An Investigation into Exam Anxiety Among Upper Secondary Education Students: Effects and Associated Factors in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan

Abstract

Exam anxiety is one of the most prevalent psychological issues that has a detrimental and inhibitive role in the mental health and educational performance of students, particularly those in secondary education. This problem can disrupt a student's performance and lead to failure and unsatisfactory outcomes in examinations. The inability to cope with situations such as exam conditions is one of the destructive effects of exam anxiety. This article presents a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study involving 300 upper secondary education students (150 boys and 150 girls) randomly selected from Shahin Shahr, Isfahan. The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) questionnaire was administered to all students. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. The results indicated that 79 students experienced high exam anxiety, 158 had moderate exam anxiety, and 63 exhibited low anxiety levels. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was found in scores related to exam anxiety based on students' gender and parental education level (with a significance level of P at 5%). The Pearson correlation revealed an inverse and significant relationship between exam anxiety and students' GPA (with an r-value of -0.326). This article underscores the necessity of utilizing psychological and counseling services, given the high levels of exam anxiety among students and considering the negative impact of anxiety on academic performance.