Test Anxiety and Academic Achievement among Non-English Major Students at a University in Hanoi

Abstract

The present quantitative study examines the levels of test anxiety among 75 non-English major students of different disciplines at Thang Long University, Hanoi, Vietnam. The study adapted a survey on test anxiety developed by Dennis H, Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services (2011), University of Central Florida. The findings reveal the level of anxiety was medium M=1.77 (SD = 0.81, SEM = 0.09, Min = 1.00, Max = 3.00, Skewness = 0.43, Kurtosis = -1.34). Regarding levels of test anxiety by gender, the result of the two-tailed independent samples t-test was significant based on an alpha value of .05, t(73) = -3.11, p = .003. There was a significant difference between male and female students in the levels of test anxiety; M=1.5 for male and M=2.05 for female (Min=1.00, Max=3.00). With regard to the relationship between levels of test anxiety and academic achievement, the ANOVA was examined based on an alpha value of .05. The results of the ANOVA were significant, F(2, 72) = 17.72, p < .001, indicating there were significant differences in academic achievement among the levels of test anxiety. The mean of academic achievement for low test anxiety (M = 6.67, SD = 0.93) was significantly larger than for medium test anxiety (M = 5.75, SD = 1.51), p = .008. For the main effect of levels of test anxiety, the mean of Academic achievement for low test anxiety (M = 6.67, SD = 0.93) was significantly larger than for high test anxiety (M = 4.81, SD = 0.72), p < .001. For the main effect of levels of test anxiety, the mean of academic achievement for medium test anxiety (M = 5.75, SD = 1.51) was significantly larger than for high test anxiety (M = 4.81, SD = 0.72), p = .022.