Personal and situational predictors of test anxiety of students in post-compulsory education.
BACKGROUND
Recent models of evaluation anxiety emphasize the importance of personal knowledge and self-regulatory processes in the development of test anxiety, but do not theorize a route for situational influences.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between test anxiety and personal knowledge beliefs (achievement goals and perceived academic competence), parental pressure/support, and teachers' achievement goals.


METHODS
One-hundred and seventy five students at a sixth-form college following pre-degree courses in Psychology and Sociology.


METHODS
Self-report data were collected for test anxiety, personal achievement goals, academic self-concept, perceived test competence, teachers' achievement goals, and parental pressure/support. Relationships were examined through correlational and regression analyses.


RESULTS
The relationship between test anxiety and personal knowledge beliefs differed for the various components of test anxiety. A mastery-avoidance goal was related to worry and tension, and a performance-approach goal to bodily symptoms. Perceived academic competence was related to worry and tension. Parental pressure was associated with stronger worry and test-irrelevant thinking components directly, and with a stronger bodily symptoms component indirectly through a performance-approach goal. Teachers' performance-avoidance goals were related to worry, tension, and bodily symptoms indirectly through personal performance-avoidance goals, and in the case of bodily symptoms additionally through a performance-approach goal.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings provide partial support for the self-regulatory model of test anxiety suggesting that additional routes are required to account for the role of parental pressure and teachers' performance-avoidance goals and a re-examination of the relationship between test anxiety and achievement goals.
Putwain
David W
DW
Department of Social and Psychological Sciences, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK. putwaind@edgehill.ac.uk
Woods
Kevin A
KA
Symes
Wendy
W
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001076:Aptitude; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011584:Psychology / Q000193:education; D011594:Psychometrics; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012649:Self Concept; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012944:Social Support; D012961:Sociology / Q000193:education; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult