The Abbreviated Science Anxiety Scale: Psychometric properties, gender differences and associations with test anxiety, general anxiety and science achievement

Science anxiety refers to students’ negative emotions about learning science. Across two studies, we investigated the psychometric properties of the newly developed Abbreviated Science Anxiety Scale (ASAS), which was adapted from the modified Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (m-AMAS) (Carey E., 2017). Using a sample of students in grades 7 to 10 (N = 710), Study 1 reported a two-factor structure of the ASAS (learning science anxiety and science evaluation anxiety) and negative associations between the ASAS factors and science achievement. Study 2 replicated this two-factor model in students in grades 11 and 12 (N = 362) and found that students in the “Arts” track were more anxious about science than those in “Sciences” track. Both studies consistently reported positive inter-correlations between the ASAS factors, with good internal reliabilities and modest meaningful associations with test anxiety and general anxiety, suggesting that science anxiety might be a distinct construct. Further, female students had higher science anxiety (especially science evaluation anxiety) than male students, even when test anxiety and general anxiety were considered in models. In summary, the ASAS is a brief, valid, and reliable instrument that can be used to guide and improve science education.

Self-consciousness in female university students: the predictive role of social anxiety

Objective: To find out the degree and direction of correlation between social anxiety and self-consciousness and to investigate the predictive role social anxiety plays in determining self-consciousness among female university students. Method: The study with cross sectional research design was conducted using non-probability purposive sampling technique to collect data. Participants of the research were university students within the age range of 18 to 26 years and were gathered from different public and private sector universities. Reliable instruments including Social Anxiety Scale, Self-consciousness Scale- R and demographic sheet were used. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis were employed for data analysis. Results: All the subjects in the study, 300(100%) were females with different educational qualifications ranging from Intermediate to Doctorate. The overall mean age was 21.14±2.06 years. Interesting findings revealed that age had significant inverse correlation with social anxiety (r=-0.17, p<0.01), whereas no significant relation was found between age and self-consciousness. Private self-consciousness was positively correlated with public self-consciousness (r=0.55, p<0.01), evaluation anxiety (r=.18, p<0.01), and interaction anxiety (r=0.11, p<0.05) whereas significant positive correlation was observed between public self-consciousness and all domains of social anxiety i.e. performance anxiety (r=0.21, p<0.01), interaction anxiety (r=0.29, p<0.01), and evaluation anxiety (r=0.35, p<0.01). Moreover social anxiety turned out to be a strong positive predictor of self-consciousness. Continuous...

Dental anxiety in patients undergoing oral surgery and its effects on blood pressure and heart rate

Objective: To assess dental anxiety in patients undergoing oral surgery, as well as its impact on blood pressure and heart rate. Material and Methods: A total of 233 patients answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and another one based on the Corah dental anxiety scale. Blood pressure and heart rate were assessed at three moments while: patients were in the waiting room, immediately before and after the procedure. Results: This study revealed a prevalence of anxiety of 77.3%. There was a statistically significant difference in mean systolic blood pressure and heart rate at the three moments of the evaluation. Anxiety was prevalent in the sample and was observed from the time in the waiting room until the time when local anesthesia was performed, causing variations in systolic blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety levels decreased after the end of the service. In conclusion, we observed that oral surgery is directly related to increased anxiety, and anxiety is mainly related to the change in heart rate.

The Multidimensional Structure of Math Anxiety Revisited

The study introduces a math anxiety scale that systematically addresses psychological components, including cognitive (worry) and affective (nervousness) math anxiety when dealing with mathematical problems in mathematics-related settings (concerning tests, teachers, learning in class, working with mathematics textbooks, mathematics homework, and applying mathematics in everyday life). Our results indicate a hierarchical structure of math anxiety. Specifically, cognitive and affective math anxiety at the second-order level each determined three setting factors at the first-order level concerning evaluation (tests, teachers), learning (in class, with mathematics books, and during homework), and application (applying mathematics in everyday life). Furthermore, girls reported higher math anxiety than boys, which was particularly pronounced in the affective scale and in high-stakes academic settings, such as those involving evaluation and learning. After controlling for mathematics performance, gender effects decreased in all sub-dimensions but remained significant in affective math evaluation anxiety. Practical implications and directions for further research on cognitive and affective math anxiety are discussed.

