Dimensions Of Anxiety Research Articles

Fear of Statistics among TEFL Postgraduate Students

Although statistics is an important compulsory course in a wide variety of disciplines, the vast majority of students including TEFL postgraduate students find it frightening and difficult to understand, and thus suffer from underachievement. As a result, a specific kind of anxiety called statistical anxiety emerges that requires immediate attention. To date, a large and growing body of research has focused on exploring different aspects and dimensions of statistics that produce fear and tension. However, the problem of fear of statistics amongst TEFL postgraduate students has received scant attention in the literature. In this study, attempts are made to assess and describe the areas of anxiety that TEFL postgraduate students experience during a statistics course. To this end, the present study employed a descriptive research design, i.e., survey research. First, a statistical anxiety questionnaire, which reflects three correlated dimensions of statistical anxiety including Examination Anxiety, Asking for Help Anxiety, and Interpretation Anxiety, was distributed among 72 TEFL postgraduate students. Then, interview sessions were held with 10 participants for the purpose of further exploration of the participants’ responses to the questionnaire items. Analysis revealed that examination anxiety has the highest frequency among other subscales, while the lowest frequency belongs to asking for help anxiety. These descriptive results together with the conceptualization of participants’ perspectives regarding their major concerns in statistics have clear implications for statistics teachers, course developers, policy makers, and TEFL postgraduate students.

Dysregulation of threat neurocircuitry during fear extinction: the role of anhedonia

Dimensional models of anxiety and depression highlight common and distinct symptom clusters that are thought to reflect disruptions in underlying functional processes. The current study investigated how functioning of threat neurocircuitry relates to symptom dimensions of anxiety and depression. Participants were aged 18–19 years (n = 229, 158 female) and were selected to ensure a range of scores on symptom measures. Symptom dimensions of “General Distress” (common to anxiety disorders and depression), “Fears” (more specific to anxiety disorders), and “Anhedonia-apprehension” (more specific to depression) were evaluated. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm. Multilevel modeling analyses estimated relationships between symptom dimensions and activation in threat neural circuitry. Exploratory whole brain analyses were also conducted. Threat-related neural activity was not associated with General Distress or Fears. Anhedonia-apprehension was associated with activation of bilateral amygdala, anterior insula and dACC during late extinction. We found no evidence to support an association between symptom dimensions of General Distress or Fears with threat circuitry activation in a large sample of young adults. We did, however, find that the symptom dimension of Anhedonia-apprehension was significantly associated with threat-related neural activation during fear extinction. This effect requires replication in future work but may reflect anhedonic impairments in learning when contingencies are altered, possibly linked to the rewarding relief of an unexpectedly absent threat.

The Relationship Between Language Learning Strategies And Academic Self-Concept

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between language learning strategies of secondary school students and the concept of academic self. The study was carried out with 522 students enrolled in an Anatolian high school in the central district of Ankara. In the study, Personal and Academic Self-Concept Inventory (PASCI), which was developed by Fleming and Whalen (1984), and the Turkish version of Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL), which was developed by Oxford (1990) and adapted into Turkish by Cesur & Fer (2007), were used. Canonical correlation analysis was used in the study. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the scores obtained in certain sub-dimensions of language learning strategies were predicted by the scores obtained in some of the academic self-concept sub-dimensions; however, the effect of the scores concerning some sub-dimensions remained at low levels. In the study, the relationship between the strategies in the language learning strategies sub-dimension and the academic self-concept sub-dimensions was explained through two canonical variables for the 9th, 10th, and 11th Grades. Based on this result, it could be argued that the increase in scores obtained from academic self-concept led to an increase in scores obtained from language learning strategies. In addition, it was concluded that the best predictors in explaining memory strategies were academic and verbal skills; post-cognitive strategies had low power to predict language learning strategies; and, social anxiety and family acceptance dimensions had low powers in predicting academic self-concept perception.

