Cultural and Individual Factors Influencing Test Anxiety: A Concurrent Mixed Method Study of Saudi High School Students’ Perceptions of Test Anxiety in English and Math

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of test anxiety that high school male and female students experience in English and mathematics classes in Saudi high schools. The study examined test anxiety in both subjects from motivational antecedents and cultural factors that cause test anxiety among students. A mixed-methods study was designed, with quantitative data collected on structured instruments. Test anxiety was measured on the Test Anxiety Inventory (TIA) from a total of 280 high school students in grades 9 through 12 recruited from public high schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Qualitative data were collected using focus group interviews with 20 students (10 male, 10 female) selected from a sample pool of 280 students by a systematic random sampling procedure. The quantitative data were analyzed with means, t-test (independent and dependent sample), one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical linear regression. The results indicated a moderate level of test anxiety in all students, with male students experiencing higher test anxiety than female students. Moreover, higher test anxiety was observed in English than in mathematics. Motivation and cultural factors are substantial sources of test anxiety among students, and success expectancies were negatively correlated with test anxiety in mathematics and English; however, task value was positively correlated with math test anxiety. Collective social stigma was the only predictor found to be significantly predictive of English and math test anxiety. Five themes emerged from qualitative data: high-stakes tests, subject-induced anxiety, family and social bonding, incompetence and nervousness, and future aspirations and value of the exams. The study concluded that test anxiety is common among Saudi high school students, but that gender and subject differences exist, caused by several cultural and motivational factors.