Int J Behav Med. 2021 Mar 17. doi: 10.1007/s12529-021-09973-1. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Test anxiety may be better thought of as a biopsychosocial process affecting academic performance during the days leading up to an exam, rather than a static appraisal of attitudes related to test taking. This was a passive observational study following students 2 days before a midterm exam and was designed to test the Sleep Anxiety Performance Process (SAPP) model in the context of a psychology statistics exam.
METHODS: Undergraduates (N = 167) enrolled in a statistics class, January-November 2015. Participants completed an electronic battery of measures and Sleep Mood Study Diaries (SMS) during the mornings, 2 days before a statistics exam. Instructors confirmed exam scores.
RESULTS: A path model showed a reciprocal bi-directional relationship between Sleep Quality and restfulness (Q&R) and test anxiety 2 days before a scheduled exam, with test anxiety measured in the morning, before the exam predicting exam performance. Prior exam performance, being a non-native English speaker (ESL), and class performance motivation also predicted exam performance.
CONCLUSIONS: These data support the SAPP model’s premise that that sleep and anxiety feed one another, as a reciprocal process, that collectively impairs academic performance, with direct effects on academic performance, but with implications for overall student health.
PMID:33730347 | DOI:10.1007/s12529-021-09973-1
