Relationship between Anxiety, Attitude, Test Motivation, and Exam Success Regarding Exam Question Type: An Investigation of Middle School Learners

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between anxiety about exam question types and students’ attitudes, test motivation, and exam success. The sample was 121 middle school pupils in Sakarya, Turkey, aged 11 to 15 years. Data obtained from scales on attitude, anxiety, and test motivation were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The findings indicate that anxiety about exam question type was significantly negatively related to attitude, test motivation, and exam success. Moreover, attitudes about question type were significantly positively related to test motivation and exam success, and test motivation was also significantly positively related to exam success. Regression analysis results showed that students' anxiety about exam question types was predicted by their attitudes and exam success but was not predicted by test motivation.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• Attitude
• Exam question types
• and Test motivation

References

1. Beller, M., & Gafni, N. (2000). Can item format (multiple choice vs. open-ended) account for gender differences in mathematics achievement? Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 42(1-2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007051109754
2. Benjamin, M., McKeachie, W.J., Lin, Y.G., & Holinger, D. P. (1981). Test anxiety: Deficits in information processing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73(6), 816-824. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.73.6.816
3. Birenbaum, M., & Feldman, R. A. (1998). Relationships between learning patterns and attitudes towards two assessment formats. Educational Research, 40(1), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188980400109
4. Birenbaum, M., & Rosenau, S. (2006). Assessment preferences, learning orientations, and learning strategies of pre‐service and in‐service teachers. Journal of Education for Teaching, 32(2), 213-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470600655300
5. Brew, E. A., Nketiah, B., & Koranteng, R. (2021). A literature review of academic performance, an insight into factors and their influences on academic outcomes of students at senior high schools. Open Access Library Journal, 8, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107423
6. Bridgeman, B., & Lewis, C. (1994). The relationship of essay and multiple-choice scores with grades in college courses. Journal of Educational Measurement, 31(1), 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3984.1994.tb00433.x
7. Dodeen, H. (2009). Test-related characteristics of uaeu students: test-anxiety, test-taking skills, guessing, attitudes toward tests, and cheating. Journal of Faculty of Education, 26, 31-66. http://search.shamaa.org/PDF/Articles/TSIjre/JfeNo26Y2009/jfe_2009-n26_031-066_eng.pdf
8. Entwistle, N., & Entwistle, A. (1991). Contrasting forms of understanding for degree examinations: The student experience and its implications. Higher Education, 22(2), 205-227. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00132288

