Do cognitive distortions mediate the test anxiety–examination performance relationship?

The aim of this study was to follow up exploratory research suggesting that the inverse relationship between test anxiety and examination performance was mediated by cognitive distortions such as catastrophising. Self‐report data for measures of test anxiety and cognitive distortions were collected from students in their final year of compulsory schooling. Examination performance data was collected in mathematics, English language and science. Results supported a model in which cognitive distortions corresponding to the academic domain fully mediated the relationship between two components of test anxiety, worry and bodily symptoms, and academic achievement. This finding is consistent with theories attributing the debilitating influence of anxiety to the presence of interfering cognitions and helps to specify the nature of these interfering cognitions which test anxiety interventions may target.     

Is the relationship between competence beliefs and test anxiety influenced by goal orientation?

The study described here aimed to examine the relations between test anxiety, competence beliefs and achievement goals, and in particular if the relations between competence beliefs and test anxiety were moderated by achievement goals. Pupils in their first year of secondary schooling completed self-report questionnaires for test anxiety, competence beliefs and achievement goals. Results indicated that pupils with low competence beliefs in Mathematics reported more worrisome thoughts when they held a mastery-avoidance goal and female pupils with low verbal competence beliefs reported more off-task behaviours when they held a performance-approach goal. Male pupils with low verbal competence beliefs reported fewer off-task behaviours when they held a performance-approach goal. These findings may reflect how Mathematics may be uniquely related to a fear of failure among school subjects and how the gendered nature of verbal self-concept becomes important when peer comparison is a salient goal for pupils.     

Communication and practice with examination criteria. Does this influence performance in examinations?

Previous research has demonstrated that the development and communication of explicit marking criteria have resulted in improved grades for students. This improvement in performance has only been reported for coursework assignments. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to investigate the impact of providing explicit marking criteria, alongside practice with the criteria, on student examination grades. Two cohorts attending their second year on a sport science degree were used. The first cohort served as a control group and the second cohort as an experimental group. The control group sat the examination without any prior knowledge of the marking criteria, and the experimental group was given a marksheet before the examination that contained the marking criteria. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the examination grades of the experimental and control group. The mean examination grades achieved were 55.4% and 36.9% for the experimental and control group, respectively. Subsequent focus groups revealed that the experimental group considered that they were much better prepared and equipped to revise for the examination, and the marksheet encouraged self‐reflection on their progress. The experimental group reported that they felt they had more control over preparation for the examination and higher levels of confidence in taking the examination.     

“‘Sink or swim’: buoyancy and coping in the cognitive test anxiety – academic performance relationship”

This study explores the relationship between students’ self-report levels of cognitive test anxiety (worry), academic buoyancy (withstanding and successfully responding to routine school challenges and setbacks), coping processes and their achieved grades in high-stakes national examinations at the end of compulsory schooling. The sample comprised 325 English students in their final year of secondary school preparing for high-stakes examinations. While controlling for prior attainment and gender, higher worry predicted lower examinations scores. This was partially mediated by less use of effective pre-exam coping strategies. Academic buoyancy moderated the indirect relationship such that the indirect negative relationship from worry to examination performance was stronger when academic buoyancy was lower. The paper concludes that providing in-school training in task-focus and orientation and how to withstand academic pressures may help to ameliorate the influence of performance-interfering worries, and potentially enhance performance among students inclined to worry about examinations.     

The fear factor: students’ experiences of test anxiety when taking A-level examinations

This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that explored students’ experiences of test anxiety when taking A-level examinations. Four focus groups were convened with a sample of 19 participants in the south of England to explore the triggers of test anxiety and the perceived need for interventions to assist high test-anxious students cope with the examination process. The findings suggested that the participants experienced two types of anxiety: ‘pre-exam anxiety’ (relating to, for example, revision and mock examinations) and ‘exam-day anxiety’ (relating to practical concerns, such as school policy on the arrival of students and the time available to complete the examination). Only three participants reported feeling that their examination performance was significantly impaired by test anxiety; most reported that a degree of anxiety aided their performance. With test anxiety perceived by most participants as motivational and useful, there was little support for any interventions from examination boards, parents or teachers to help reduce or manage test anxiety. However, based on participants’ experiences of the pre-examination period, it is suggested that test anxiety may impede students’ ability to prepare for their examinations, and that interventions during this stage may be useful. The findings also imply that there are some practical steps that could be taken by the educational community to help reduce students’ test anxiety.     

