Test Anxiety and Selected Personal Factors as Determinants of Academic Performance of Undergraduate Online Learners

Abstract

Test anxiety is a prevalent problem that can handicap a student's ability to perform well academically. This problem has been said to affect nearly 35% of the college student population in the United States. In the Philippines, there is a dearth of literature on test anxiety and its effect of academic performance particularly among distance learners. This study was an attempt to thicken the discourse on the said issue. This paper analysed the relationship of selected personal factors and test anxiety with academic performance of online learners under the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, a degree program offered by the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies of the University of the Philippines Open University. The selected personal factors of online learners considered in the study include gender, age and classification. Respondents were randomly selected students of the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies program enrolled during the Academic Year 2013-2014. Self-administered survey questionnaire was used in the data collection which included the Westside Test Anxiety Scale to measure the level of students' test anxiety. Data on selected personal factors of students such as gender, age and classification as well as their General Weighted Average were collected from the Faculty database. Appropriate statistical tools were employed to address the research objectives. Results of the study served as the basis in identifying learner support programs and strategies to help undergraduate online learners succeed and complete their degree program and eventually be successful lifelong learners.