Test anxiety prevalence and gender differences in a sample of English secondary school students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of students who report themselves as highly test anxious in a sample of English secondary schools and whether this proportion differed by gender. Self-report test anxiety data were collected from 2435 secondary school students in 11 schools. Results showed that 16.4% of the sample reported themselves to be highly test anxious, with the proportion significantly higher in female students (22.5%) than male students (10.3%). Moderate gender differences were present in the worry and tension components of test anxiety and small differences in the social derogation component. While not all highly test anxious students might be at risk of underperformance and disengagement from school and academic activities, there may still be a sizable group of students who would benefit from specific support and intervention.