Antecedents of state test anxiety

A structural equation model of relationships among state test anxiety and its possible antecedents was tested in 298 college students who were enrolled in statistics courses. Variables in the model included gender, math ability, trait test anxiety (trait worry and trait emotionality as separate constructs), statistics course anxiety, statistics achievement (scores on midterm exams), and perceived test difficulty and state test anxiety (state worry and state emotionality) measured at the time the final exam was taking place. Female students reported higher trait test anxiety and statistics course anxiety than did males. Math ability had a positive relationship with statistics achievement. Students with low math ability perceived statistics courses as difficult, which in turn strongly influenced their level of statistics course anxiety. Trait worry had a significant direct effect on state worry but not on state emotionality, and the same pattern occurred with trait-state emotionality. Trait worry, but not trait emotionality, was positively related to statistics course anxiety. Students reporting high statistics course anxiety perceived the final exam as difficult; however, neither statistics achievement nor state test anxiety was influenced by statistics Course anxiety. Students' perception of statistics course difficulty had an impact on their perception of test difficulty, which in turn had significant direct effects on both state worry and emotionality. As expected, achievement on statistics midterm exams had a direct effect on state worry but not on state emotionality. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science (USA).