Final Project

Paige Curry

Do Academic Expectations and Social Support Affect Test Anxiety in College Students?

  • In a 2010 study, it was found that test anxiety percentage increased with standardized testing (McDonald, 2010).

*Anxiety disorders are common worldwide, but college level indivduals have been experiencing an increased feeling of test anxiety within the past decade. It is believed that academic expectations and social support may be related to test anxiety

During this study, we conducted a 5 question survey using a 5 point scale ranging from “mostly disagree” to “mostly agree”

Perceived Academic Expectations

  • Construct definition
    • How academically pressured a student feels according to how they perceive their superiors and peers expectations of them.
  • Operational definition
    • Perceived academic expectations were divided into two levels, high expectations and low expectations of academics. Participants who scored higher (4 or 5) on the relating survey questions are predicted to have higher test anxiety, while those who scored lower (1 or 2) are predicted to have lower test anxiety.

Social Support

  • Construct definition
    • The perception and actuality that one is cared for
  • Operational definition
    • Social support is defined by positive messages in this study. Participants who receive more positive messages before a test are less likely to experience test anxiety, while those who receive no messages are prone to experience higher test anxiety

Test Anxiety

  • Construct definition
    • A combination of physiological over-arousal, tension, and somatic symptoms that lead an individual to feel a sense of debilitating anxiety in the presence of a test or exam.
  • Operational definition
    • Test anxiety is measured by participants’ survey results

Hypotheses

Figure of actual results

Discussion

  • Limitation: Small number of survey questions, weak test validity
  • Strength: Replication
  • Implication: Results were not significant

So is social support important to assist test anxiety?

Unsure!

  • Previous studies showed significant results of social support having a positive effect on test anxiety. However, our results were inconclusive due to insignificant data, indicating that this study needs improvements
  • Despite limitations, we have learned how to improve this study to achieve significant results
  • Studies will not always be perfect, ut they teach us what to fix to reach our goals