) investigated the test anxiety in relation to academic

achievement of secondary school students in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

Various Indian and foreign studies were reviewed. Descriptive Survey method has been

used in this study. The study was conducted over a sample of 200 secondary school

students in Prakasam district using stratified random sampling method. Questionnaire

32
was constructed for the secondary school students to find out the opinions of students on

Test Anxiety in relation to Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in

Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. The data were analyzed using various statistical

methods like mean, SD, correlation, t-test and ANOVA by SPSS package. . The score

obtained by different groups are compared across the variables i.e., gender, age, caste,

school management and locality. The results revealed that, there is a significant and

positive relationship between Test Anxiety in relation to Academic Achievement of

Secondary School Students in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

Related Theories

Attentional Theories: There are two main groups of attentional theories that attempt to

explain compromised performance in pressured situations (DeCaro, et al., 2011). One

group of theories are the explicit monitoring theories. They state that when a person is

expected to perform a specific skill, the pressure may cause an increased self-

consciousness and inward focus, which can disrupt their ability to successfully perform

that task (Beilock, & Ramirez, 2011). Thinking about step-by-step procedures can inhibit

one's ability to execute a task (Beilock, & Ramirez, 2011). For example, a study by R.

Gray found that baseball players put into the high-pressure condition had increased

errors, and an increased ability to recall details like the direction their bat was moving.

This indicates that the pressured players were monitoring themselves more, which

impacted their ability to successfully hit the ball (Beilock, & Ramirez, 2011).

A second group of theories are the distraction theories. These theories state that

high-pressure environments create a dual-task situation, in which the person's attention is

33
divided between the task at hand and unhelpful thoughts about the situation and possible

negative consequences of poor performance (Russell, 2013). Attention is an important

part of working memory, which is the system that actively holds several pieces of

relevant information in the mind while inhibiting irrelevant information (Russell,

2013). Working memory has a limited capacity, and the addition of stress and anxiety

reduces the resources available to focus on relevant information (Piech, et al., 2011).

In situations in which individuals need to concentrate their attention on a specific

task, emotional stimuli can divert their attention to a greater degree than non-emotional

stimuli (Mowbray, 2012). Emotional stimuli will often dominate a person's thoughts, and

any attempt to suppress them will require additional working memory resources (Piech,

et al., 2011). When working memory divides resources between the aversive cognitions

and the task-relevant material, then the person's ability to use the relevant information on

a test will suffer (Baddeley, 2013). People who suffer from test anxiety are more likely to

experience negative cognitions while in evaluative situations. Furthermore, test anxious

persons have been found to bias their attention towards threatening and anxiety related

stimuli more than nonemotional stimuli (Lee, 1999). Research has accordingly found that

tasks that rely heavily on working memory are the ones that suffer the most during

pressure (Russell, 2013). Shortfalls in performance that are caused by test anxiety seem

to be related to the extent to which the student has full access to their working memory

(Eysenck, et al., 2007).

When comparing these two theories in the context of academic performance, a

majority of work supports distraction theories (Russell, 2013). One reason for this is that

34
many of the skills performed in the classroom require heavy demands on working

memory (Russell, 2013). However, there are different kinds of pressure situations. There

is monitoring pressure, in which an individual's performance is impacted due to the

presence of an audience, and outcome pressure, in which an individual's performance is

influenced by the consequences of the testing results (Beilock, & Ramirez, 2011). In a

study, DeCaro et al. (2011) found that performance on a rule-based task, that relies

heavily on working memory, was impaired by outcome pressure, but not monitoring

pressure, whereas performance on an information-integration task, which does not

require attentional control, was hurt by monitoring pressure, but not outcome

pressure. These findings indicate that performance is compromised in different ways

depending on the type of task, and the types of pressure, and that both theories can be

correct.

Attentional Control: Eysenck, et al. (2007) elaborated upon the distraction theories and

propose the attentional control theory. This theory uses Baddeley’s (2001) model of

working memory to explain the effects of anxiety on working memory and on

performance. In Baddeley's theory, working memory (WM) consists of four components,

one of them the central executive that has a number of tasks such as coordination of the

temporary stores of phonological and visual information (phonological

loop and visuospatial sketchpad, respectively).

The attentional control theory assumes that anxiety primarily affects attentional

control, which is a key function of the central executive (Rai, et al., 2011). Attentional

control is the balance between the two attentional systems, the goal-directed system,

35
influenced by the individual's goals, and the stimulus-driven system, influenced by salient

stimuli (Rai, et al., 2011). According to the attentional control theory, anxiety disrupts the

balance between these two systems. The stimulus-driven system becomes stronger at the

expense of the goal-directed system, thereby impairing the efficiency of the inhibition

and shifting functions of the central executive (Derakshan & Eysenck, 2009).

In support of this theory, there is strong evidence that anxiety largely impairs

processing efficiency rather than performance effectiveness (Derakshan & Eysenck,

2009). Performance effectiveness refers to the quality of performance whereas processing

efficiency refers to the amount of resources used to attain an effective

performance. There is also evidence that anxiety impairs both the inhibition and the

shifting function (Derakshan & Eysenck, 2009). Therefore, this theory suggests that

students high in test anxiety will have to allocate more resources to the task at hand than

non-test anxiety students in order to achieve the same results (Baddeley, 2013).

In general, people with higher working memory capacity do better on academic tasks, but

this changes when people are under acute pressure. Beilock, et al. (2011) found that

pressure led individuals with a high working memory capacity to perform worse on a

complicated task, whereas individuals with a low WM capacity got the same low results

with or without pressure. This was because people with high WM could use more better

but more demanding problem solving strategies in the low pressure condition, which they

had to abandon in the high pressure condition.

The low WM people never used these demanding strategies in the first place

(Beilock, & Ramirez, 2011). Evidence for similar working memory effects in children

36
has also been found (Baddeley, 2000). Evidence that trait anxiety might have different

effects on working memory than state or acute pressure situations comes from Johnson et

al. who found individuals' performances on a task showed a decrease in accuracy due to

trait anxiety for individuals with low or average WM capacity, but did not significantly

decrease for individuals with high WM (Wang, 2013).

Conservation Resources: This theory can be applied to education and assessment by

conceptualizing test anxiety as a loss of resources (loss of self worth, motivation, and of

productive cognitive processing) affecting students' learning and performance (Buchwald

& Schwarzer, 2010). Within the framework of COR theory, test anxiety can be

understood as a severe stressor. Resources can be outlined commonly used to cope with

resources loss in school and other learning settings. When individuals generally strive to

obtain, retain, and protect what they value, testing situations increase the probability for

test anxiety and a loss of the associated valued resources. Stress in testing situations can

be so excessive that it hinders a person's ability to prepare properly and test effectively.

Test anxiety is associated with poor performance, attacking self-worth and prospects for

personal growth (Buchwald & Schwarzer, 2010).

COR theory outlines four general categories of resources: objects, conditions,

energies, and personal resources. Each of these resource categories aids coping efforts.

For students facing testing situations we begin by considering object resources important

to this group, such as a room of one's own, teaching books, and a computer. These

resources provide the basis for coping: a computer provides access to knowledge and

support; and a workroom provides a calm atmosphere for uninterrupted learning

37
(Buchwald & Schwarzer, 2010). In line with this is the finding that task interruption

affects judgment and decision making. Condition resources facilitate acquisition or

protection of valued resources.

Critical conditions for students are: the kind of school, curriculum, stereotypes,

assessment methods, and reference norm. For example, it is not uncommon for students

to face social-referenced tests. The resulting phenomenon is also known as the big-fish-

little-pond effect (BFLPE) and states that it is better for academic self-concept to be a big

fish in a little pond (gifted student in regular reference group) than to be a small fish in a

big pond (gifted student in gifted reference group). Empirical support for the BFLPE

comes from numerous studies based on a variety of different experimental

approaches. Zeidner and Schleyer (1999) examined this effect with respect to academic

self-concept, test anxiety, and school grades in a sample of 1020 gifted Israeli children.

The authors could confirm that academically talented students enrolled in special gifted

classes, perceived their academic ability and chances for academic success less favorably

compared to students in regular mixed-ability classes. These negative self-perceptions, in

turn, served to deflate students' academic self-concept, elevated their levels of test

anxiety, and resulted in depressed school grades. Further, academic self-concept and test

anxiety were observed to mediate the effects of reference group on school grades.

