Studying the Relation of Exams Anxiety Level in Normal School Children and Children of Disabled Veterans in Secondary Schools of Khorramabad Tahereh Oladghobad* M. S. in Educational Psychology, Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran. *Corresponding author: Journalsub.dept@gmail.com Keywords Abstract Anxiety Students Disabled veterans

The purpose of present study is evaluating the relation of exams anxiety level and educational progress in normal school children and children of disabled veterans. Method of research is “Ex post facto research” The statistical population is all of normal female school children and children of disabled veterans in secondary schools of Khorramabad in year 2009-2010. The number of students is 1747 and the veteran`s children are 210 students which 150 students (75 normal students and 75 veteran`s children) have been chosen by using a multistage sampling method. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between these two variables. Also among predictor variables, only reaction to stress is a predictor of educational success in students.

1. Introduction

Adolescents are the future investments of a country, knowing their needs and desires, identifying their psychological and mental problems are so important. Mental health is the important and essential concepts which many factors can affect it. Performance and educational success are the issues that have the most importance in educational environment especially in secondary schools, because the requirement for entering university is passing the courses of secondary school in excellent high level. Humans are potentially seeking perfection, encouraging and escaping punishment so children and adolescents are always wanting to be encouraged and their behaviors be confirmed by others[2]. Therefore, the exam process in any way is not very pleasant and at any time that people are placed in these kinds of situations of examination and tests, he or she will encounter anxiety. Although it is not unusual but the intensity of it can cause harmful biological and psychological effects. Therefore, this research is important and noteworthy by evaluating the effects of exam anxiety on educational success in adolescents. Conflicting findings is achieved on the relationship between anxiety and educational success. Although most of the results achieved of the studies report a negative correlation between anxiety and educational success, there have been studies that show that anxious students make the best of it. For example, on one side, two researchers after evaluating 30 correlations between anxiety and educational success understood that all except two of them were negative. They also found that math performance is prone to anxiety intervention more than anything else. On the other side Lin (2003) reported that anxiety was in positive and meaningful relation with success in reading But this wasn`t alike in math. Hansen and Demel (2006) reported a study in which the correlation coefficient was calculated between anxiety and standardized test scores of educational success. The results showed that if the level of anxiety increases, performance will be damaged beyond that point[1]. Albert and Haber (2007) argue that the first explanation raises two distinct anxiety types. Walsh and others (2008) used anxiety test and educational success of Alpert and Haber to study the relationship between anxiety and performance in class exams[3]. In this regard general purpose follows that exam anxiety can increase educational success or, conversely, reduces the level of educational success, so the author tries to answer the following questions:

- Does the exam anxiety have a relation with educational success of students? - How much is the proportion of exam anxiety in predicting educational success of student?

2. Research method

Method of research is “Ex post facto research”. The statistical population is all of normal female school children and children of disabled veterans in secondary schools of Khorramabad in year 2009-2010. The number of students is 1747 and the veteran`s children are 210 students which 150 students (75 normal students and 75 veteran`s children) have been chosen by using a multistage sampling method. The tool of gathering information is questionnaires; Philips questionnaire is used to evaluate exam anxiety among students. In order to calculate the internal homogeneity of Philips anxiety test questions, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated separately for each of the subscales and total score of anxiety (0.91).

3. Findings

3.1 Descriptive Data Descriptive indicators related to anxiety scores and its subscales were calculated in two groups of children, veterans and normal students and the results are presented in Table 1.

Int. j. econ. manag. soc. sci., Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014. pp. 431-433

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Table 1. Descriptive indicators of anxiety scores in the two groups of children, veterans and normal students subscale Anxiety group amount average standard deviation minimum maximum

Fear of assertiveness martyr 75 30.2000 4.03699 21.00 38.00 normal 75 31.7067 3.28705 24.00 38.00

Exam anxiety martyr 75 15.4667 3.23132 11.00 22.00 normal 75 16.3733 3.24984 11.00 22.00

Uncertainty martyr 75 21.4400 3.19307 15.00 28.00 normal 75 23.0933 3.18855 16.00 28.00

The reaction to stress martyr 75 22.5867 3.41338 14.00 29.00 normal 75 23.8533 3.13090 16.00 32.00

Total Test Anxiety martyr 75 91.0267 12.39875 63.00 115.00 normal 75 96.3867 10.70980 70.00 117.00

The results of table 1 shows that the average of total test Anxiety, subscales of fear of assertiveness, exam anxiety, uncertainty, and the reaction to stress of exam in martyr`s children students are lower than normal students. The difference between anxiety averages is shown in table 1in two groups of normal and disabled veteran`s children students Descriptive indicators regarding scores of educational progress (midyear average) is calculated in two groups of normal and disabled veteran`s children students and the results is shown in table 2.

