A study of how test anxiety moderates the predictive value of high school entrance exams on academic performance.

摘要

Previous research has established a relation between test anxiety and overall academic performance and specific test-taking situations. However, the moderating effects of test anxiety in predicting future academic performance from entrance exams has not been addressed. This study examined the role of test anxiety in moderating the predictive value of a high school entrance exam in terms of future academic performance. It was hypothesized that a participant's test anxiety scores would serve as a moderator in the relationship between the high school entrance exam and academic achievement. The roles of gender and previous school type in moderating this relationship were also examined.;Participants were 431 students who had applied for entrance and were admitted to a large Catholic high school. All students took the Catholic High School Entrance Exam (CHSEE) and the Test Anxiety Inventory, and their mid-year weighted GPAs served as the measure of academic performance. The Cognitive Scale Index (CSI) from the CHSEE served as the indicator of performance on the high school entrance exam. The total score from the Test Anxiety Inventory was used to determine low-, medium-, or high-anxiety groups.;This study found that test anxiety was related to both scores on the entrance exam and future academic performance, with females evidencing greater test anxiety and better academic performance. It was also found that, for students with higher entrance exam scores, those with prior public school experience performed better academically than those with prior private school experience. The opposite was found for students scoring lower on the entrance exam. This study found further evidence for the relationship of test anxiety to test performance and future academic performance.;Key words: test anxiety, high school entrance exams, Test Anxiety Inventory, Catholic High School Entrance Exam (CHSEE), Cognitive Scale Index (CSI), grade point average (GPA), academic performance, Catholic or public education prior to high school, gender