Lf. Wolf et Jf. Smith, THE CONSEQUENCE OF CONSEQUENCE - MOTIVATION, ANXIETY, AND TEST-PERFORMANCE, Applied measurement in education, 8(3), 1995, pp. 227-242
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Educational","Psychologym Experimental","Education & Educational Research
When a student takes a test, his or her performance may be expected to
be influenced by the perceived consequence of the test to the student
. Motivation, anxiety, and ultimately performance will be affected by
what the test means to the student in terms of results. This research
investigates the relationships of test consequence, motivation, anxiet
y, and performance on a sample of undergraduates taking a child develo
pment course. An hourly examination was given under two experimental c
onditions; in one condition the exam counted as part of the course gra
de, and in the other condition it did not. Results indicated that the
consequence of the test had a strong influence on motivation and a mod
est, but significant influence on performance. Motivation and anxiety
were found to have opposite effects on performance. Results are discus
sed in terms of their relation to classroom practice and technical iss
ues in measurement.