Dimensions of test anxiety: Relations to ways of coping with pre-exam anxiety and uncertainty.

摘要

Cumulative evidence has shown that four dimensions can be differentiated in the experience of test anxiety:udworry, emotionality, interference, and lack of confidence. To investigate whether these dimensions showudspecific relationships with ways of coping, a study with 162 students (75 male, 87 female) examined howudstudents cope with anxiety and uncertainty in the run-up to important exams. Coping strategies included task orientation and preparation, seeking social support, and avoidance. Results showed that overall test anxietyudwas related to seeking social support. When dimensions of test anxiety were inspected individually whileudcontrolling for interdimensional overlap, however, results showed a specific pattern of relationships: (a) worryudwas related to task-orientation and preparation and inversely related to cognitive avoidance, (b) emotionalityudwas related to task-orientation and preparation and seeking social support, and (c) interference was related toudavoidance and inversely related to task-orientation and preparation, whereas (d) lack of confidence wasudrelated to avoidance only. Although some gender differences emerged, the findings indicate that the mainudcomponents of test anxiety display different relationships with coping. Moreover, they confirm that it isudimportant to differentiate between worry and interference because these dimensions, albeit closely related,udmay show opposite relationships with ways of coping.