Int. j. econ. manag. soc. sci., Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014. pp.

431-433

TI Journals

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences

www.tijournals.com

ISSN:
2306-7276

Copyright 2014. All rights reserved for TI Journals.

Studying the Relation of Exams Anxiety Level in Normal School

Children and Children of Disabled Veterans in Secondary Schools of
Khorramabad
Tahereh Oladghobad*
M. S. in Educational Psychology, Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
*Corresponding author: Journalsub.dept@gmail.com

Keywords
Anxiety
Students
Disabled veterans

Abstract
The purpose of present study is evaluating the relation of exams anxiety level and educational progress
in normal school children and children of disabled veterans. Method of research is Ex post facto
research The statistical population is all of normal female school children and children of disabled
veterans in secondary schools of Khorramabad in year 2009-2010. The number of students is 1747 and
the veteran`s children are 210 students which 150 students (75 normal students and 75 veteran`s
children) have been chosen by using a multistage sampling method. The results indicated that there is a
significant relationship between these two variables. Also among predictor variables, only reaction to
stress is a predictor of educational success in students.

1. Introduction
Adolescents are the future investments of a country, knowing their needs and desires, identifying their psychological and mental problems
are so important. Mental health is the important and essential concepts which many factors can affect it. Performance and educational
success are the issues that have the most importance in educational environment especially in secondary schools, because the requirement
for entering university is passing the courses of secondary school in excellent high level. Humans are potentially seeking perfection,
encouraging and escaping punishment so children and adolescents are always wanting to be encouraged and their behaviors be confirmed
by others[2].
Therefore, the exam process in any way is not very pleasant and at any time that people are placed in these kinds of situations of
examination and tests, he or she will encounter anxiety. Although it is not unusual but the intensity of it can cause harmful biological and
psychological effects. Therefore, this research is important and noteworthy by evaluating the effects of exam anxiety on educational
success in adolescents.
Conflicting findings is achieved on the relationship between anxiety and educational success. Although most of the results achieved of the
studies report a negative correlation between anxiety and educational success, there have been studies that show that anxious students make
the best of it. For example, on one side, two researchers after evaluating 30 correlations between anxiety and educational success
understood that all except two of them were negative. They also found that math performance is prone to anxiety intervention more than
anything else. On the other side Lin (2003) reported that anxiety was in positive and meaningful relation with success in reading But this
wasn`t alike in math.
Hansen and Demel (2006) reported a study in which the correlation coefficient was calculated between anxiety and standardized test scores
of educational success. The results showed that if the level of anxiety increases, performance will be damaged beyond that point[1].
Albert and Haber (2007) argue that the first explanation raises two distinct anxiety types. Walsh and others (2008) used anxiety test and
educational success of Alpert and Haber to study the relationship between anxiety and performance in class exams[3].
In this regard general purpose follows that exam anxiety can increase educational success or, conversely, reduces the level of educational
success, so the author tries to answer the following questions:
Does the exam anxiety have a relation with educational success of students?
How much is the proportion of exam anxiety in predicting educational success of student?

2. Research method
Method of research is Ex post facto research. The statistical population is all of normal female school children and children of disabled
veterans in secondary schools of Khorramabad in year 2009-2010. The number of students is 1747 and the veteran`s children are 210
students which 150 students (75 normal students and 75 veteran`s children) have been chosen by using a multistage sampling method. The
tool of gathering information is questionnaires; Philips questionnaire is used to evaluate exam anxiety among students. In order to calculate
the internal homogeneity of Philips anxiety test questions, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated separately for each of the
subscales and total score of anxiety (0.91).

3. Findings
3.1 Descriptive Data
Descriptive indicators related to anxiety scores and its subscales were calculated in two groups of children, veterans and normal students
and the results are presented in Table 1.

Tahereh Oladghobad *

432

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014.

Table 1. Descriptive indicators of anxiety scores in the two groups of children, veterans and normal students
subscale Anxiety
group
amount
average
standard deviation
minimum
maximum
martyr
75
30.2000
4.03699
21.00
38.00
Fear of assertiveness
normal
75
31.7067
3.28705
24.00
38.00
martyr
75
15.4667
3.23132
11.00
22.00
Exam anxiety
normal
75
16.3733
3.24984
11.00
22.00
martyr
75
21.4400
3.19307
15.00
28.00
Uncertainty
normal
75
23.0933
3.18855
16.00
28.00
martyr
75
22.5867
3.41338
14.00
29.00
The reaction to stress
normal
75
23.8533
3.13090
16.00
32.00
martyr
75
91.0267
12.39875
63.00
115.00
Total Test Anxiety
normal
75
96.3867
10.70980
70.00
117.00
The results of table 1 shows that the average of total test Anxiety, subscales of fear of assertiveness, exam anxiety, uncertainty, and the
reaction to stress of exam in martyr`s children students are lower than normal students. The difference between anxiety averages is shown
in table 1in two groups of normal and disabled veteran`s children students
Descriptive indicators regarding scores of educational progress (midyear average) is calculated in two groups of normal and disabled
veteran`s children students and the results is shown in table 2.
Table 2. Descriptive indicators of scores of educational progress in normal and disabled veteran`s children students
group
amount
average
standard deviation
minimum
maximum
martyr
75
17.8744
1.50549
14.30
20.00
Educational progress
normal
75
18.0507
1.34700
14.00
20.00
3.2 Data analysis
Hypothesis 1: anxiety has relation with educational success of normal school children and children of disabled veterans
Table 3. results of the correlation coefficient for the relationship between anxiety and academic success
Variables
Martyr`s children student
Normal student
Z
Significant level
Fear of assertiveness- educational success
-0.** 466
-0.188
-1.185
Exam anxiety- educational success
-0.** 361
-0.** 252
-0.688
Uncertainty- educational success
-0.** 513
-0.056
-3.02
0.05
Reaction to stress- educational success
-0.** 453
-0.** 339
-0.805
Total anxiety- educational success
-0.** 510
-0.** 258
-1.76
**=P<0/01, *=P<0/05

