The relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement in students of guidance schools in Zahedan in 2006

Background: Children and adolescents have a great experience of anxiety. Sometimes these
anxieties have such an intensity that may affect their daily life and education negatively. One of
these anxieties is test anxiety. Most of researches have reported a strong relationship between test
anxiety and academic achievement, whereas earlier investigators found a smaller relationship
between these variables. In this study the prevalence of test anxiety and its relationship with
educational achievement was investigated.
Method and materials: This investigation is a descriptive – analytic study and was done on
guidance school students in Zahedan. From Nine schools (5 girl’s and 4 boy’s) 935 students were
selected randomly. Data gathering tools were Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and
demographic features questionnaire and students, average score was also accounted. For analysis
of Data, correlation coefficient, T- test and X2 test were used.
Results: Total population was 935(540 girls and 395 boys) students, of whom. 400 students
(42.78%) had test anxiety. The results of this study showed that, test anxiety occurs in girls more
than boys and this difference was significant (P < 0.01, X2 = 18). Also the average of test anxiety
score among girls was higher. A reverse ratio was observed between test anxiety and academic
achievement (P = 0.003, r = -0.13).
Conclusion: The last matter is that educational achievements and test anxiety level have a
reverse ratio. It means that as test anxiety level increases, educational achievement decreases and
vice-versa.