The effects of test anxiety on learning at superficial and deep levels of processing

The effect of test anxiety on learning superficial and deep level tasks was examined. Ninety college students classified as either high or low test-anxious learned a paired-associate word list using either a superficial level or a deep level processing strategy. The results indicated that on the superficial level processing task, the performance of the low test-anxious students was not significantly different from that of the high test-anxious students, while on the deep level processing task the performance of the low test-anxious students was significantly better than the performance of the high test-anxious students. The results are discussed in the context of a cognitive-attentional theory of test anxiety and the mechanisms by which test anxiety may disrupt performance.     

Undergraduate Laboratories?Some Comments on Efficient Use of Students' Time

Some sort of reportorial process is necessary for evaluation of undergraduate laboratory work. A variety of methods currently employed are not entirely satisfactory. Ideally, such a process should accomplish its purpose with a minimum expenditure of time and effort and, wherever possible, enhance the educational efficiency of the laboratory. Under certain conditions, verbal communication may be employed to these ends. In addition to more efficient use of time, other results include: more accurate evaluation, increased effectiveness of laboratory problems as teaching devices, and useful training in the use of verbal communication. In other terms, the communication channel between instructor and student may be given greater capacity, less noise, and changed more nearly into a closed loop.