The result of table 3 shows that correlation coefficients which were calculated are significant lower levels of 0.01 between anxiety and all
the subscales of it with educational progress. So it can be concluded that there is a significant negative relationship between anxiety and
educational success. Considering that the relationship is negative, thus with increasing anxiety and its subscales, success decreases and vice
versa.
Hypothesis 2: How much is the proportion of anxiety in predicting educational success of student?
The stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to predict the educational success of students based on factors of anxiety. Results
summary of multiple regression analysis are presented using stepwise method in Table 4.
Table 4: Summary of significant regression models to predict educational success
Model
Step one
(reaction to
stress)

Source of
changes

Sum of
squares

Degree of
freedom

regression

49.908

remaining

253.245

148

total

303.153

149

R2

Significant
level

0.406

0.159

29.16

0.001

Considering that R2 is the percent of anxiety factors common variance in predicting educational success and regarding the results of table 4
in reaction regression of step one, approximately 16% of the variance alone does predict educational success and given the calculated F is
meaningful at less than 0.01, Therefore, the linear regression model is significant and consequently element of the stress reaction is a
significant linear predictor in educational success. Due to the significant relation between the predictor variable (stress reaction) and the
criterion variable (educational success) the significant results of model are presented in table format of Regression coefficients in table 5

Model
Step one

Table 5. summary of regression coefficient for prediction of educational success

Variable
b
Standard error
Beta
statistics t

Significant level

Constant

13.921

0.756

18.418

0.001

Reaction to stress

-0.174

0.032

0.406

5.401

0.001

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Studying the Relation of Exams Anxiety Level in Normal School Children and Children of Disabled Veterans in Secondary Schools of Khorramabad
International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014.

The results of table 5 shows that among the predictor variables only stress reaction is able to predict the educational success of students.
The t significant test is significant for regression coefficients of stress reaction in less than 0.01. Negative regression coefficient indicates
a negative relationship between educational success and stress reaction. Due to the non-standardized regression coefficients, Regression
equation to predict educational success is:
(Stress reaction) 174/0- 92/13 = educational success
4. Conclusion
One of the times that anxiety appears to human is during exam time among students. This matter makes them frustrated from lessons and
thus causes a failure in education. Anxiety unlike its nature is not always the cause of failure, sometimes in some cases it has reverse results
and provides success. There has been conflicting results achieved from the relation between anxiety and educational success. Although
most of the results of the studies report a negative relation between anxiety and educational success, there have been studies that show that
anxious students cope better.
The results of present study showed that in students of disabled veteran`s children calculated correlation coefficient between anxiety and
total subscales of it with educational success is significant in less than 0.01 level. The highest level of correlation is subscale of uncertainty
and the lowest correlation is the subscale of exam anxiety. Also in normal students the calculated correlation coefficients were significant at
the 0.05 level between the subscale of exam anxiety and stress reaction and total anxiety with educational progress. The highest amount of
correlation is related to the stress reaction subscale and the lowest amount of correlation is related to the exam anxiety subscale. Thus, it
could be concluded that there is a negative significant relation between anxiety and educational progress. Regarding the negative relation,
so with the increase of anxiety and its subscales, the educational progress reduces and vice versa.
The correlations between anxiety and educational progress in students of veteran`s children is more than normal students. The results are in
agreement of the results of Edwards (2007), Larson (2006), Harrison (2004) research. Educational progress is related to the situation of
family and the prisoner of war fathers and this relation is more on their children. Ultimately, the results of hypothesis test has shown that
anxiety in normal students is higher than students of veteran`s children and the veteran`s children students are scored lower in fear of
assertiveness, uncertainty and reaction to stress subscales than normal students. Therefore more efforts should be done to boost their selfconfidence and these negative relations can be caused by the family situation and problems of their fathers.

References
[1]. Biabangard, E, (2001), Methods of self-esteem in children and adolescents, Tehran, Association of teachers and parents publications
[2]. Naderi, A., (2008), "The Influence of exam anxiety on educational success of secondary school male normal students and martyr`s children students,"
MA thesis, Tehran University.
[3]. Rasel & Radolf,(2004) Comprehensive text book of psychiatry. 7th Ed, New York; Lippincott Williams &wilkins