The role of test anxiety

The role of test anxiety
@uinmine - adobe.stock.com
Nov 09, 2022
The British magazine Economist reports on a DIPF study.

It is well documented that people with test anxiety achieve lower educational success than those without this anxiety. DIPF researchers have now examined the role of test anxiety in more detail in a study of more than 300 medical students. The not necessarily expected result: The fear has no influence on the recall of the existing knowledge in the actual examination situation, which succeeds affected persons just as well.

However, test anxiety has a negative influence on how well people can acquire knowledge in the run-up to exams. It therefore hinders the learning process and has a negative effect on the level of knowledge with which people enter exams. The British news magazine takes a closer look at these findings and also highlights the implications for learners affected by test anxiety.

The full article can be read online, but it is behind a paywall. The international science news platform EurekAlert has also published a news story on the study. Other news platforms around the world, in France, Greece and South Korea, are also reporting. However, the study is presented by DIPF researchers Dr. Maria Theobald, Dr. Jasmin Breitwieser and Prof. Dr. Garvin Brod in a freely available article in Psychological Science.