Do emotions and prior performance facilitate the use of the learner-generated drawing strategy? Effects of enjoyment,anxiety, and intramathematical performance on the use of the drawing strategy and modelling performance

The use of self-generated drawings has been found to be a powerful strategy for problem solving. However, many students do not engage in drawing activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of the enjoyment of the drawing strategy, anxiety about the drawing strategy, and prior intramathematical performance on the use of the drawing strategy and modelling performance. We explored the role of the drawing strategy as a mediator between emotions and modelling and whether intramathematical performance moderated the effects of emotions (N = 220, mean age 14.5 years). Enjoyment and anxiety with respect to generating drawings and intramathematical performance predicted the use of the drawing strategy. Enjoyment positively affected modelling performance indirectly via the use of the drawing strategy. Anxiety negatively affected modelling performance via the use of the drawing strategy for students with lower intramathematical performance. Our findings demonstrate that experiencing activating emotions (i.e., enjoyment and anxiety) with respect to strategies and prior intramathematical performance are important for strategy use and modelling performance. Implications for the theory of self-generated drawing and the control-value theory of achievement emotions and practical implications for training and supporting the drawing strategy are discussed.     

Reading and writing: what is the relationship with anxiety and depression?

Learning can be considered a function of synthesis in which both cognitive functioning and the domain of affectivity convey. The aim of the present study was to investigate how specific literacy skills, i.e., reading and writing, relate to two main dimensions of negative affectivity, i.e., anxiety and depression. Study 1 was conducted on third grade children (72), while Study 2 focused on first grade children (43). Two groups of participants selected because they had been deemed ‘at risk’ for the development of anxiety or depression and a control group were compared in reading and writing tasks, which included both word and non-word lists. The assessment included also the evaluation of Verbal, Nonverbal and Composite IQs. Results indicated that children ‘at risk’ for depression made more spelling errors in dictation of words in comparison to the control group. No differences emerged in reading tasks or with reference to the group of children ‘at risk’ for anxiety.

Does the repetitive use of the same test in consecutive examination sessions facilitate cheating?

This paper introduces an empirical study testing three kinds of bias in higher education student assessment. All of them are connected to the repetitive use of the same test questions which may facilitate academic cheating. The ‘same tests effect’ may appear if two or more groups of students are writing the same test one after the other and, as a result, a statistically significant improvement is detectable in the test scores of the second student group. The ‘revealed sameness effect’ is the impact of informing the students in some way that the test questions will be repeated. The ‘self selection effect’ arises when the students choose their examination turn themselves and this boosts their measured performance. The present study examines the three effects with independent t-tests and linear regression models on samples of 1221, 235, and 201 students (in this order), from four business courses in six academic semesters. The results do not support the ‘same test effect’, but support the ‘revealed sameness effect’ and the ‘self selection effect’.     

Does performance in progressive assessment influence the outcome in final examination? An Australian experience

This paper investigates whether performance in progressive assessment necessarily influences the outcome in the end-of-semester final examination using the experience of an introductory postgraduate statistics course at a large Australian university. The average score on progressive assessments was higher than that of the final examination. Students attaining a higher distinction (HD) at the progressive assessment had a 37% chance of securing the same grade in the final examination, while students securing just a pass grade at the progressive assessment had 54 percent chance of failure in the final examination. Multiple regression analysis revealed that students’ performance in progressive assessments had a significant positive impact on final examination, so has the impact of learning diary. Mid-semester tests based exclusively on multiple choice questions (MCQs), more weights in progressive assessment and class-size appeared to have significant negative impact on the performance in the final examination. Focus group discussions suggest that (a) the final examination under timed conditions; (b) competing demands on time for final examination in other courses due contemporaneously; and (c) weaker motivation to sustain the momentum due to pass or near pass based on progressive assessments were the main hurdles in achieving better performance in the final examination.     

The more,the better? Intensity of involvement in private tuition and examination performance

Private tuition, or “shadow education”, has become a prominent feature in many countries internationally. A number of studies have found that such tuition is associated with improved examination performance and enhanced access to tertiary education. However, these studies have generally not taken into account important attitudinal differences between tuition participants and nonparticipants or explored variation in the intensity of young people's involvement in paid tuition. This paper uses a large-scale survey of upper secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of different levels of involvement in private tuition on student performance. Multilevel regression and propensity score matching techniques indicate no significant performance advantage accruing to involvement in private tuition when adequate account is taken of key differences between participants and nonparticipants. All else being equal, even relatively high levels of involvement in private tuition do not enhance academic performance.     

