Academic self-efficacy and test anxiety in high school students: A conditional process model of academic buoyancy and peer support

Abstract

Based on social cognitive theory and ecological systems theory, this study constructed a conditional process model to explore the relationship between academic self-efficacy and test anxiety as well as underlying psychological mechanisms through academic buoyancy and peer support. A sample of Chinese high school students ( N = 560) completed questionnaires assessing academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, peer support, and test anxiety. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed an indirect effect of academic self-efficacy on test anxiety through academic buoyancy. Moreover, the results of the conditional process analysis demonstrated that this indirect effect was moderated by peer support. The findings suggested that both personal positive psychological characteristics (e.g., academic buoyancy) and school environmental factors (e.g., peer support) are protective factors for test anxiety in high school students. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Academic resilience and test anxiety: The moderating role of achievement goals

“…The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among academic resilience, achievement goals, and cognitive test anxiety in a sample of high school students from Singapore, an East Asian nation. In line with previous research (e.g., Lei et al, 2021; and as hypothesized, our results revealed a significant negative association between academic resilience and cognitive test anxiety. In other words, students who perceived themselves to have the resources to bounce back from the challenges of everyday school life also experienced lower levels of cognitive test anxiety.…”

“…Findings from one study with Chinese medical students showed that resilience negatively predicted test anxiety (Wang et al, 1994). A more recent study with a sample of Chinese high school students by Lei et al (2021) also showed that academic buoyancy was negatively related to test anxiety.…”

“…Studies examining the relations between individual antecedents and test anxiety among East Asian student populations are comparatively scarcer (Chang, 2021;Lei et al, 2021;Shih, 2005), and existing evidence suggests that the nature of these relations among students in this region is still not well-understood. Considering the high prevalence of test anxiety among East Asian students, further investigation of the interrelationships among these antecedents in this context is an important endeavor that may generate contextually meaningful findings with practical implications for researchers and practitioners.…”

“…Comorbid psychopathology, such as social anxiety and depressive disorder, has also been found to be prevalent among individuals manifesting test anxiety symptoms (Herzer et al, 2013). Unsettlingly, evidence also points to exam pressures being linked with suicides (Rodway et al, 2016) and suicidal ideation (Lee et al, 2006).…”

Linking academic buoyancy and math achievement in secondary school students: Does academic self-efficacy play a role?

“…As already outlined previously, we therefore prefer to speak of an ‘indirect effect’ via self-efficacy. As other studies show, academic buoyancy can also be seen as a mediator between self-efficacy and outcome measures such as test anxiety (Lei et al, 2021 ). Further studies therefore should aim for longitudinal research on academic buoyancy and self-efficacy so that hypotheses about the directionality of the relation can be generated.…”