Given the increased testing of school-aged children, there is a need for a current and valid scale to measure the effects of test anxiety in children. Individuals are involved in three different processes to express test anxiety including their cognition (i.e., worry), behaviour (i.e., task-relevant and task irrelevant actions), and physiology (i.e., emotional arousal). In association with these factors, this survey looks at test anxiety for primary school children in the context of their (1) thoughts; (2) Nervous system reactions; and (3) Off-task behaviours.
The Children's Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) uses a simple scoring system. When students answer the questions, they choose from four options: almost never, some of the time, most of the time, and almost always. Each of these choices has a number value from 1 to 4. After answering all the questions, these numbers are added up to give a total score. This allows for a quantitative assessment of test anxiety levels in students, providing a numerical indicator that helps teachers understand how much test anxiety their pupils are feeling.
The scoring of the CTAS survey offers valuable insights into the specific dimensions of test anxiety experienced by students. By analyzing the scores across the thoughts, autonomic reactions, and off-task behaviors subscales, schools can gain a deeper understanding of how students perceive, react to, and behave during testing situations. This detailed information can help teachers tailor interventions and support strategies to address the unique needs of students with varying levels of test anxiety
Schools can use the results of the CTAS survey to identify students experiencing high levels of anxiety ahead of exams or exam season. Teachers can then implement whole class, group, and individual interventions to teach students strategies to help them cope effectively with test anxiety and ultimately perform better academically. Additionally, schools can track changes in test anxiety levels over time to assess the impact of interventions they are using are working well or if they need to try different approaches
The CTAS survey is helpful for schools because it gives teachers a clear way to measure how their students are feeling during tests. By using this survey, schools can keep track of students' emotions and behaviorsin the run up to exams, identify those who are struggling, and provide targeted support to build students' confidence, motivation, and performance on assessments, contributing to overall academic achievement and mental health outcomes