Table 2. Descriptive indicators of scores of educational progress in normal and disabled veteran`s children students group amount average standard deviation minimum maximum

Educational progress martyr 75 17.8744 1.50549 14.30 20.00 normal 75 18.0507 1.34700 14.00 20.00

3.2 Data analysis Hypothesis 1: anxiety has relation with educational success of normal school children and children of disabled veterans

Table 3. results of the correlation coefficient for the relationship between anxiety and academic success Variables Martyr`s children student Normal student Z Significant level Fear of assertiveness- educational success -0. ** 466 -0.188 -1.185 - Exam anxiety- educational success -0. ** 361 -0. ** 252 -0.688 - Uncertainty- educational success -0. ** 513 -0.056 -3.02 0.05 Reaction to stress- educational success -0. ** 453 -0. ** 339 -0.805 - Total anxiety- educational success -0. ** 510 -0. ** 258 -1.76 - **=P<0/01, *=P<0/05 The result of table 3 shows that correlation coefficients which were calculated are significant lower levels of 0.01 between anxiety and all the subscales of it with educational progress. So it can be concluded that there is a significant negative relationship between anxiety and educational success. Considering that the relationship is negative, thus with increasing anxiety and its subscales, success decreases and vice versa. Hypothesis 2: How much is the proportion of anxiety in predicting educational success of student? The stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to predict the educational success of students based on factors of anxiety. Results summary of multiple regression analysis are presented using stepwise method in Table 4.

Table 4: Summary of significant regression models to predict educational success

Considering that R2 is the percent of anxiety factors common variance in predicting educational success and regarding the results of table 4 in reaction regression of step one, approximately 16% of the variance alone does predict educational success and given the calculated F is meaningful at less than 0.01, Therefore, the linear regression model is significant and consequently element of the stress reaction is a significant linear predictor in educational success. Due to the significant relation between the predictor variable (stress reaction) and the criterion variable (educational success) the significant results of model are presented in table format of Regression coefficients in table 5

Table 5. summary of regression coefficient for prediction of educational success

Significant level F R2 R Degree of

freedom Sum of squares

Source of changes Model

0.001 29.16 0.159 0.406

1 49.908 regression Step one

(reaction to stress)

148 253.245 remaining

149 303.153 total

Significant level statistics t Beta Standard error b Variable Model 0.001 18.418 - 0.756 13.921 Constant

Step one 0.001 5.401 0.406 0.032 -0.174 Reaction to stress

432 Tahereh Oladghobad *

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014.

The results of table 5 shows that among the predictor variables only stress reaction is able to predict the educational success of students. The “t” significant test is significant for regression coefficients of stress reaction in less than 0.01. Negative regression coefficient indicates a negative relationship between educational success and stress reaction. Due to the non-standardized regression coefficients, Regression equation to predict educational success is: (Stress reaction) 174/0- 92/13 = educational success

4. Conclusion

One of the times that anxiety appears to human is during exam time among students. This matter makes them frustrated from lessons and thus causes a failure in education. Anxiety unlike its nature is not always the cause of failure, sometimes in some cases it has reverse results and provides success. There has been conflicting results achieved from the relation between anxiety and educational success. Although most of the results of the studies report a negative relation between anxiety and educational success, there have been studies that show that anxious students cope better. The results of present study showed that in students of disabled veteran`s children calculated correlation coefficient between anxiety and total subscales of it with educational success is significant in less than 0.01 level. The highest level of correlation is subscale of uncertainty and the lowest correlation is the subscale of exam anxiety. Also in normal students the calculated correlation coefficients were significant at the 0.05 level between the subscale of exam anxiety and stress reaction and total anxiety with educational progress. The highest amount of correlation is related to the stress reaction subscale and the lowest amount of correlation is related to the exam anxiety subscale. Thus, it could be concluded that there is a negative significant relation between anxiety and educational progress. Regarding the negative relation, so with the increase of anxiety and its subscales, the educational progress reduces and vice versa. The correlations between anxiety and educational progress in students of veteran`s children is more than normal students. The results are in agreement of the results of Edwards (2007), Larson (2006), Harrison (2004) research. Educational progress is related to the situation of family and the prisoner of war fathers and this relation is more on their children. Ultimately, the results of hypothesis test has shown that anxiety in normal students is higher than students of veteran`s children and the veteran`s children students are scored lower in fear of assertiveness, uncertainty and reaction to stress subscales than normal students. Therefore more efforts should be done to boost their self-confidence and these negative relations can be caused by the family situation and problems of their fathers.

References

[1]. Biabangard, E, (2001), Methods of self-esteem in children and adolescents, Tehran, Association of teachers and parents publications [2]. Naderi, A., (2008), "The Influence of exam anxiety on educational success of secondary school male normal students and martyr`s children students,"

MA thesis, Tehran University. [3]. Rasel & Radolf,(2004) Comprehensive text book of psychiatry. 7th Ed, New York; Lippincott Williams &wilkins

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433 Studying the Relation of Exams Anxiety Level in Normal School Children and Children of Disabled Veterans in Secondary Schools of Khorramabad

International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences Vol(3), No (8), August, 2014.