Do difficulties in emotion regulation impact self-esteem and adult attachment? – the role of trauma

Introduction Experiencing trauma in childhood, adolescence or adulthood has severe negative impact on several areas of individuals' lives. Concerning their psychological health, consequences often arise in terms of emotional deficits, self-esteem and attachment [1]. Strategies of emotional regulation (ER) are extremely important in the individual’s development and have implications in their self-concept and self-esteem [2]. The literature suggests that a better ER is directly associated with better self-esteem [3]. Some studies also show an association between attachment and the level of self-esteem [4]. Better attachment in adults is associated with high and stable levels of self-esteem [5]. The objective of this research is to study the impact of ER, self-esteem and attachment in Portuguese adults (above 18 years old) who have experienced trauma. This study contributes to scientific innovation in this field, considering that we found results never obtained in a Portuguese sample. Materials and Methods This study comprised 137 Portuguese individuals’ (69.3% women and 30.7% men) with ages between 18 and 70 years (M = 39.49, SD = 12.49), of which 74 (54.0%) experienced trauma in the last three years. This study was carried out by filling out online questionnaires and the link to the study was disclosed by e-mail and in social networks. The participants responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire, a checklist of some types of trauma experienced in the last three years, the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS) [6], the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) [7], and the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS-R) [8]. The study was conducted in accordance with all the ethical principles. Results The results showed a significant negative correlation between the DERS and the total score of the RSES (r = −0.509, p < .001) as well as between the DERS Strategies subscale and the RSES (r = −0.541, p < .001). There was a significant statistical negative correlation between the DERS Awareness and the AAS-R (r = −0.232, p = .006), and a significant statistical positive correlation between the total score of the DERS (r = 0.557, p < .001), the DERS Non-Acceptance (r = 0.500, p < .001) the DERS Strategies (r = 0.516, p < .001) and the AAS-R Anxiety. The results also showed significant statistical differences between individuals who experienced trauma in the Anxiety dimension of the AAS-R [F(1,136) = 8.91, p = .003]. Those who experienced trauma showed higher anxiety (M = 2.19, SD = 0.75). Discussion and conclusions The results showed that if difficulties of emotional regulation and limited access to emotional regulation strategies decreases, self-esteem increases, which corroborates the literature [3]. Concerning the adult attachment, we found that if anxiety increases, difficulties of emotional regulation also increase, as well as lack of acceptance of emotional responses and limited access to emotional regulation strategies. Some studies reveal that attachment styles influence the strategies to express and regulate emotions [9]. All these findings have an impact on clinical and social levels, as they guide therapists to work in these specific areas with individuals who have suffered some form of trauma. Thus, our results help to develop psychological intervention programs to prevent psychopathology. Further studies should focus on the results of preventive and interventive efficacy of therapies implemented in society that focus on emotion regulation, self-esteem, and adult attachment in traumatised individuals.

A dimensional approach to the neuronal correlates of anxiety, depression, and perfectionism: A transdiagnostic dissociation of error-related brain activity

Transdiagnostic approaches such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) highlight the importance of addressing psychopathological constructs dimensionally, since comorbidity and heterogeneity represent prevalent issues in the available categorical diagnosis. The current study analyses distinct internalizing dimensions of depression and anxiety, and the transdiagnostic feature of perfectionism on the modulation of error-related brain activity (i.e., ERN). A sample of 125 participants completed self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and perfectionism, and performed two versions of the Flanker Task (performance monitoring and sustained-threat) during an EEG recording. In the broad internalizing dimensions, anxiety predicted increased ERN amplitudes when controlling for the shared variance with depression and perfectionism. The narrower dimensions of anxiety and depression revealed a dissociative effect: cognitive anxiety explained blunted ERN amplitudes, while the physiological signs of anxiety and depression predicted increased amplitudes. For perfectionism, no significant results were found. Exploratory analyses further revealed that the Error Positivity component (Pe) was reduced in anxiety and physiological depression. We conclude that anxiety features emerge as the main explanation for the altered patterns of error monitoring in a transdiagnostic sample. Since anxiety is expected to co-occur with other disorders, the current findings suggest that altered patterns of error monitoring will be a transdiagnostic feature of various internalizing and anxiety-related disorders.

Psikolojik Belirtiler ve Dürtüsellik İle Problemli Sosyal Medya Kullanımı Arasındaki İlişki

Objective: In this pilot study, the relationship between problematic social media use, impulsivity, and psychological symptoms in adults was investigated. Method: In this study conducted with 178 people, demographic information form, Social Media Addiction Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory were applied to the participants. Results: Social media addiction levels of the participants were found to be significantly higher in women, singles, graduate graduates, those who spend more than 8 hours in social media, and Twitter and Instagram users. When the relationship between problematic social media use, impulsivity, and psychological symptoms was examined, virtual tolerance and virtual communication sub-dimensions of social media addiction were positively and significantly related to all sub-dimensions of impulsivity and psychological symptoms. In addition, the increase in the social media addiction scores of the participants was significantly predicted by the dimensions of unplanned impulsivity, depression, anxiety and somatization. Conclusion: There are significant psychological factors that may be associated with the problematic use of social media, which has become an important part of the daily life of adults.

