Adolescent Test Anxiety: An Examination of Intraindividual and Contextual Predictors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine intrapersonal and contextual variables in relation to test anxiety among adolescents. Participants (n = 297) were students (male = 165; female = 132) in grades seven (n = 120) and eight (n = 177) from a public, suburban, middle school in the Midwest. All seventh and eighth graders at the participating school were invited to participate via information sheets mailed out to their families. The suburban middle school from which participants were sampled was chosen because of the school district’s reputation of high academic demand and its relative closeness to U.S. census information. Parents could opt their adolescent out of the study by contacting the examiners. All student responses were gathered in the form of questionnaires administered at the school campus. Academic self-concept was not found to mediate the relation between academic performance (as measured by GPA) and test anxiety. Effortful control and perceived threat of tests were found to significantly predict test anxiety in the sample. School climate, however, was not found to be a significant predictor. Implications for school psychologists are discussed. The study provides support for the importance of intrapersonal variables in predicting test anxiety among adolescents.