Other resources used to respond to stressful test situations are personal resources,

including personal characteristics and skills. Individual characteristics most frequently

studied in student samples include variables such as motivation, sense of control, and

learning strategies (Buchwald & Schwarzer, 2010). Anxiety has been shown to lower

38
levels of motivation in highly evaluative learning settings and to impact learning

strategies. It could be shown that anxiety was significantly negatively correlated with

learning strategies involving rehearsal, active reflection, written help seeking, practical

application, emotional control, motivational control, and comprehension monitoring.

Self-efficacy, the individual's belief in their ability to execute behaviors necessary

to achieve a certain goal, can be viewed as a potent resource that aids in coping with

assessment and resultant stress. A series of recent studies has provided consistent

evidence for the association between self-efficacy and test anxiety (Zeidner, 1998). It can

impact the goal of performing as well as enhance the internal motivation to manage the

testing situation. Overall, results indicate that self-efficacy is a salient and powerful

predictor of test anxiety and is negatively correlated with test anxiety.

Finally, energy is the fourth resource category in COR theory. Energy resources

include money, time, and knowledge, and it allows access to other resources. With regard

to test anxiety, examination-related knowledge is a significant energy resource

(Buchwald & Schwarzer, 2010). Empirical evidence was found for the fact that students

with high test anxiety developed and maintained less complete conceptual representations

of the course content. Their inadequate time management and procrastination of study

tasks lead to various study problems. Thus, timely preparation and knowledge gaining is

a fundamental way to minimize test anxiety. A confident knowledge of course material is

the first step in reducing test anxiety.

39
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Preamble

This chapter presents the procedure to be employed in carrying out this study. This

is presented under the following-headings; the research design, population, sample and

sampling technique, instrumentation, procedure for data collection, procedure for scoring

and method of data analysis.

Research Design

A research design is a plan or blue print which specifies how data relating to a

given problem should be collected and analysed. This study is correlation research

design; which uses a questionnaire as an instrument for data collection. It aims at

determining the relationship that exists between the independent variable (test anxiety)

and the dependent variable (academic performance). The researcher therefore considered

the correlational design most appropriate because it involves the use of questionnaire in

the collection of data and finding the relationship that exists between the two variables of

test anxiety and pupils’ academic performance in Osogbo metropolis, Osun State.

Population, Sample and Sampling Procedure

The population for this study is all comprises all primary school pupils in Osogbo

metropolis, Osun State. The population is estimated at 12,324 pupils from 102 primary

schools (Osun State Ministry of Education, 2022). The sample size for this study based

on the population size is 384. The sample size was demined using the Krejcie and

Morgan (1970) sample size determination table. Sample is the representation of the entire

40
population for the study because of the constraints which did not make the use of the

entire population. The respondents will be selected using simple random and stratified

sampling techniques. The researcher will use simple random sampling to select 4 primary

schools from each of the three LGAS that constitute Osogbo metropolis; hence, 12

primary schools will be selected out of the 102 in the metropolis. Simple random

sampling technique will also be used to select 32 respondents from each of the 12

selected primary schools. The use of simple random sampling technique will give every

school and pupil equal opportunity to be part of the study. The respondents will then be

stratified based on gender, family type and class level.

Research Instruments

The instrument that will be used for data collection in this study is adapted

instruments of “Suinn Test Anxiety Behaviour Scale (STABS)”. The questionnaire is

divided into two sections; A and B. Section A consists of the demographic data of the

respondents; which include gender, family type and class level; while the section B of the

instrument contains 20 items; which measure “test anxiety”.

The “Suinn Test Anxiety Behaviour Scale (STABS)” is adapted for this study.

Some of the modification made on the original instrument was that the “second-person

singular – you” tone used was changed to “a first-person singular – I”. The adapted

instrument consists of 18 items on test anxiety but the researcher added to make it 20

items based on thorough review of related literature. In addition, the scoring method was

not specified on the original instrument; thus, the researcher adopted a five-point Likert

41
scoring format of; Always; Very Often; Sometimes; Rarely and Never; with 5, 4, 3, 2 and

1 scores respectively.