Anxiety and dimensions of perfectionism in first year college students: The mediating role of mindfulness

IntroductionAnxiety and perfectionism affect academic success of college students. Mindfulness is associated with decrease anxiety and perfectionism among college students. ObjectiveThis study evaluates the mediating role of dispositional mindfulness on the relationship between adaptive and maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism and anxiety in first year college students. MethodThe subjects, 283 first year college students (59.5% girls), completed self-reported measures of anxiety, perfectionism and dispositional mindfulness. ResultsOur results show that maladaptive perfectionism is associated with greater anxiety, and a higher dispositional mindfulness score is associated with less anxiety symptoms. Also, mindfulness mediates the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety symptoms, especially in girls. When the shared variance of maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism is statistically controlled, adaptive perfectionism is associated with anxiety symptoms in boys and mindfulness in girls. ConclusionThis study confirms the mediating role of mindfulness on the relation between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety. Gender differences, limits of the mindfulness measure and future research are discussed.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON ANXIETY AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM RURAL AND URBAN AREAS

The objective of the present study was to compare the level of anxiety and difference between the rural and urban college students on the basis of dimensions of anxiety. A total number of 120 college students (Rural – 60 and Urban – 60) were selected from two Junior colleges in both rural and urban areas of Odisha State. In the present study, Sinha Anxiety Scale (1991) was used to collect the data. The obtained data was analysed by using ‘t’ test to find out the significant difference between rural and urban college students. Results revealed that in majority dimensions of anxiety, rural college students have more anxiety compared to urban college students

Attachment Security and Suicide Ideation and Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Reflective Functioning.

Background: To understand why attachment difficulties predispose individuals to suicidal thinking (suicide ideation) and behaviour, a leading cause of death, we need to explore the role of pertinent psychological mechanisms. Attachment processes are closely linked to the development of mentalisation capabilities, or reflective functioning; the ability to understand and interpret self and other behaviour as an expression of mental states. Interventions designed to improve mentalisation have been associated with a reduction in suicidal behaviour, yet reflective functioning has not been directly investigated in relation to suicidal ideation and behaviour. Aim: We aim to further verify the link between adult attachment security and suicidal ideation and examine whether deficits in reflective functioning mediate this relationship. Methods: Sixty-seven participants who experienced suicidal ideation within the past 12 months completed self-report measures of adult attachment, current suicidal ideation, reflective functioning, depressive symptomology and hopelessness. Partial correlations, mediation analyses and group comparisons were conducted to explore relationships between these factors. Results: Findings did not support a mediational role for reflective functioning in the relationship between attachment security and suicidal ideation. A direct relationship was established between attachment avoidance and suicidal ideation, after controlling for age, gender and depressive symptoms. However, participants with a history of attempted suicide were higher in anxious attachment compared to participants with no such history. Conclusions: This study shows that the attachment dimensions of attachment anxiety and avoidance may play differential roles in increasing risk for suicidal attempts versus ideation. This has important implications for tailoring interventions. Those aimed at reducing suicide attempts should focus on reducing attachment anxiety by helping people develop skills in emotional regulation. Interventions aimed at reducing suicidal ideation should focus on reducing attachment avoidance by helping people develop closer relationships with significant others. However, longitudinal and experimental designs are required to verify causality.

Attachment Dimensions as Moderators of the Relationship between Commitment to Supervisors and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

The aims of this study are to examine the correlation between the commitment to supervisors and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) by using two different commitment conceptions and to determine whether this relationship is moderated by personal internal attachment dimensions. The theoretical framework was provided by the concept of Affective Commitment (AC), derived from Meyer and Allen’s Three-Component Model (TCM), the target-free approach of Klein et al., and attachment personality theory. The study used the Affective Commitment to Supervisors (ACS) scale and Klein’s Unidimensional and Target-free (KUT) scale. The predictive value of supervisory commitment was confirmed by both methods. However, depending on the scale, the results revealed different links between commitment, OCB, and attachment personal dimensions as moderating factors. The ACS scale interacted with the dimension of attachment anxiety: In the case of a low or moderate supervisory commitment, anxiety decreased engagement in OCB. By contrast, the moderating model indicated that there was no such interaction when using the KUT scale.

