An Examination of the Relationship between Test Anxiety and Decision Making Styles of Elementary School 8th Grades Students*

İlköğretim 8. Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Sınav Kaygıları ve Karar Verme Stilleri Arasındaki İlişkilerin İncelenmesi

Abstract

The pupose of this study is to examine the test anxiety of 8 th grade students and career decision making styles with respect to gender. In addition, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the decision making styles that students use for coping with decision making predict test anxiety. The study group consists of 425 students (230 girl, 195 boy) who are receiving education at the 5 state and 2 private schools which are in Cankaya, Kecioren and Sincan in Ankara. The range of ages are between 13 and 15. The datas are collected with The Test Anxiety Inventory (Öner, 1989) and The Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire (Çolakkadıoğlu, 2003) were used to collect data. The results of this study indicated that the levels of 8th grade girl students' test anxiety were significantly higher than the level of 8th grade boys' test anxiety. When coping with the decision making in terms of unacceptable styles, there were significant differences between the girls and the boys. However, it was found there was not a significant difference in terms of acceptable coping styles. In addition, the results of this study indicated that the coping with the decision making styles used by 8th grade the elementary school students was significant predictors of both the test anxiety and the worry and emotionality components of the test anxiety. The findings of the study were discussed in related literature and suggestions were made for future research. Summary According to Siebere (1980, p.17), test anxiety is a special case of general anxiety. Spielberger (1966) approached the test anxiety with the State-Trait Model. According to Spielberger, test anxiety is an unpleasant and stress creating Emotional condition experienced during a formal test or assessment situation. Worry and Emotionality are component of test anxiety. The Worry is the cognitive component of test anxiety. Worry is refers to focusing of attention on concerns about performance, consequences of failure, negative self-evaluation, evaluation of one's ability relative to others, and the like. Emotionality is the sensorial dimension which constitutes the physiogical component that stimulates the autonomus nervous system. Emotionality refers to the affective-physiological experience generated from increased autonomic arousal. The results of studies examining the effects of test anxiety on academic performance have indicated that in general, students with high levels of test anxiety perceive tests as difficult situations and have difficulty concentrating on the tests. It has been found that because they indicate low performance on the test they are unsuccessful. In addition, it has been found in these studies that students with high levels of test anxiety, do not use their cognitive compentences adequately because of their inadequate preperation, and experience intense Worry (Birenbaum and Nasser, 1994; Cassady, 2004; Cooley & Spielberger, 1980; Hong, 1999; Sullivan, 2002). The results of studies which examine the relationship between efficient study strategies and the test anxiety indicated that in general the students with high level of the efficient study strategies have low or vice versa levels of test anxiety (Gazelle, Maste & James, 1998; Kirkland & Hollandsworth, 1980; Rasor & Rasor, 1998). The general evaluation of results of studies which examine the relationship between test anxiety and performance indicated that in relation to students with low levels of test anxiety, those with high levels of test anxiety demonstrate lower performance on tests (Benjamin, 1991; Cassady, 2004; Cassady & Johnson, 2002; Culler & Holahan, 1980; Horn & Dollinger, 1989). A number of authors found that the test anxiety scores of girls were higher than that of the boys. Besides, Worry scores of the boys were higher than that the girls's and Emotionality scores of the girls were higher than the boys's (Brown, 2002; Cassady and Johnson, 2002; Di Maria & Di Nuovo, 1990; Woodburg, 2002). School counselors are aware of the importance of decision-making skills for the process of educational and career planning. Researchers have investigated the concept that people have different decision-making styles others have examined the relationship between both trait and state anxiety and different decision-making styles. The results of these researches indicated that state and trait anxiety were positively related to the decision making styles (Fuqua, Newman & Seaworth, 1998; Heppner, Ham, Dugan, 1988). It was thought that the test anxiety with the Worry and the Emotionality components were probably related to an individual's decision making styles while coping with decision-making. In the literature of decision making several studies have been made especially concerning how adolescents make decision and determining which styles were used when making decisions (Friedman & Mann, 1993; Loo, 2000; Mann, Hormony & Power, 1989; Mann & et al., 1998; Mincemoyer & Perkins, 2003; Ormond, Luszcz, Mann & Beswick, 1991; Radford, Mann, Ohta, & Nakane, 1993; Scout & Bruce, 1995). In the conflict theory developed by Janis and Mann (1977), four decision making syles were determined. These styles were defined as complacency, cop-out and panic as unacceptable styles and vigilance as an acceptable style (Friedmann and Mann, 1999; Janis and Mann, 1977; Mann, Beswick, Allouache and Ivey, 1989; Mitchell and Krumboltz, 1984). The Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire (ADMQ) developed by Mann, Harmoni and Power (1989) added another component called self-esteem to the four styles of decision making. Schvaneveldt and Adams (1983) found that there was a difference in the decision making styles of adolescents according to time pressure, parental attitudes, events, socio-economic status and age. There were two purposes to this study; the first was to examine test anxiety and decision making styles in elementary school eighth grade stude

Özet

Bu araştırmanın amacı ilköğretim 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin sınav kaygıları ve karar verme stillerini cinsiyete göre incelemektir. Bunun yanı sıra, bu öğrencilerin karar vermeyle başa çıkmada kullandıkları karar verme stillerinin sınav kaygılarını yordayıp yordamadığını incelemektir. Çalışma grubu, Ankara İli Çankaya, Keçiören ve Sincan ilçelerindeki Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'na bağlı 5 resmi ve 2 özel ilköğretim okulunda öğrenim gören 425 (230 kız 195 erkek) öğrenciden oluşmaktadır. Öğrencilerin yaş ranjı 13-15 arasında değişmektedir. Araştırmada veriler Ergen Karar Verme Ölçeği: EKVÖ (Çolakkadıoğlu, 2003), Sınav Kaygısı Ölçeği: SKÖ (Öner, 1989) ve Kişisel Bilgi Formu kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Araştırmanın sonuçları 8. sınıftaki kız öğrencilerin sınav kaygılarının erkeklerinkinden anlamlı olarak daha yüksek olduğunu göstermiştir. Karar verme ile başa çıkmada kullanılan uyumsuz stiller açısından kızlar ve erkeklerin anlamlı olarak farklılaştıkları, ancak uyumlu stiller açısından farklılaşmadıkları bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, bu araştırmanın sonuçları ilköğretim 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin karar verme ile başa çıkmada kullandıkları stillerin sınav kaygıları ile sınav kaygısının Kuruntu ve Duyuşsallık öğelerinin önemli yordayıcıları olduğunu göstermiştir. Bulgular ilgili literatüre dayanılarak tartışılmış, gelecek araştırmalara yönelik öneriler sunulmuştur.