STRESS MANAGEMENT IN TAKING TESTS: THE ROLE OF EFL LEARNERS' STRESS COPING STRATEGIES IN THEIR TEST ANXIETY AND TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.934Keywords:
stress coping strategies, test-taking strategies, test anxiety, task, avoidance, emotionAbstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of some strategies (stress coping and test-taking strategies) in diminishing Iranian EFL learners’ test anxiety. The sample consisted of 152 adult participants, 48 males and 104 females aged 20 to 35 with Persian as their first language. The instruments used in this study consisted of three questionnaires, the coping inventory for stressful situations (CISS), test anxiety questionnaire, and test taking strategy questionnaire. The results of path analysis demonstrated that among the coping strategies, task (β= .35, t= 5.00) and avoidance (β= .32, t= 4.32) are positive predictors of test-taking strategies and emotion negatively predicted test-taking strategies (β= -.21, t= -3.26). Test anxiety is influenced by task (β= -.17, t= -2.18) and avoidance (β=- .33, t= -4.25) negatively and positively by emotion (β= .23, t= 3.43). It was also found that test-taking strategies and test anxiety are negatively associated (β= -.25, t= -3.17). In addition, results of independent sample t-test showed that there is a significant difference between male and female students with respect to stress coping strategies, test taking strategies, and test anxiety. Finally, the findings were discussed with reference to the context of Iran.
Article visualizations:
References
Akbari, F. (2015). Investigating the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance among psychology students of Islamic Azad University of Sari city in Iran. Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences, 5(11), 533-536,
Aldwin, C., & Greenberger, E. (1987). Cultural Differences in the Predictors of Depression. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15(6), 789-813.
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorensen, C. &.Walker, D. A. (2014). Introduction to research in education. Wadsworth, CA: Cengage Learning.
Atrian, A., Ghanizadeh, A., & Rostami, S. (2016). The concordance between EFL learners' stress coping strategies, willingness to communicate, and metacognitive self-regulation. International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology, 5(4), 3-13.
Bachman, L. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Barati, H., & Kashkoul, Z. (2012). Test-taking strategies and task-based assessment: the case of Iranian EFL learners. Iranian Journal of Research In English Language Teaching, 1 (2), 66-77.
Bélanger, C., Sabourind, S., & El-Baalbakiab, G. (2012). Behavioral correlates of coping strategies in close relationships. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 8(3), 449–460.
Bonaccio, S., & Reeve, C. L. (2010). The nature and relative importance of students' perceptions of the sources of test anxiety. Learning and Individual Differences, 20, 617-625.
Chappell, M., Blanding, B., Silverstein, M., Takahashi, M., Newman, B., Gubi, A., & McCann, N. (2005). Test anxiety and academic performance in undergraduate and graduate students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 267-274.
Christmann, E. P., & Badgett, J. L. (2008). Interpreting assessment data: Statistical techniques you can use. Arlington, Virginia: NSTA Press.
Eman, S., Dogar, I., Khalid, M., & Haider, N. (2012). Gender Differences in Test Anxiety and Examination Stress. Journal of Pakistan Psychiatric Society, 9(2), 85-90.
Emmioglu, E., & Capa Aydin, Y. (2008). High school students’ emotions and emotion regulation during test taking. European Educational Research Association, retrieved from http://www.eera-ecer.de/ecer-programmes/conference/1/contribution/655.
Endler, N. S., & Parker, J. D. A. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: a critical evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 844–854.
Endler, N. S., & Parker, J. D. A. (1999). Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS): Manual (Second ed.). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.
Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. New York: Viking Books.
Fram, E , H., & Bollivian ,G. (2001). Employees as party-time students: Is stress threatening their business education? .Advanced Management Journal ,66 (3) ,30-35.
Ferdowsi, N., & Ghanizadeh, A. (2017). An exploration of EFL teachers’ job satisfaction in the light of stress coping strategies and emotional intelligence. International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology, 6 (2), 43-56.
Freud, A (1936). The ego and mechanisms of defense (Revised edition). New York, NY: International Universities Press.
Ghanizadeh, A., & Jahedizadeh, S. (2015a). Teacher burnout: A review of sources and ramifications. British Journal of Education, Society, and Behavioural Sciences, 6, 24–39. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/BJESBS/2015/15162
Ghanizadeh, A., & Jahedizadeh, S. (2015b). An exploration of EFL learners' perceptions of classroom activities and their achievement goal orientations. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 4(3), 33-45.
Hashemi, M. (2011). Language stress and anxiety among the English language learners. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 1811-1816.
