A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023
IntroductionTest anxiety is an emotional state characterized by physiological and behavioral responses linked to the fear of poor exam results. It can result in a significant impact in the overall academic achievement of students. Addressing the contributing factors of the problem is better to inter...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431707/full |
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| author | Chalachew Kassaw Chalachew Kassaw Valeriia Demareva Samrawit Getu Misrak Negash Selamawit Alemayehu |
| author_facet | Chalachew Kassaw Chalachew Kassaw Valeriia Demareva Samrawit Getu Misrak Negash Selamawit Alemayehu |
| author_sort | Chalachew Kassaw |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionTest anxiety is an emotional state characterized by physiological and behavioral responses linked to the fear of poor exam results. It can result in a significant impact in the overall academic achievement of students. Addressing the contributing factors of the problem is better to intervene in the academic challenges of students and create a conducive learning environment. Thus, this study investigated the association between test anxiety and the newly implemented national exit exam program among prospective graduate students at Dilla University in 2023.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional design was employed, involving 357 participants recruited from August 15 to September 14, 2023. Data collection utilized structured questionnaires combined with interviews. The Westside Test Anxiety Inventory (WTAI) assessed test anxiety levels. Epi Info version 7 facilitated data entry, with subsequent analysis conducted using SPSS version 25. A p < 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance in the multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of test anxiety associated with the national exit exam among prospective graduates at Dilla University was 68.9% (95% CI: 63.9–73.7%). The analysis identified significant associations between test anxiety and several factors: non-formal educational background of parents (AOR = 2.84, 95% CI: 2.12–4.65), moderate social support (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.12–0.46), and poor coping mechanisms (AOR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.45–5.67).ConclusionThis study revealed a substantial prevalence of test anxiety among graduating students about the national exit exam. The findings suggest that factors such as limited social support and inadequate coping mechanisms contribute to test anxiety. Targeted interventions, including social support programs, counseling services, coping mechanism training, parental education, and support for students with lower academic performance, may be beneficial in mitigating test anxiety. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec3f4315117840e7b530f70db5c0f18c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec3f4315117840e7b530f70db5c0f18c2024-11-15T04:52:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-11-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14317071431707A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023Chalachew Kassaw0Chalachew Kassaw1Valeriia Demareva2Samrawit Getu3Misrak Negash4Selamawit Alemayehu5Department of Psychiatry, Dilla University, Dilla, EthiopiaDepartment Cyber Psychology, Lobachevsky University, Nizhniy Novgorod, RussiaDepartment Cyber Psychology, Lobachevsky University, Nizhniy Novgorod, RussiaDepartment of Psychiatry, Dilla University, Dilla, EthiopiaDepartment of Psychiatry, Dilla University, Dilla, EthiopiaDepartment of Psychiatry, St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaIntroductionTest anxiety is an emotional state characterized by physiological and behavioral responses linked to the fear of poor exam results. It can result in a significant impact in the overall academic achievement of students. Addressing the contributing factors of the problem is better to intervene in the academic challenges of students and create a conducive learning environment. Thus, this study investigated the association between test anxiety and the newly implemented national exit exam program among prospective graduate students at Dilla University in 2023.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional design was employed, involving 357 participants recruited from August 15 to September 14, 2023. Data collection utilized structured questionnaires combined with interviews. The Westside Test Anxiety Inventory (WTAI) assessed test anxiety levels. Epi Info version 7 facilitated data entry, with subsequent analysis conducted using SPSS version 25. A p < 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance in the multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of test anxiety associated with the national exit exam among prospective graduates at Dilla University was 68.9% (95% CI: 63.9–73.7%). The analysis identified significant associations between test anxiety and several factors: non-formal educational background of parents (AOR = 2.84, 95% CI: 2.12–4.65), moderate social support (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.12–0.46), and poor coping mechanisms (AOR = 3.67, 95% CI: 2.45–5.67).ConclusionThis study revealed a substantial prevalence of test anxiety among graduating students about the national exit exam. The findings suggest that factors such as limited social support and inadequate coping mechanisms contribute to test anxiety. Targeted interventions, including social support programs, counseling services, coping mechanism training, parental education, and support for students with lower academic performance, may be beneficial in mitigating test anxiety.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431707/fulltest anxietynational exit examhigher education studentsprospective graduatesDilla UniversityEthiopia |
| spellingShingle | Chalachew Kassaw Chalachew Kassaw Valeriia Demareva Samrawit Getu Misrak Negash Selamawit Alemayehu A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 Frontiers in Psychology test anxiety national exit exam higher education students prospective graduates Dilla University Ethiopia |
| title | A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 |
| title_full | A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 |
| title_fullStr | A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 |
| title_short | A psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of Dilla University, 2023 |
| title_sort | psychological reaction of higher education students to the new national exit exam in the case of dilla university 2023 |
| topic | test anxiety national exit exam higher education students prospective graduates Dilla University Ethiopia |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431707/full |
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