Purpose: There is currently no scale assessing test anxiety in physical education (PE), despite the specificities of this class (e.g., body image, failure in front of peers). Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to develop a specific scale named the “Revised Test Anxiety and Regulatory Dimension of Anxiety in Physical Education” (RTAR-PE). Method: Self-report data were collected from 281 (Study 1) and 390 (Study 2) students in French schools (age range: 13–18 years). Results: Study 1 showed that the RTAR-PE scale has acceptable psychometric properties. Study 2 confirmed the results of Study 1 and showed the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validities of the scale. Gender differences were found, with girls showing higher PE test anxiety than boys. Discussion/Conclusion: The RTAR-PE is a newly available scale assessing the different facets of test anxiety in PE (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension, and perceived control) considering the specificities of this class.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive role of the 3 × 2 achievement goal model on test anxiety in the specific context of Physical Education (PE). Four hundred and eighty-six French students (mean age = 15.83, standard deviation = 1.20) voluntarily and anonymously filled out the Revised Test Anxiety and Regulatory Dimension of Anxiety in Physical Education scale (RTAR-PE) assessing test anxiety in PE and the Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Sport (AGQ-S) assessing the six achievement goals. The results showed that task-avoidance and self-avoidance goals positively predicted the four negative factors of test anxiety (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension), while task-approach and self-approach goals negatively predicted them. It was the opposite for perceived control, which is the positive factor of test anxiety. Contrary to academic general test anxiety, other-avoidance goals did not positively predict the negative factors of test anxiety in the PE context, but they negatively predicted perceived control. The previous pattern of results was reversed for task-approach, self-approach, and other-approach goals. Finally, a significant interaction was found between other-avoidance goals and gender in predicting bodily symptoms, but simple slope analyses did not reveal significant findings. Taking students’ psychological characteristics into account, such as achievement goals, may contribute to a better understanding of test anxiety in PE.

Test anxiety is experienced by a substantial number of students in many school subjects, including physical education, and it may be deleterious for their school performance and their well-being. The aim of our study was to explore through multiple regression and mediation analyses the relationships between test anxiety in physical education, implicit theories, gender, and age. Five hundred and twenty-six French students ( Mage = 15.82, SD = 1.19) voluntarily participated in the study. The results mainly highlighted the following: Gender was a significant predictor of all the components of physical education test anxiety, evidencing that girls scored higher than boys on the four negative components (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension), and lower on the positive component (perceived control). Age negatively predicted the self-focus component only. Entity theory was a significant predictor of the five components of test anxiety, whereas incremental theory only positively predicted perceived control. Entity theory partially mediated the relationships between gender and perceived control. A better understanding by physical education teachers of the characteristics of their students (e.g. gender differences, age, implicit theories of athletic ability) may contribute to decreasing test anxiety in physical education.