Huberty, T. J., & Dick, A. C. (2006). Performance and test anxiety. In G. Bear & K. Minke (Eds.), Children's Needs III: Development, Prevention, and Intervention (pp. 281-291). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Jannati, D., & Estaji, M. (2015). A qualitative study on Iranian test-takers’ anxiety in FCE speaking test: investigating the perceptions, causes, and strategies applied. Iranian Journal of Language Testing. 5(2), 121-150.
Javanbakht, N., & Hadianb, M. (2014). The effects of test anxiety on learners’ reading test performance. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 775-783.
Katalin, B. (2000). Reflections on the test-taking strategies of 7th and 11th grade Hungarian students of English. ELT Journal, 75, 460-473.
Kher-Durlabhji, N., & Lacina-Gifford, L. J. (1992). Quest for test success: Pre-service teachers’ views of “high stakes” tests. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, November 11-13, Knoxville, TN.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Madhyastha, S., Latha, K.S., & Kamath, A. (2014). Stress, coping and gender differences in third year medical students. Journal of Health Management, 1-25.
Mandler, G., & Sarason, S. B. (1952). A study of anxiety and learning. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47, 166-173.
Matthews, G., Zeidner, M., & Roberts, R. (2006). Models of personality and affect for education: A review and synthesis. In Alexander, P.A. & Winne, P.H. (Eds.) Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed; pp. 163-186). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Mattlin, J.A, (1990). Situational determinants of coping effectiveness. Journal of Health and Social Behavior,23-39.
Misra, R., & McKean, M, S. (2000). College students’ academic stress and its relation to their anxiety, time management and leisure Satisfaction: American Journal of Health Studies 45-60.
Monteiro, N. M, Balogun, Sh. K, & Oratile K. N. (2014). Managing stress: the influence of gender, age and emotion regulation on coping among university students in Botswana. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. 19(2), 153–173.
Moradia, A., Pishvab, N., Bahrami Ehsana, H., Hadadia, P., pouladia, F. (2011). The relationship between coping strategies and emotional intelligence. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 748 – 751
Nayak, J. (2008). Factors Influencing Stress and Coping Strategies among the Degree College Teachers of Dharwad City, Karnataka, Thesis submitted to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.
Nist, P. & Diehl, M. (1990). PHCC test anxiety questionnaire. Retrieved from http://phcc.edu/questionnaire.html.
Nourdad, N. (2014). Gender and major differences in test-taking strategies and EFL. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities, 2(4): 361-373.
Phakiti, A. (2003). A closer look at the relationship of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use to EFL reading achievement test performance. Language Testing, 20(1), 26-56.
Ptacek, J. T., Smith, R. E., & Dodge, K. L. (1994). Gender Differences in Coping with Stress: When Stressor and Appraisals Do Not Differ. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 421-430.
Redwan,A.N, Sami A,R.,Karim, A .J, Chan ,R. & Zaleha ,M.I. (2009).“ Stress and coping strategies among Management and Science University students: A qualitative study.” The journal of Education, 23 (2), 23-39.
Rezaee, A. (2006). University students‟ test-taking strategies and their language proficiency. Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran, 1(1), 151-182.
Rezazadeh, M., & Tavakoli, M. (2009). Investigating the relationship among test anxiety, gender, academic achievement and years of study: A case of Iranian EFL university students. English Language Teaching, 2(4), 68-74.
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813-819.
Sajadi, S. N., Khan Mohamadi, S., Eskandari, S.H., Heidari, A., & Darbani, H. (2011). The relationship between coping strategies goal setting and competitive anxiety with athletic performance of the students in single and group teams. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 384–385
Schreiber, J. B., Nora, A., Stage, F. K., Barlow, E. A. and King, J. (2006). Reporting Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results: A Review, The Journal of Educational Research, 99(6), 323-337.
Shomoossi, N., & Kassaian, Z. (2009). Variation of test anxiety over listening and speaking test performance. Iranian Journal of Language Studies, 3(1), 65-78.
Sideeg, A. (2015). Test anxiety, self-esteem, gender difference, and academic achievement: the case of the students of medical sciences at Sudanese universities: a mixed methods approach. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 9(11), 39-59.
Skehan, P. (1991). Progress in language testing: The 1990s. In C. Alderson & B. Noth (Eds.), Language testing in the 1990s (pp. 285-300). London: Macmillan Publishers Limited.
Subramanyam, K. & Srinivasa Rao, R. (2016). Impact of emotional intelligence, nature of course and gender on problem focused coping style among college students. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 6(6), 369-372.
Yousofi, N., Nouroddin; F., & Pursiah, M. (2015). Test-Taking strategies and Iranian EFL Learners’ vocabulary and structure test performance. Global Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 5(2), 129-142.
Yosuff, M. S., Abdul Rahim, A. F., & Yaacob, M. J. (2010). Prevalence and sources of stress among university Saints Malaysia medical students. Malaysian Medical Science, 17(1): 30–37.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
