Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the
relationship among test anxiety, academic achievement and age in Associate Degree Nursing students. To test the relationship among the variables, two hypotheses were posed.
Employing a descriptive research design, data were
collected through the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI)
(Spielberger, et al., 1980) and compared to the final course grades and ages of 107 first term, second year ADN students. Data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, and the ANOVA. The alpha level was set at 0.05.
The findings of this study revealed that as test
anxiety increased, academic achievement (course grade)of the ADN students significantly decreased (r = -0.31, p < .05). No significant relationship between age and test anxiety in the ADN students was found (p = 0.635).
Recommendations for further research include early
test anxiety assessment with interventions and follow-up test anxiety testing. Research that targets older students by specific ages may more clearly address age-related test anxiety influences.
