This study was conducted to test the mediating effects of motivational achievement strategies (e.g., defensive pessimism strategies, self-handicapping strategies) in the relations between test anxiety and perceived academic competence (e.g., academic ...
This study was conducted to test the mediating effects of motivational achievement strategies (e.g., defensive pessimism strategies, self-handicapping strategies) in the relations between test anxiety and perceived academic competence (e.g., academic self-concept, academic sense of control). In this study, the following two research questions were addressed.
Five-hundred sixty-seven 10th-graders (272 males, 295 females) participated in this study. Data were collected through the Test Anxiety Inventory, The Revised Defensive Pessimism Questionnaire, Self-Handicapping Scale, Self-Description Questionnaire-Ⅱ, and Internal-External Control Scale. Correlational analyses and the structural equation modeling were conducted to test research hypotheses.
The results of this study were summarized as follows.
First, the results of the structural equation modeling on the relations among test anxiety, the use of defensive pessimism strategies, and perceived academic competence showed that the partial mediation model fit the data better than the complete mediation model. Thus, the hypothesis 1-1 was accepted. In the partial mediation model, the path coefficients of「test anxiety → perceived academic competence」,「test anxiety → defensive pessimism strategies」,「defensive pessimism strategies → perceived academic competence」were all significant. The higher the level of test anxiety, the greater use of defensive pessimism strategies. The greater use of defensive pessimism strategies, the higher the level of perceived academic competence. Thus, the hypothesis 1-2, 1-3, 1-4 were accepted.
The result of the Sobel test (conducted by the Goodman Ⅰ equation) in the partial mediation model revealed that the mediating effect of the use of defensive pessimism strategies was significant. Thus, the hypothesis 1-5 stating that the use of defensive pessimism strategies would mediate the link between test anxiety and perceived academic competence was accepted.
These results indicated that the higher the test anxiety, the lower the level of perceived academic competence but the greater the use of defensive pessimism strategies, and that the greater the use of defensive pessimism strategies, the higher the level of perceived academic competence. The results suggest that the use of defensive pessimism strategies maintain perceived academic competence of students with test anxiety.
Second, the results of the structural equation modeling on the relation among text anxiety, the use of self-handicapping strategies, and perceived academic competence demonstrated that the partial mediation model fit the data better than the complete mediation model. Thus, the hypothesis 2-1 was accepted. In the partial mediation model, the path coefficients of 「test anxiety → perceived academic competence」, 「test anxiety → self-handicapping strategies」, and「self-handicapping strategies → perceived academic competence」were all significant. The higher the level of test anxiety, the greater use of self-handicapping strategies. The greater use of self-handicapping strategies, the lower the level of perceived academic competence. Thus, the hypothesis 2-2, 2-3 were accepted.
The result of the Sobel test (conducted by the Goodman Ⅰ equation) in the partial mediation model revealed that the mediating effect of the use of self-handicapping strategies was significant. Thus, the hypothesis 2-4 stating that the use of self-handicapping strategies would mediate the relation between test anxiety and perceived academic competence was accepted.
These results indicated that the higher test anxiety, the lower the level of perceived academic competence but the greater the use of self-handicapping strategies, and that the greater the use of self-handicapping strategies, the lower the level of perceived academic competence. The results suggest that the use of self-handicapping strategies hamper perceived academic competence of students experiencing test anxiety.
Such findings from this study provide the empirical evidence for the tendency of students experiencing test anxiety to use defensive pessimism strategies or self-handicapping strategies. In addition, the findings from this study provide a strong empirical support for the influences of the use of motivational academic strategies upon perceived academic performance. In addition to theoretical implications, the results of this study also have practical implications for the development of intervention programs for students experiencing test anxiety. Finally, the limitations of this study and directions for future research were presented.