Test Anxiety and Achievement Goal Orientations of Students at a Romanian University

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between students’ academic goals (mastery, performance-approach and performance- avoidance goals) and test anxiety (a set of physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses to an examination or to another evaluative context). One hundred and fifty-six students responded to surveys asking them about their academic achievement goals and about anxiety symptoms before, during, and after a test. Bivariate correlations suggested that mastery goals were negatively associated with test anxiety whereas performance-avoidance goals were positively associated with test anxiety.