Abstract:
Students of all levels of academic achievement and intellectual abilities can be
affected by test anxiety. Motivation and self-regulation of cognition and behavior are
necessary components to promote student achievement. According to research,
females experience more test anxiety, beginning in elementary school, than what is
reported by their male counterparts. Traditional and standardized testing does not
necessarily measure what it purports to measure. Empirical research has found that
test anxiety is associated with lower academic performance. It has been suggested that
traditional classroom instruction, which does not encourage personal student
investigation and discovery of concepts and ideas, actually retards the movement of
students through the cognitive stages identified by Piaget.