Gender difference of test anxiety in secondary school students

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the gender difference on test anxiety and its causes in secondary school students. Methods: 941 school students were selected fr om two schools (one middle school, one high school)at certain region of Harbin City from December 20th to 24th 2003 by randomized demixing in a whole.The Sarason Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) (less than 12 points indicated that test anxiety was at a lower lever;between 12 and 20 points as moderate; over 20 points as higher level), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (there was 1-4 grades in every item. 1: almost never, 2: sometimes, 3: often, 4: almost always),EMBU (including 6 factors on father educational manner and 5 factors on mother educational manner), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) (totally 88 subjects, 4 sections including neuroticism, extraversion/introversion, psychoticism and lie) and self-designed scales (including 5 aspects:self-negative cognition, pressure from school and society, the pressure from parents, the attitude of test, the self-anticipation, 6 to 9 questions in every table and reply with yes or no) were used to investigate the students. Results: (1) Test anxiety con dition in secondary school students in different gender. The anxiety level in girls was larger than that in the boys (17.65±7.03, 16.69±6.81, P=0.039). The ratio in girls of lower, middle and higher was heavier than that of boys, and the incidence of high test anxiety of girls was 36.1%. (2) Comparison of effective factors in secondary school students on test anxiety in different genders: The neuroticism, severe punishment, over-interference, refusing to deny, over-protection in fathers' upbringing way, over-interference, over-protection, refusing to deny, severe punishment, incorrect attitude on test in the boys felt more pressure from parents than that in the girls (6.378±3.290,5.404±3.086; 14.888±5.385, 12.945±4.825; 20.469±5.137,18.851±5.197; 10.103 ±3.571,8.785 ±3.321; 10,788±3.124,10.055±3.129; 37.092±8.034, 34.137±8.880; 14.098±4,846,12.531±4.570; 14.178±5.199, 12.404±4.447;2.115±1.606, 1.887±1.613; 4.730±2.045, 4.437±2.017); While the self-negative cognition and the pressure from school and society due to test in the girls were higher than those in the boys (3.502±2.123,3.118±2.026;4.532±2.062, 4.153±2.080). (3) Estimation and check result of test anxiety and regression coefficient of effective factors: The stepwise regression was conducted in different gender. The self-negative cognition,state-trait anxiety, pressure from school and society and neuroticism were the cooperating influence factors, and the pressure from parents was more significant on test anxiety in the boys. Conclusion: The test anxiety has gender difference of which reason may be because of the cognition of the pressure from school and society and the self-negative cognition induced by test pressure.