Proof-of-concept trial results of the HeartMan mobile personal health system for self-management in congestive heart failure

This study tested the effectiveness of HeartMan—a mobile personal health system offering decisional support for management of congestive heart failure (CHF)—on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), self-management, exercise capacity, illness perception, mental and sexual health. A randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial (1:2 ratio of control:intervention) was set up with ambulatory CHF patients in stable condition in Belgium and Italy. Data were collected by means of a 6-min walking test and a number of standardized questionnaire instruments. A total of 56 (34 intervention and 22 control group) participants completed the study (77% male; mean age 63 years, sd 10.5). All depression and anxiety dimensions decreased in the intervention group (p < 0.001), while the need for sexual counselling decreased in the control group (p < 0.05). Although the group differences were not significant, self-care increased (p < 0.05), and sexual problems decreased (p < 0.05) in the intervention group only. No significant intervention effects were observed for HRQoL, self-care confidence, illness perception and exercise capacity. Overall, results of this proof-of-concept trial suggest that the HeartMan personal health system significantly improved mental and sexual health and self-care behaviour in CHF patients. These observations were in contrast to the lack of intervention effects on HRQoL, illness perception and exercise capacity.

Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Therapy on Quality of Life of Patients with Subacute Stroke: A Three-Month Follow-Up Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of conventional rehabilitation combined with virtual reality on improving quality of life related to post-stroke health. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Rehabilitation and neurology departments of a general hospital (Talavera de la Reina, Spain). Subjects: A total of 43 participants with subacute stroke. Intervention: Participants were randomized into experimental group (conventional treatment + virtual reality) and control (conventional treatment). Main measures: Health-related quality of life as measured by the EuroQoL-5 dimensions instrument (EQ-5D-5L) and EuroQoL visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). Results: A total of 23 patients in the experimental group (62.6 ± 13.5 years) and 20 in the control (63.6 ± 12.2 years) completed the study. In the experimental group, EQ-VAS score was 29.1 ± 12.8 at baseline, 86.5 ± 7.1 post-intervention, and 78.3 ± 10.3 at the three-month follow-up. The control group obtained scores of 25.5 ± 5.1, 57.0 ± 4.7, and 58.5 ± 5.9, respectively. We identified significant differences at the post-intervention and follow-up timepoints (p = 0.000) and a partial η2 of 0.647. In EQ-5D-5L, the severity of issues decreased after intervention in the experimental group, while pain and anxiety dimensions increased between post-intervention and follow-up. Conclusions: The conventional rehabilitative approach combined with virtual reality appears to be more effective for improving the perceived health-related quality of life in stroke survivors.

Prevalence and characteristics of test anxiety in first year anatomy students

BackgroundTest anxiety is a common phenomenon at universities with the potential to impair academic performance and student well-being. This study was conducted to investigate prevalence, characteristics, and development of the test anxiety categories “emotionality”, “worry”, “interference”, and “lack of confidence” among first year medical students. MethodsOverall, 625 freshman medical students were enrolled. They were recruited from the participants of a first semester anatomy course. The participants were assessed four times with a validated psychological test anxiety questionnaire (Prüfungsangstfragebogen, PAF). The first assessment was conducted at the commencement of the first semester. All further assessments were performed two days prior to each of three mandatory oral anatomy tests in the course of one half year. Prevalence rates as well as mean global and subscale scores of the test anxiety dimensions “emotionality”, “worry”, “interference” and “lack of confidence” were determined and compared between assessments. ResultsApproximately 50% of the study participants showed pronounced test anxiety in at least one dimension over the observation period. Only about 10% were considered test anxiety-positive according to the global PAF scale. Worry showed the highest (up to 48%) and interference the lowest (≈5%) prevalence rates. Emotionality had a stable prevalence of approximately 17%, whereas lack of confidence showed a rising trend over the observation period from 15.2% up to 24.0%. ConclusionTest anxiety is substantially more prevalent among medical students as commonly reported and deserves more detailed, dimension-specific exploration in future. Especially worry and lack of confidence give reason for concern, demanding further investigation.

