cover image: THE EFFECTS OF ITEM ORDER AND ANXIETY ON TEST PERFORMANCE AND STRESS.

THE EFFECTS OF ITEM ORDER AND ANXIETY ON TEST PERFORMANCE AND STRESS.

THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF ITEM ORDER ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A MATHEMATICS TEST, ON THE AMOUNT OF STRESS GENERATED DURING A TEST, AND ON THE PERFORMANCE OF HIGH AND LOW TEST ANXIOUS SUBJECTS. SOME 106 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPLETED THE ACHIEVEMENT ANXIETY TEST. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF TWO TREATMENT GROUPS TWO WEEKS LATER. SUBJECTS IN ONE GROUP WERE ADMINISTERED A STANDARDIZED MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT TEST WITH THE ITEMS ORDERED FROM EASY TO DIFFICULT. SUBJECTS IN THE SECOND GROUP TOOK THE SAME WITH THE ORDER OF ITEMS REVERSED. A PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICANT OF STRESS, HEART-RATE, WAS MEASURED THREE TIMES DURING THE TEST USING A PULSEMETER. RESULTS CONFIRMED THE FINDING OF OTHER RESEARCHERS THAT THE MEAN NUMBER OF CORRECT ANSWERS FOR TEST QUESTIONS ARRANGED IN THE DIFFICULT-TO-EASY ORDER WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE MEAN NUMBER OF TEST QUESTIONS ARRANGED IN THE REVERSE ORDER. THIS STUDY GENERALIZES THE RESULT TO THE CONTENT DOMAIN OF MATHEMATICS. THIS STUDY PROVIDES TENTATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ITEM ORDER HAS AN EFFECT ON THE STRESS GENERATED DURING A TEST. THIS POINT DESERVES TO BE RESEARCHED ADDITIONALLY TO ACHIEVE MORE CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAN WAS OBTAINED IN THIS STUDY. LASTLY, THE DATA REVEALED NO INTERACTION BETWEEN ITEM ORDER AND LEVEL OF TEST ANXIETY. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 8-10, 1968). (AUTHOR)

Authors

HAMBLETON, RONALD K.

Authorizing Institution
Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto.
Peer Reviewed
F
Published in
United States of America

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