Feedback, Test Anxiety And Performance In A College Course Essays

Feedback, Test Anxiety And Performance In A College Course This essay was written to provide information on a study performed at Appalachian State University. The object of this study was to confirm or refute if immediate feedback enhances learning. The effects of three forms of test feedback were investigated within the necessary circumstance of a self paced, guideline based course in educational psychology. There were 88 participants in the study, but 15 students were unable to complete the course requirements, so their scores were not included in the report. These 73 undergraduate students completed seven units of work and were assessed by computer administered unit tests. The students were randomly assigned to one of the three test feedback forms being used in the study: 1. item by item knowledge of responses, 2. answer until correct, and 3. delayed feedback. Students received their assigned feedback during work on the first two units, then they were allowed to choose the feedback they preferred. Test anxiety was measured preceding to testing on Satason's Test Anxiety Scale and during testing on an item administered by the computer. Undergraduates who reported high test anxiety on the Scale experienced more anxiety during testing than students reporting low test anxiety. The anxiety during testing was not related to the type of feedback, and the two variables were not related to course performance on the second unit. Data collected at the end of the semester showed that students who reported higher test anxiety required more attempts to pass unit tests than those with lower test anxiety. When the undergraduates were asked they preferred the type of feedback, answer until correct. This preference was not related to the Scale scores or to being allowed to choose forms of feedback. Two strengths of this study are it's testing and the use of the random assignment. I feel that the times in which the administered the Test Anxiety Scale was an efficient time. If the Scale was administered afterwards then the students would have to look back, and the thoughts on their anxiety could have been changed by how they feel they did on their tests. The random assignment of feedback was a better choice than just allowing the student to choose. If the student was allowed to choose, they already would have some idea of what they worked better with, and that would not help in any way in the finds in the study, of which was bad and which was good feedback. One weakness of this study was that there have been others studies that contradict the findings in this study. I also feel that some people just have high anxiety about tests no matter what kind of feedback they are given. Psychology Essays