Anxiety, Depression, and Anger in Bruxism: A Cross-sectional Study among Adult Attendees of a Preventive Center

The relationship between emotional symptom and bruxism is not well-established. We aimed to investigate sleeping bruxism and psychological factors. A cross-sectional study was performed in working-age adults attended in general outpatient service. The main outcome was the sleep bruxism diagnosed by dentist. Sociodemographic, clinical and psychological characteristics were evaluated according to sleep bruxism (yes/no). Scores of self-report scales of psychological symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Dimensions of Anger Reactions) were individually subjected to factor analysis, through the extraction method of principal axis factoring. The associations between probable cases of sleep bruxism with dimensions of anxiety (somatic and cognitive), depression, and anger were estimated by linear regression models. Linear regression models (with β coefficients and 95% CI) were adjusted for sociodemographic covariates. Among 351 respondents, 37.3% presented sleep bruxism. Of them, high frequencies of symptoms of anger (68.1%), moderate-severe anxiety (23.6%), and depression (17.9%) were observed. After adjustment, somatic-anxiety (β: 0,136; CI95%: 0,028 to 0.276) was associated with sleep bruxism, but not cognitive-anxiety, depression or anger. The presence of sleeping bruxism should be routinely explored among adults, regarding its relationship with emotional symptoms.

Relationships between attention to emotion and anxiety among a community sample of adolescents.

Attentional bias to threat has been implicated as a cognitive mechanism in anxiety disorders for youth. Yet, prior studies documenting this bias have largely relied on a method with questionable reliability (i.e. dot-probe task) and small samples, few of which included adolescents. The current study sought to address such limitations by examining relations between anxiety - both clinically diagnosed and dimensionally rated - and attentional bias to threat. The study included a community sample of adolescents and employed eye-tracking methodology intended to capture possible biases across the full range of both automatic (i.e. vigilance bias) and controlled attentional processes (i.e. avoidance bias, maintenance bias). We examined both dimensional anxiety (across the full sample; n = 215) and categorical anxiety in a subset case-control analysis (n = 100) as predictors of biases. Findings indicated that participants with an anxiety disorder oriented more slowly to angry faces than matched controls. Results did not suggest a greater likelihood of initial orienting to angry faces among our participants with anxiety disorders or those with higher dimensional ratings of anxiety. Greater anxiety severity was associated with greater dwell time to neutral faces. This is the largest study to date examining eye-tracking metrics of attention to threat among healthy and anxious youth. Findings did not support the notion that anxiety is characterized by heightened vigilance or avoidance/maintenance of attention to threat. All effects detected were extremely small. Links between attention to threat and anxiety among adolescents may be subtle and highly dependent on experimental task dimensions.

Arousability as a trait predisposition to insomnia: multidimensional structure and clinical utility of the Spanish and English versions of the Arousal Predisposition Scale

ObjectivesTraits related to a hyper-reactive arousal system (arousability) and weakened sleep system (sleep reactivity) are considered predisposing factors for insomnia of potential clinical utility. However, research examining the psychometric properties (ie, reliability and validity) of the Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS) and its clinical utility (ie, cut-off scores) among population-based and clinical samples is very limited. MethodsA total of 500 adults (41.8% female, 39.1 ± 15.9 years) from the general population in Spain and 217 adults (64.5% female, 46.0 ± 16.1 years) from a clinical sample in the United States completed the APS, as well as measures of sleep reactivity, insomnia severity, anxiety, depression, and stress. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the APS. Correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to determine convergent and predictive validity of the APS and its factors. ResultsThe CFAs supported two dimensions of emotional reactivity (APS-ER, 9 items) and trait anxiety (APS-TA, 3 items) in both independent samples. APS-ER was associated with sleep reactivity and performed better than APS-TA when predicting clinically significant sleep reactivity and similarly when predicting clinically significant insomnia severity. ConclusionsOur findings support the specificity of emotional reactivity and sleep reactivity as trait predispositions to insomnia, while trait anxiety is a predisposing factor for the comorbidity of insomnia with state anxiety rather than a specific diathesis for insomnia. These data provide further support for the diathesis-stress model of insomnia and, as a transdiagnostic process, its potential etiological link with psychopathology.

Differential Item Functioning Based on Autism Features, IQ, and Age on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Among Youth on the Autism Spectrum.

