First-Year University Students' Authentic Experiences with Evaluation Anxiety and their Attitudes toward Assessment

Type of content
Journal Article
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Date
2022
Authors
Sotardi, Valerie
Dutton, Hilary
Abstract

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In this study, we sought to understand assessment-related attitudes and authentic experiences of evaluation anxiety with a sample of first-year university students. We focused on identifying (a) why students had reported high levels of anxiety on a recent, grade-bearing assessment, and (b) how their attitudes toward assessment type and weighting influenced their views on anxiety and learning. Drawing on social constructivist principles, 31 first-year students in New Zealand participated in a 25-minute interview. Semi-structured interviews included open-ended items about students’ experiences with anxiety, followed by a Q-sort task that structured dialogue around assessment attitudes. Results show that evaluation anxiety was reportedly caused by several factors, including students’ doubts about their capabilities, concerns about insufficient time and time management, external pressures to be successful, unclear institutional standards for quality, and concerns about performing well on certain types of assessment. Students reported that oral presentations and high-stakes written tasks were more anxiety-inducing for them. Meanwhile, students reported that high-stakes written tasks, low-stakes tests, and lowstakes written tasks helped them learn more effectively than other assessment types and weightings. We discuss the implications of assessment design, including the challenges of evaluating students in a way that facilitates learning and limits unnecessary evaluation anxiety.

Description
Citation
Sotardi V, Dutton H (2022). First-Year University Students' Authentic Experiences with Evaluation Anxiety and their Attitudes toward Assessment. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.
Keywords
anxiety, assessment, evaluation, first-year university students, learning
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
13 Education
Fields of Research::39 - Education::3904 - Specialist studies in education::390402 - Education assessment and evaluation
Fields of Research::39 - Education::3904 - Specialist studies in education::390409 - Learning sciences
Fields of Research::39 - Education::3904 - Specialist studies in education::390412 - Teacher and student wellbeing
Fields of Research::39 - Education::3903 - Education systems::390303 - Higher education
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