Student Anxiety and Evaluation

The increased prevalence and severity of academic-related distress is of significant concern on college campuses. Of particular relevance to instructors is the anxiety relating to classroom teaching and evaluation practices. Sources of evaluation anxiety include student uncertainty about the nature of the expected demands as well as their ability to meet these demands. This report presents work from a pilot study investigating correlations between evaluation anxiety and perceived evaluation fidelity for different evaluation techniques across four different disciplines. We also examined the potential mediating role of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between anxiety and expected grade. Our results provide insight into methods to reduce anxiety and increase performance: should instructors focus their efforts on modifying their evaluation tools or increasing academic self-efficacy? La prévalence et la gravité accrues de la détresse liée aux études sont une préoccupation importante sur les campus universitaires. L'angoisse liée aux pratiques d'enseignement et d'évaluation en classe est particulièrement importante pour les instructeurs. Les sources d'angoisse de l'évaluation comprennent l'incertitude des étudiants quant à la nature des demandes attendues ainsi que leur capacité à répondre à ces demandes. Ce rapport présente les résultats d'une étude pilote portant sur les corrélations entre l'anxiété de l'évaluation et la fidélité à l'évaluation perçue pour différentes techniques d'évaluation dans quatre disciplines différentes. Nous avons également examiné le rôle médiateur potentiel de l'auto-efficacité académique dans la relation entre l'anxiété et le grade attendu. Nos résultats donnent un aperçu des méthodes permettant de réduire l’anxiété et d’augmenter les performances: les instructeurs devraient-ils concentrer leurs efforts sur la modification de leurs outils d’évaluation ou sur l’amélioration de leur efficacité personnelle?

Level of Chemophobia and Relationship with Attitude towards Chemistry among Science Students

This study was conducted to investigate the level of chemophobia among science students and their attitude towards chemistry and their relationship. 101 Form 4 and Form 5 respondents were involved. Instrument used in this study was questionnaires comprises of three sections namely demographic background, level of chemophobia (chemistry learning anxiety, chemistry evaluation anxiety and chemicals handling anxiety) and attitude towards chemistry (enjoyment of learning chemistry, enjoyment of conducting laboratory activities, importance of chemistry in life and behavioral tendency to learn chemistry). Research findings showed that chemophobia among science students was at moderate level whereas students’ attitude towards chemistry was at high level. Research findings also showed that there was a moderate, negative significant relationship between the three factors of chemophobia with students’ attitude towards chemistry. Based on multiple regression analysis, there was a factor in chemophobia (chemistry evaluation anxiety) that showed significant influence with students’ attitude towards chemistry. This study implied that chemophobia among students should be overcome so that positive attitude towards chemistry could be instilled and hence, this would lead to the improvement in academic achievement and student’s participation in chemistry and science-related field.

Assessing Performance on an Evaluated Speaking Task

Coping with social stress involves cognitive perceptions and the activation of several physiological mechanisms. Our main purpose was to examine how psychological factors such as cognitive appraisal, and particularly self-efficacy, may affect psychophysiological reactivity to social stress and young people’s performance on an evaluated speaking task. Thirty-five university students (18 men and 17 women) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and a control condition in a counterbalanced order. Self-efficacy, several dimensions of trait anxiety related to social evaluation, and changes in state anxiety were assessed. Additionally, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) were analyzed by means of R-R and r-MSSD parameters, respectively. The results indicate that a positive self-assessment of their own ability to overcome a social threat was related to the predominance of vagal tone and better performance. However, cardiac reactivity was not related to the quality of the performance displayed. In addition, some dimensions of trait anxiety, such as cognitive anxiety and test evaluation anxiety, were negatively associated with self-efficacy and performance. These findings emphasize the relevance of self-efficacy, a key component of cognitive appraisal, in explaining psychophysiological reactivity to social stress. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of some personality characteristics, such as social evaluation anxiety, in explaining performance in specifically related stressful situations, regardless of autonomic activation.