Anxiety commonly occurs among youth on the autism spectrum, yet measurement of anxiety in this population is complicated by a number of factors, including potentially overlapping symptomatology, the child's intellectual functioning, and changes in anxiety across development. Moreover, few studies have examined the psychometric properties of anxiety measures in this population, and no study to date has tested whether there are systematic differences in the measurement of anxiety, or differential item functioning (DIF), across the high degree of heterogeneity and the developmental course of autism. To test this possibility, data were combined across multiple studies using the National Database for Autism Research, an NIH-funded data repository. Parent-report on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) were used as measures of anxiety and autism features, respectively. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit of the literature standard five-factor structure. Moderated nonlinear factor analysis (MNLFA) revealed multiple items with intercept and loading DIF based on level of autism features, IQ, and age, especially for items related to social behavior. Therefore, although the measure's factor structure is consistent with that found in the general population, the SCARED may not capture differences in anxiety equivalently for all children on the spectrum and across their development. Clinicians and researchers need to be especially vigilant in measuring anxiety symptoms in children with autism by removing items flagged for DIF from the SCARED and/or by using multiple measures and informants. LAY ABSTRACT: Autistic youth often experience clinical levels of anxiety. Many tools used to measure anxiety were developed for the general population, but not for use with autistic youth. This study found that the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) measures the same five dimensions of anxiety as in the general population. Parents, however, may respond differently to questions on the SCARED based on their child's autism features, intellectual functioning, and age, which impacts our ability to accurately measure anxiety among autistic youth.

The Role of Post-divorce Parental Conflict in Predicting Aggression, Anger, and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression among University Students

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate whether post-divorce parental conflict predicted physical aggression, anger and symptoms of anxiety and depression among university students. One hundred and sixty students (96 females and 64 males) who were enrolled at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, whose parents were divorced and whose ages were between 18 and 24 were included in the study. Post-Divorce Parental Conflict Scale, physical aggression and anger dimensions of Buss-Perry Aggression Scale, and anxiety and depression dimensions of Brief Symptom Inventory were used as data collection tools. In this study, path analysis was used with statistically observed variables. The findings of the current study revealed that post-divorce parental conflict predicted physical aggression, anger, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in the university students. Post-divorce parental conflict explained 7% of the variance in physical aggression, 5% of the variance in anger, 15% of the variance in anxiety symptoms, and 13% of the variance in depression symptoms. The obtained results were discussed in reference to the related literature.

Library anxiety among Omani and Saudi Arabian international students: A case study at the University of South Carolina, USA

The purpose of this paper is to investigate variables that may contribute towards increasing or decreasing the level of library anxiety among Saudi and Omani students studying at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with several international students from Saudi Arabia and Oman to determine the main factors that lead to a high level of anxiety in the library. The Library Anxiety Scale, designed by Anwar et al., was used for conducting this study; t-test and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for analyzing the data.The findings indicated that students who participated in library training courses score lower on the library anxiety scale than students who did not it. The study further revealed that the students listed the highest affective barriers and library knowledge barriers when looking at the mean score of each dimension of library anxiety. This type of exploration has never been done before and the main function of this study is to recognize the existence and impact of library anxiety among Saudi Arabian and Omani students who are studying at U.S. colleges and universities.

Predicting test anxiety using the 3x2 achievement goal model

ABSTRACT Past research has demonstrated that the reasons underlying students’ decisions to engage in academic tasks (i.e., achievement goals) are associated with the experience of test anxiety. Empirical investigations focused on the association between achievement goals and test anxiety have historically been guided by the dichotomous, trichotomous, and 2 × 2 achievement goal models. However, few investigations have explored the association between achievement goals and test anxiety using the newly developed 3 × 2 achievement goal model. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine if task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, and other-avoidance goal orientations are associated with cognitive, physical, and social dimensions of test anxiety. Participants (N = 482) completed the 3 × 2 achievement goal questionnaire, the reactions to tests instrument, and the social derogation subscale of the FRIEDBEN test anxiety scale. Results indicated that after controlling for important covariates, task-approach goals were a negative predictor of worry, test-irrelevant thinking, tension, bodily symptoms, and fear of social derogation. Interestingly, the results of the current examination highlight that the endorsement of other-avoidance goals is associated with an increased fear of social derogation. The discussion explores how efforts to promote task-approach focused goals may be an effective method of reducing test anxiety within undergraduate and graduate populations.