Anatomy practical examinations: How does student performance on computerized evaluation compare with the traditional format?

Practical examinations in anatomy are usually conducted on specimens in the anatomy laboratory (referred to here as the “traditional” method). Recently, we have started to administer similar examinations online using the quiz facility in Moodle?. In this study, we compare student scores between two assessment environments viz. online and traditional environments. We hypothesized that regardless of the examination medium (traditional or online) overall student performance would not be significantly different. For the online medium, radiological images, prosected specimens, and short video clips demonstrating muscle action were first acquired from resources used for teaching during anatomy practical classes. These were optimized for online viewing and then uploaded onto Moodle learning management software. With regards to the traditional format, actual specimens were usually laid out in a circular stream. Identification tags were then attached to specific spots on the specimens and questions asked regarding those identified spots. A cohort of students taking practical examinations in six courses was studied. The courses were divided into three pairs with each pair credit‐weight matched. Each pair consisted of a course where the practical examination was conducted online and the other in the traditional format. There was no significant difference in the mean scores within each course pair. In addition, a significant positive correlation between score in traditional and online formats was found. We conclude that mean grades in anatomy practical examination conducted either online or in the traditional format were comparable. These findings should reassure teachers intending to use either format for their practical examinations. Anat Sci Educ. © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.     

The relationship between writers’ perceptions and their performance on a field-specific writing test

Writing performance is greatly affected by task-related elements such as topic familiarity, difficulty, task-type, and subject matter of the prompt, which are perceived differently by each individual writer. Yet, little has been reported on the direct relationship between writers’ perceptions of a prompt and their actual performance on the prompt. The present study explored possible associations between students’ perceptions of a writing prompt and their actual writing performance on a field-specific (FS) English for academic purposes (EAP) writing test, compared to those on a general-topic test. Each of the 124 students produced two writing samples, one on an assigned regular topic and the other on one chosen from the four FS prompts. The writers also responded to a survey of their perceptions of the FS prompts and the FS test in general. The subjects’ performances on the two tests were compared across the four prompt subgroups, and analyzed against their survey responses. It was found that students’ performances were not statistically different on the two different tests or across the prompts chosen on the FS EAP writing test. Further analysis revealed that student subgroups varied in their perceptions of the degree of prompt familiarity. Based on the results, future research implications are proposed for EAP testing and L2 writing research.     

What's in a teacher test? Assessing the relationship between teacher licensure test scores and student STEM achievement and course-taking

We investigate the relationship between teacher licensure test scores and student test achievement and high school course-taking. We focus on three subject/grade combinations—middle school math, ninth-grade algebra and geometry, and ninth-grade biology—and find evidence that a teacher's basic skills test scores are modestly predictive of student achievement in middle school math and highly predictive of student achievement in high school biology. A teacher's subject-specific licensure test scores are a consistent and statistically significant predictor of student achievement only in high school biology. Finally, we find little evidence that students assigned to middle school teachers with higher basic-skills test scores are more likely to take advanced math and science courses in high school.     

Do dialectical self-beliefs moderate the indirect effect of betrayal traumas on posttraumatic stress through self-compassion?

BackgroundTraumatic events experienced in childhood, particularly those that are perpetrated by someone whom the child trusts or depends upon (i.e., high betrayal traumas [HBTs], such as abuse by a parent) can lead to long-term negative consequences, including a tendency to see oneself in a negative light, low self-compassion, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Although negative psychological consequences of HBTs are well-documented in the literature, little is known surrounding the protective factors that may reduce the effects of HBTs on individuals’ functioning. The present study focused on one potential protective factor, dialectical self-beliefs, that may moderate the negative effects of HBTs experienced in childhood on self-compassion, and hence reduce posttraumatic stress (PTS).ObjectiveThe present study is aimed at determining whether dialectical self-beliefs moderate the indirect effect of HBTs on PTS via self-compassion.Participants and settingData of the present study were collected from 747 college students attending a university in the Northeast region of the United States.MethodUsing a correlational study design, the data of this study were collected from college students through an online survey.ResultsThe results of a moderated mediation analysis indicated that the hypothesized model explained 25% of the variance in PTS. After controlling for low betrayal traumas, the indirect effect of HBTs on PTS through self-compassion was moderated by dialectical self-beliefs. These findings provide support for our hypotheses and suggest that having a dialectical self-view may enhance the adjustment of individuals with a history of HBTs by reducing the negative effect of HBTs on self-compassion.     