9. Entwistle, N., & Tait, H. (1995). Approaches to studying and perceptions of the learning environment across disciplines. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 64, 93-103. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.372199564133
10. Hambleton, R. K., Swaminathan, H., & Rogers, H. J. (1991). Fundamentals of item response theory (Vol. 2). Sage.
11. Harlen, W., & Deakin Crick, R. (2003). Testing and motivation for learning. Assessment in Education: principles, policy & practice, 10(2), 169-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594032000121270
12. Hensen, C., & Barbera, J. (2019). Assessing affective differences between a virtual general chemistry experiment and a similar hands-on experiment. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(10), 2097-2108. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00561
13. Horwitz, E. K., & Young, D. J. (Eds.). (1991). Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2018.419353
14. Idris, F., Hassan, Z., Ya’acob, A., Gill, S. K., & Awal, N. A. M. (2012). The role of education in shaping youth's national identity. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 59, 443-450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.299
15. Kılıç, Z., & Çetin, S. (2018). Investigation of students’ examination type preferences in terms of some variables. Elementary Education Online, 17(2), 1051-1065. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2018.419353
16. Kubiszyn, T., & Borich, G. (2003). Educational testing and measurement: classroom application and practice. USA: John Wiley and Sons.
17. Kumandaş, H., & Kutlu, Ö. (2014). The risk factors caused by exams used for student selection and placement into higher education on the academic performance. Turkish Journal of Psychology, 29(74), 15-31. https://psikolog.org.tr/tr/yayinlar/dergiler/1031828/tpd1300443320140000m000046.pdf
18. Kurbanoğlu, N. İ., & Olcaytürk, M. (2023). Investigation of the exam question types attitude scale for secondary school students: development, validity, and reliability. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 13(2), 191-206. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.1187470
19. Kurbanoğlu, N. İ., & Takunyacı, M. (2017). The test-taking motivation of university students: The validity and reliability study of the Student Opinion Scale. Journal of Human Sciences, 14(2), 2099-2110. https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/4535/2238
20. Lamas, H. A. (2015). School Performance. Propósitosy Representaciones, 3(1), 313-386. https://dx.doi.org/10.20511/pyr2015.v3n1.74
21. Neemati, N., Hooshangi, R., & Shurideh, A. (2014). An investigation into the learners’ attitudes towards factors affecting their exam performance: A case from Razi University. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 98, 1331–1339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.550
22. Önder, O. (2008). Influence of exam preparation wıth multiple choice and essay type questions on mathematics achievement and test anxiety levels (Master Thesis, No: 231840).
23. Pehlivan, E. B. (2011). Investigation of answering behaviours to the items of multiple-choice Turkish test (Master Thesis, No: 302021).
24. Pintrich, P. R., & Schunk, D. H. (2002). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications, 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: MerrillPrentice-Hall
25. Popham, W. J. (1999). Why standardized test scores don’t measure educational quality. Educational Leadership, 56(6), 8-15. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/why-standardized-tests-dont-measure-educational-quality
26. Pour-Mohammadi, M., & Abidin, M. J. Z. (2011a). Attitudes towards teaching and learning test-taking strategies for reading comprehension tests: the case of Iranian EFL undergraduates. Journal of Studies in Education, 1(1), 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jse.v1i1.1028
27. Rasul, S., & Bukhsh, Q. (2011). A study of factors affecting students’ performance in examination at university level. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2042-2047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.050
28. Reteguiz, J. (2006). Relationship between anxiety and standardized patient test performance in the medicine clerkship. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, 415-418. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00419.x
29. Rheinberg, F. (1995). Motivation. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
30. Scouller, K. M., & Prosser, M. (1994). Students' experiences in studying for multiple-choice questions examinations. Studies in Higher Education, 19, 267-279. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079412331381870
31. Smith, J. A. (1997). An examination of test-taking attitudes and response distortion on a personality test (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech). https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/5f68676a-da02-420d-a406-3e37dc6382c2/content
32. Sothan, S. (2019). The determinants of academic performance: evidence from a Cambodian University. Studies in Higher Education, 44(11), 2096-2111. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1496408
33. Struyven, K., Dochy, F., & Jansens, S. (2005). Students’ perceptions about assessment in higher education: A review. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(4), 325-341. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930500099102
34. Sundre, D. L., & Finney S. J. (2002). Enhancing the validity and value of learning assessment: Furthering the development of a motivation scale. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
35. Tadese, M. Yeshaneh, A., & Baye, M. G. (2022). Determinants of good academic performance among university students in Ethiopia: a cross‑sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 2-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03461-0
36. Talib, N., & Sansgiry, S. S. (2012). Determinants of academic performance of university students. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 27(2), 265-278. https://pjpr.scione.com/cms/abstract.php?id=352
37. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2e). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
38. Wolf, L. F., & Smith, J. K. (1993, April). The effects of motivation and anxiety on test performance. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta.
39. Young, D. J. (1999). Affect in foreign language and second language learning. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
40. Zeidner, M. (1987). Essay versus multiple-choice type classroom exams: The students’ perspectives. Journal of Educational Research, 80(6), 352-358. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1987.10885782
41. Zeidner, M. (2004). Test anxiety: spielberger CD (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology (ss. 545- 556). New York: Elsevier.
42. Zeidner, M. (2010). Test anxiety. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, pp. 1–3.