Test Anxiety, Academic Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among University Students

Abstract

Excessive test anxiety impairs students’ cognitive functioning and psychological well-being, but peer support helps them cope effectively by fostering understanding, motivation, and emotional stability. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the correlation between test anxiety and academic support, the correlation between test anxiety and psychological well-being, and the gender differences. This study was conducted using a quantitative research method in which an online survey was distributed through WhatsApp, Facebook app, and emails. The total number of participants in the study was 150 university participants (N= 76 females, N= 74 males) from various public and private universities in Malaysia. The survey via Google Forms consisted of three instruments: the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS), the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS). Two types of analyses were conducted: descriptive analysis to examine participants’ demographics, and inferential analysis (Pearson’s correlation and t-test) to assess relationships among test anxiety, academic support, and psychological well-being, as well as gender differences in test anxiety. The results of the study showed that there was a positive correlation between test anxiety and academic support (r= 0.401, p= 0.001). Moreover, the results showed that there was a negative correlation between test anxiety and psychological well-being (r=-0.463, p=0.001). There was also a gender difference in the level of test anxiety (t= 3.67, p= 0.00). The male participants (M= 38.47, SD= 8.38) recorded slightly higher test anxiety compared to the female participants (M= 33.57, SD= 7.99). These findings highlight the importance of providing adequate academic support and fostering psychological well-being to reduce test anxiety among students.