TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
Title ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… i
Approval ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Certification …………………………………………………………………………………………… iii
Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………………………… iv
Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………………………… v
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………… vi
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………… x
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………………….. xi
List of Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………….. xii
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………… xiii
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study …………………………………………………………………………… 1
Statement of Problem ……………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Objective of the Study ………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Research Hypothesis …………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Significance of the Study ………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Scope of the Study …………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Operational Definitions ……………………………………………………………………………… 5
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
Conceptual Review …………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Definition of Test Anxiety …………………………………………………………………………. 7
Causes of Test Anxiety ……………………………………………………………………………… 8
People Prone to Test Anxiety …………………………………………………………………….. 9
Classification of Test Anxiety ………………………………………………………………….. 10
Symptoms of Test Anxiety ………………………………………………………………………. 10
Test Anxiety Scales …………………………………………………………………………………. 11
Test Anxiety and Academic Performance …………………………………………………. 12
Concept of Test/Examination …………………………………………………………………… 13
Formats of Test/Examination ……………………………………………………………………. 14
Modern Day Use of
Tests/Examinations …………………………………………………… 15
Functions of Test/Examination …………………………………………………………………. 17
Teachers Use of
Tests/Examination …………………………………………………………… 17
Administrator’s Use of Tests …………………………………………………………………….. 18
Counsellors Use of
Tests/Examinations ……………………………………………………… 19
Industrial and Military Use of
Tests ………………………………………………………….. 20
Research Use of
Tests/Examination …………………………………………………………… 20
Types Tests/Examination …………………………………………………………………………. 20
Essay Items …………………………………………………………………………………………… 22
Types of Essay Items ………………………………………………………………………………. 22
Objective Test Type ………………………………………………………………………………… 23
Classification of Objective
Items ………………………………………………………………. 23
Examination Performance ………………………………………………………………………… 28
Review of Related Theories ……………………………………………………………………… 29
Cognitive Interference Theory
(CIT) …………………………………………………………. 29
Additive Model of Test Anxiety ………………………………………………………………. 31
Empirical Review ……………………………………………………………………………………. 31
Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 39
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODS
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………… 41
Research Design ……………………………………………………………………………………… 41
Area of Study ………………………………………………………………………………………… 41
Target Population ……………………………………………………………………………………. 42
Sample …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 42
Sampling Procedure ………………………………………………………………………………… 42
Instrument for Data Collection …………………………………………………………………. 43
Validity …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 43
Reliability of the Instrument …………………………………………………………………….. 43
Ethical Consideration ………………………………………………………………………………. 43
Procedure for Data Collection ………………………………………………………………….. 44
Method of Data Analysis …………………………………………………………………………. 44
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Presentation of Results ……………………………………………………………………………. 46
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Discussion of findings …………………………………………………………………………….. 51
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 53
Educational implication of the
study …………………………………………………………. 53
Recommendations …………………………………………………………………………………… 54
Limitations of the study …………………………………………………………………………… 54
Suggestions for further research
……………………………………………………………….. 55
Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 55
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 57
Appendices ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 61
LIST
OF FIGURES
Page
The
conceptual model of the study . . . . . 36
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
1: Showing demographic
characteristics of the
participants . . . . . . . 46
Table 2: Showing levels of test anxiety of the participants . 47
Table
3: Showing relationship between
test anxiety and examination
performance . . . . . . . 47
Table
4: Showing correlations of test
anxiety and examination
performance of all participants . . . . 48
Table
5: Showing difference in levels
of test anxiety and examination
performance between schools . . . . 48
Table
6: Showing differences in test
anxiety levels and examination
performance of students of UNTH and those of ESUTH. . 49
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix 1 Questionnaire . . . . . 61
