Test anxiety was highest in social studies and lowest in English, with the pattern differing by gender¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 1998 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2003: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Test anxiety showed main effects of subject area and gender plus a gender by subject area interaction. → Wolters 1998 q2 i? Anxiety was highest in social studies, followed by mathematics, then English; males were less anxious in English than in social studies, and females were less anxious in English than in mathematics or social studies. → Wolters 1998 (2)

Evidence¶

Wolters 1998¶

Wolters, C.A. & Pintrich, P.R. (1998). Contextual differences in student motivation and self-regulated learning in mathematics, English, and social studies classrooms. Instructional Science 26: 27–47. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1003035929216

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Repeated measures ANOVA in the 545-student survey found "a main effect for subject area", a gender main effect, and "an interaction between gender and subject area" for test anxiety.

"Results for students’ level of test anxiety indicated a main effect for subject area, F(2,542) = 58.06, p /n3c 0.001, a main effect for gender, F(1,543) = 10.82, p /n3c 0.001, as well as an interaction between gender and subject area, F(2,542) = 14.39, p /n3c 0.001."

Wolters 1998 (2)¶

Wolters, C.A. & Pintrich, P.R. (1998). Contextual differences in student motivation and self-regulated learning in mathematics, English, and social studies classrooms. Instructional Science 26: 27–47. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1003035929216

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Follow-up tests in the same survey showed "anxiety was highest in social studies followed by mathematics and then English"; males were less anxious in English than social studies, females less anxious in English than mathematics or social studies.

"The main effect for subject area showed that anxiety was highest in social studies followed by mathematics and then English."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Cognitive strategy use was highest in social studies and lowest in mathematics, and females reported more use than males — related
• The relations among motivational, strategy use, and performance constructs were similar across mathematics, English, and social studies — related
• Regulatory strategy use and classroom grades showed no subject-area differences, though females received higher grades than males — related
• Task value was higher for mathematics than for English and social studies for both genders, with gender differences only in the English–social studies comparison — related
• Task value predicted cognitive and regulatory strategy use but not classroom grades, whereas self-efficacy predicted grades in all three subjects — related
• Graduate attribute scores vary by gender and by subject, with language-based subjects scoring well on communication — related