Validity: A test is said to be valid if it measures what it purports to measure. Validity is

an instrument that measures accurately the qualities it is expected to measure. In the light

of this, the content validity of the instrument would be achieved by giving the

questionnaire to four (4) experts in the Department of Social Sciences Education.

Suggestions and corrections were made by the experts, which was taken into

consideration in the final draft of the instruments which was resubmitted to the supervisor

who affirmed that the instrument covered the intended content and therefore valid for use.

Reliability: Reliability is the degree to which scores are consistent over time. It can also

be defined as the extent to which a test is consistent in whatever it measures. Reliability

is the consistency, accuracy, stability and trustworthiness of a measuring instrument of

scores obtained when two tests were administered to the same group on different

occasions. Reliability is the extent to which the result obtained from the test can be relied

upon as the true score. In determining the reliability, test re-test measures reliability was

used.

The test-retest method for estimating reliability was adopted to determine the

reliability of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered twice to the same set

of 20 selected pupils of a primary school who will not be part of the study, within an

interval of four weeks. The scores of both administrations were obtained and correlated

using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). The result obtained from the

two administrations was … which adjudged the instrument reliable for data collection.

42
Procedure for Data Collection

The questionnaire administration process will begin by giving the authorities of

the selected primary schools introduction letters, which will be collected from the

Department. The letter will introduce the researcher, the purpose of the research exercise

as well as seeking the cooperation of both their staff and students for effective conduct of

the administration exercise. The researcher will administer the questionnaire in order to

collect relevant data for this study. The questionnaire forms will be personally

administered by the researcher and two research assistants (who will be taught about the

procedures). Each respondent will be given one questionnaire to complete independently.

The personal involvement of the researcher is necessary because of the advantage of

establishing rapport between the researcher and the respondents and the opportunity of

explaining the items that may not be clear to the respondents.

Procedure of Data Analysis

The researcher will employ both the descriptive and inferential statistics for the

data analysis. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage will be used to presents

the demographic data of the respondents, while inferential statistics of Pearson product

Moment Correlation (r) statistics will be employed to test the research hypotheses at 0.05

levels of significance. The Pearson’s statistics is an inferential statistics often used to

correlate two or more variables.

43
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 UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Test Anxiety Questionnaire

Dear Respondent,

I am a student at the University of Ilorin from the above named Department; I am

currently conducting a research on “Test Anxiety and Pupils’ Academic Performance in
Osogbo Metropolis”. I wish to invite you to participate in this study; as the exercise will
not take more than 10-15 minutes and all information or responses you supply will be
used for the research purpose only. You do not need to reveal any identity of yours and
your information in related to this research exercise will be kept confidential. Hence,
your utmost cooperation and sincere responses to all items on the Test Anxiety Scale will
be highly appreciated.

Thanks for your anticipated cooperation.

Mubarak

Section A: Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Kindly indicate your response in the space (√) provided as follows:

Gender: Male ( ); Female ( ).

Family Type: Monogamy ( ); Polygamy ( ).

Level of Study: Class 1-3 ( ); Class 4-6 ( ).

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Section B: Test Anxiety Scale
Instruction: Kindly tick (√) in the appropriate box to indicate your responses to items in
the scale using the following rating: Always = 5; Often = 4; Sometimes = 3; Rarely = 2
and Never = 1.
S/N When I am in a test situation, I: A O S R N

1 Feel headache
2 Sweat profusely in some parts or all of my body
3 Feel a rapid beats of heart
4 Become nauseating
5 Find it difficult to breath properly
6 Tremble or shake incessantly
7 Experience dry mouth
8 Experience loss of appetite
9 I become pale or weak
10 Sleep excessively
11 Become freeze when studying
12 Worry about examination days in advance
13 Never feel prepared even after studying
14 Find it difficult to sleep
15 Experience irritability (becoming temperamental)
16 Feel a sense of hopelessness
17 Find it difficult to concentrate
18 Experience boredom
19 Experience a mental block (go blank)
20 Remember materials after leaving the hall

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