Appendix II Informed
consent . . . . 66
Appendix III Identification
letter . . . . 67
Appendix
IV Permission letter . . . . 68
Appendix V Ethical
clearance certificate . . . 69
Appendix VI Reliability test of the instrument
(Crombach Alpha) . . . . 70
Appendix VII Calculation of the three levels of test
Anxiety . . . . . 71
ABSTRACT
Test
anxiety is conceived as the hyper-arousal condition that results in
physiological, emotional and intellectual changes that prevent the effective
use of the previously learned information while taking an examination. It is
composed of “worry” which a cognitive anxiety related with performance and
“emotionality” the arousal of autonomic nervous system in evaluative situations
(Morris & Liebert 1970 in Ndirangu 2009). Examination performance is the
grade point or scores obtained following examination. It is synonymous with
academic performance. The purpose of
the study was to determine the relationship between test anxiety and
examination performance of Basic Nursing Students in Enugu Urban. The
correlation study design was used. The study was carried out among 140 PTS
students of school of UNTH and School of Nursing ESUTH comprising 63 students
from UNTH and 77 from ESUTH. Sarason’s
test anxiety instrument was used to collect data on students test anxiety and
published PTS results used for data on examination performance. The result showed that there is an inverse relationship
between test anxiety and examination performance of the students r = -.20, N = 140
P = 02. It was also established that students with mild test anxiety had better
examination performance than those with moderate test anxiety. The results also showed no significant
difference in the test anxiety levels between Schools. The major educational
implication is that high anxiety will lead to poor examination performance
while mild and moderate anxiety levels will give good examination performance.
It is recommended that a curriculum that is inclusive of strategies of coping
with test anxiety be developed.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Test and testing are part of all
educational programmes. In basic nursing school classroom content is complex,
the scope is broad and the pace is accelerated. Frequent testing of students is
necessary throughout the programme for evaluation of progress in mastering
content. Also at the end of planned
instruction, preliminary training stage (PTS), junior block, intermediate block,
students are given examinations. Their
performance in such examinations is used to make decisions that impact on the
students. Examination performance thus is an important issue for the students.
Students finishing their PTS verbalize and exhibit a great deal of anxiety
regarding PTS examinations.
Anxiety is one of those emotional
components of human life; it is a basic human emotion consisting of fear and
uncertainty that typically appears when an individual perceives an event as
being a threat to the ego or self-esteem (Sarason, 1988 in Eric Digests 2005).
When students develop serious fear of performing poorly in an examination it is
termed test anxiety. According to Zeidner (1998), test anxiety is a multidimensional
sign that can be described as a group of phenomenological, physiological, and
behavioral reactions that occur with possible negative consequences or failure
in an examination or similar evaluative situation. Test anxiety especially worry has impact on
academic performance and working memory (Eysenk, 2001). There are two major tasks for students who
find themselves under test condition. One is to be able to cope positively with
that feeling of unpleasantness and uncertainty brought about by test and
similar situations. The other is to live
up to expectation of the test by performing well. Most students might study hard to pass tests
but might not be able to overcome or resolve the conditions they find
themselves in during examinations such as test anxiety.
Examination performance is the
grade point average or score obtained following an examination. This is often
expressed in percentage e.g. (50%) or in letters e.g. A, B etc. There are many
factors that affect examination performance; one of these is test anxiety. Researchers estimate that 20 to 30 percent of American students
experience test anxiety (Strauss, 2012).
Some research works carried out
in Nigeria have shown that our students in primary, secondary and higher
institution experience test anxiety (Ebigbo, 1982 in Akubuiroh, 1990). Although Kalu (1980) and Akubuiroh (1990) did
some work on the relationship between test anxiety and examination performance,
it has been long. No recent major work
has been done to show whether the level of test anxiety (high, moderate or low)
relate significantly to examination performance (high, moderate or low score
levels). The focus of this study
therefore is to determine the relationship between test anxiety and examination
performance.
Statement of Problem
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEST ANXIETY AND PERFORMANCE IN EXAMINATION OF STUDENTS IN BASIC NURSING SCHOOLS IN ENUGU URBAN, ENUGU STATE
