A Comparative Study of Test Anxiety Between Students of Biological Sciences and Humanities at University College of Rub-bi Rashid

Abstract

The aim of this study was to see if there was any significant difference between undergraduate students of biological sciences and humanities in their test anxiety scores at University College of Rub-bi Rashid, Tabriz, Iran. This analytical-descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 188 students composed of 94 students of humanities and 94 students of biological sciences. The cases were selected by simple random sampling and Sarason Anxiety Questionnaire was used for gathering data and finally the collected data was analyzed via SPSS 24. The mean of anxiety level among students of humanities was 1.84 and 2.05 before and after the test respectively, and the measured mean for students of biological sciences was 1.89 before the test and 2.15 after the test. This result showed a significant difference between these two types of students (P < 0.05) in both phases, but there were no significant differences between experimental and test groups' sex and anxiety level (P > 0.05). Moreover, the results of chi-square tests showed no significant difference between the two types of students after the test (P > 0.05). In these two studied groups, the test anxiety was increased after the test in comparison with that before it. Also, it was concluded that biological students' test anxiety was as large as humanity students' test anxiety in the second phase. Similarly, no significant difference was observed between boys and girls after the test. Finally, the authors suggest some handy tips that can help to relieve the pressure on the tests.