Liew Jeffrey, Lench Heather C, Kao Grace, Yeh Yu-Chen, Kwok Oi-man
a Department of Educational Psychology , Texas A&M University , 722 Harrington Tower, 4225 TAMU, College Station , TX 77843 , USA.
Anxiety Stress Coping. 2014;27(6):650-61. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2014.910303. Epub 2014 Apr 25.
Standardized testing has become a common form of student evaluation with high stakes, and limited research exists on understanding the roles of students' personality traits and social-evaluative threat on their academic performance. This study examined the roles of avoidance temperament (i.e., fear and behavioral inhibition) and evaluative threat (i.e., fear of failure and being viewed as unintelligent) in standardized math test and course grades in college students.
Undergraduate students (N=184) from a large public university were assessed on temperamental fear and behavioral inhibition. They were then given 15 minutes to complete a standardized math test. After the test, students provided data on evaluative threat and their math performance (scores on standardized college entrance exam and average grades in college math courses).
Results indicate that avoidance temperament was linked to social-evaluative threat and low standardized math test scores. Furthermore, evaluative threat mediated the influence of avoidance temperament on both types of math performance.
Results have educational and clinical implications, particularly for students at risk for test anxiety and underperformance. Interventions targeting emotion regulation and stress management skills may help individuals reduce their math and test anxieties.
标准化测试已成为具有高风险的常见学生评估形式，而关于理解学生人格特质和社会评价威胁对其学业成绩的作用的研究有限。本研究考察了回避气质（即恐惧和行为抑制）和评价威胁（即害怕失败和被视为不聪明）在大学生标准化数学测试成绩和课程成绩中的作用。
对一所大型公立大学的184名本科生进行气质性恐惧和行为抑制评估。然后给他们15分钟完成一项标准化数学测试。测试后，学生提供有关评价威胁及其数学成绩的数据（大学入学标准化考试成绩和大学数学课程平均成绩）。
结果表明，回避气质与社会评价威胁和低标准化数学测试成绩相关。此外，评价威胁介导了回避气质对两种数学成绩的影响。
研究结果具有教育和临床意义，特别是对于有考试焦虑和成绩不佳风险的学生。针对情绪调节和压力管理技能的干预措施可能有助于个人减轻数学和考试焦虑。
