Test Anxiety and Academic

Achievement

Marta ChwalkaEDU 703.22

Table of ContentsResearch Design

Threats to Internal Validity

Threats to External Validity

Proposed Data

Proposed Data Analysis

References

Research Design Quasi- Experimental: Nonequivalent Control Group

Design

Two groups are pretested, exposed to a treatment (x), and post tested (o).

Symbolic design:

O X1 O

O X2 O

Individuals are not randomly assigned

Threats to Internal Validity History - is a threat to this action research project for the unexpected events

which are not part of the treatment. Such events can be classified as weather changes, fire drill, noise level, students’ misbehavior, and student’s perception of how they should answer the questions on the survey.

Maturation – Since the participants in my study responded to the attitude survey after taking the NYS ELA test the results could vary from the ones the researcher could obtain before the exam. The researcher takes these factors into considerations.

Testing/Pre-test Sensitization - Students will be tested twice using the same attitude surveys. The purpose is to see if the responses are significant and applicable. However, there is a possible threat to that form of retesting, in which students are desensitized to the questions.

Instrumentation - The instruments might not be effective in measuring student’s attitudes during testing situations since students are not in testing situation while answering surveys. Depending on their comfort level towards the researcher students might alter their responses.

Mortality - may be a threat to this study for some of the students participating in it may drop out or move to another school. 

Threats to External Validity

Ecological Validity - Student’s personal issues, opinions about achievement, parental pressure and cultural beliefs, may affect the academic performance.

Pretest-Treatment - A pretest might increase or decrease the participants’ sensitivity or responsiveness to the experimental variable. The participants’ reaction and responsiveness to pretest can affect their preparedness to the surveys.

Selection-Treatment Interaction - It is a definitive threat to the action research project. The participants were voluntarily assigned, not randomly selected by the researcher Therefore, that selection can limit generalization of the study.

 Treatment Diffusion- There is a strong possibility that the participants might discuss their own attitudes towards testing and their responses to surveys among their peers. Therefore, this project will consider it as a potential threat.

Experimenter Effects - The researcher can become a threat to his/ her own study without even acknowledging it. Personal practices, tone of voice, body language etc,.

Reactive Arrangements/Participants Effects - It applies to this specific study because the participants can behave differently if they realize they are involved in the study.  

Proposed Data: Pre-test & Post-test.Students test anxiety levels before and after

testing.

Series1

0

1

2

3

4

5

Pre-test

Post-test

Parental Involvement

Teacher's support

# of Participants

Level of

An

xie

ty

Correlation between students’ level of anxiety and parental involvement

0 2 4 60

1

2

3

4

Post test

Level of Anxiety

Pare

nta

l in

volv

em

en

t

0 2 4 60

1

2

3

4

5

Level of anxiety

Teach

er'

s S

up

port

Correlation between students’ level of anxiety and teacher’s support

References: O’Oconnor – Petruso, S.,(2008)

Stat.scales.analyses.threats.design.ppt.