How Does the Parental Test Anxiety Affect the Test Anxiety of the Student: A Cross-Sectional Study in Secondary Schools in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we investigated the test anxiety among secondary school students and the effect of parental test anxiety on children’s test anxiety in the two central districts of Denizli, a medium-sized city in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The study sample was selected randomly from the secondary schools in the province. Students responded to the Test Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (TASCA). Parents responded to the socio-demographic data form and the Exam Anxiety Scale for Parents (EASP). Research forms were filled online between 20.09.2021 and 01.10.2021. Six hundred fifty-eight students and parents were included in the study. Results: Girls had higher TASCA scores than boys. According to the logistic regression analysis, the increase in EASP scores had an increasing effect on the total score of TASCA; the increase in the student’s academic success significantly affected the total score of TASCA. The increase in the TASCA-social sub-dimension score had an increasing effect on the EASP total score. We also found that the increase in the father’s educational level had a lowering effect on the EASP total score. Conclusion: Early recognition of risky groups in terms of the emergence of test anxiety may be beneficial to protecting these individuals. Additionally, interventions with parents with high parental test anxiety could also prevent test anxiety in children.