School tutoring and academic performance: A too close relationship?

In Spain, each student class is assigned a tutor teacher who is also responsible for individually following their tutoring students’ performance, guiding them in personal issues and regularly meeting their families. Although tutors may suppose an important support for students during their school life, their close personal relationship may also influence the teaching and learning process in additional ways. This research analyses whether the fact that the tutor teaches a particular subject makes any difference in students’ academic achievement in that subject and if this differential achievement is conditioned by tutor-student/family relationship or not (being a possible over/under-marking). With this objective we employ a rich administrative census database from the most populated region of Spain (Andalusia), using student fixed-effects within-students between-school subjects. Our main results show that tutors seem to be only slightly inclined to over-mark their tutoring students, being this small bias conditioned by their relationship with the student.     

Does correction for guessing reduce students’ performance on multiple‐choice examinations? Yes? No? Sometimes?

Multiple‐choice (MC) examinations are becoming increasingly popular in higher education because they can be used effectively to assess breadth of knowledge in large cohorts of students. This present research investigated psychology students’ performance on, and experiences of, MC examinations with and without correction for guessing. In Study 1, data were collected from two cohorts of students across three psychology MC examinations. The results revealed that students scored higher, and left fewer questions unanswered, when there was no correction for guessing. Furthermore, when the correction for guessing was removed from the theory MC examination, students who were told there was no correction for guessing did better than those told there was a correction. In addition, there was limited evidence of gender differences, with female students performing significantly better on one MC examination than males. In Study 2, a further set of first‐year psychology students reported their experiences of correction for guessing on open‐book and closed‐book MC examinations. Students reported feeling less anxious and more confident on the open‐book MC examination. The findings of both of these studies have implications for instructors deciding whether or not correction for guessing is appropriate, and for the advice to be given to students preparing for MC examinations.     

Externalizing behaviour and academic performance – the cross-lagged relationship during school transition

The current study examined the over-time association between externalizing behaviour problems and academic performance during school transition in a cross-lagged design. The main focus was to reveal whether the externalizing behaviour composite and its components separately, including symptoms of CD and ADHD, differ in their relationship with academic performance; and if controlling child- or family-related covariates altered the strength or direction of the relationship. Externalizing behaviour composite was associated with a decrease in academic performance over a 1-year time lag. Academic performance at Grade 6 was associated with low CD symptoms at Grade 7. The effect remained significant when child-related covariates were controlled, but not after controlling family-related covariates. ADHD symptoms systematically had a negative effect on grade 7 GPA, even after child- and family-related covariates were controlled. The results indicate that during early adolescence and school transition, CD and ADHD symptoms differ in their association with academic performance.     

Do age and gender make a difference in the relationship between intellectual styles and abilities?

This article reports two studies that aim at further distinguishing intellectual styles from abilities by taking into account the confounding effects of age and gender on the relationship between these two constructs. Two independent groups of secondary school students responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised and took the Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (Level H). Both sets of results suggested that although statistically significant relationships could be identified between thinking styles and abilities, when age and gender were put under control, styles and abilities became fundamentally independent. Implications of this finding for students and teachers are discussed.     

Personality traits moderate the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect of academic self-concept

Equally able students have lower academic self-concepts in high-achieving classrooms than in low-achieving classrooms. This highly general and robust frame of reference effect is widely known as the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987). This study contributes to research aiming to identify moderators of the BFLPE by investigating the effects of students' personality (i.e. Big Five traits and narcissism). Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the moderator hypotheses, drawing on data from a large sample of N = 4973 upper secondary track students (M age = 19.57). Consistent with a priori predictions, the negative effect of school-average achievement (the BFLPE) interacted significantly with narcissism. Students high in narcissism experienced smaller BFLPEs than did students with low or average levels of narcissism. The statistically significant effect for neuroticism acted in the opposite direction. The study illustrates how personality moderates frame of reference effects that are central to self-concept formation.