INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHANGES IN EDUCATION
Research Article
Aug 27, 2024 1 1

Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh

Goutam Roy 1 * ,
Sanjida Akter Tanni 2,
Arifur Rahman 3,
Sushmita Dutta 4
1 Institute of Education and Research, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh2 Institute of Education and Research, Jagannath University, Bangladesh3 Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh4 Institute of Education and Research, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(3), 2024, 123-133, https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
Publication date: Aug 27, 2024
Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Tests or examinations are an essential part of education, creating test anxiety among students. Several studies identified a negative correlation between test anxiety and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students’ academic performance in higher education, and female students in STEM subjects showed more test anxiety before and during an examination. Studies also identified that STEM students could pay less attention to their examinations due to test anxiety. Such evidence in the context of Bangladeshi universities is yet to be understood. This study investigated the level of test anxiety among Bangladeshi university students of STEM subjects, including gender differences and the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. We considered the quantitative research design to understand the status of test anxiety among undergraduate STEM students. A survey was conducted online from two STEM departments of a private university in Bangladesh using the shorter version of the CAEX test anxiety instrument, and a total of 246 undergraduate students participated. The findings show that Bangladeshi undergraduate STEM students generally felt slight anxiety during or before the examination. Female students were more anxious before or during a test than male students, and no significant relationship was found between test anxiety and academic achievement. The study reflects the need to conduct further research to understand the physiological, cognitive, and psychological factors leading to test anxiety among university students, as well as establishes a demand to identify the reasons behind having no relationship between test anxiety and students’ academic performance.

KEYWORDS

test anxiety anxiety and achievement STEM students gender difference higher education Bangladesh

CITATION (APA)

Roy, G., Tanni, S. A., Rahman, A., & Dutta, S. (2024). Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh. International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(3), 123-133. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
Harvard
Roy, G., Tanni, S. A., Rahman, A., and Dutta, S. (2024). Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh. International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(3), pp. 123-133. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
Vancouver
Roy G, Tanni SA, Rahman A, Dutta S. Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2024;1(3):123-33. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
AMA
Roy G, Tanni SA, Rahman A, Dutta S. Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2024;1(3), 123-133. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
Chicago
Roy, Goutam, Sanjida Akter Tanni, Arifur Rahman, and Sushmita Dutta. "Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh". International Journal of Changes in Education 2024 1 no. 3 (2024): 123-133. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807
MLA
Roy, Goutam et al. "Test Anxiety Among STEM Students: The Case of Higher Education in Bangladesh". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 1, no. 3, 2024, pp. 123-133. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022807

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