EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP OF TEST ANXIETY AND METACOGNITION ON READING TEST-PERFORMANCE - A COGNITIVE ANALYSIS

This study explored the relationship between test anxiety and metacogn itive word knowledge on performance on a standardized reading comprehe nsion test. One hundred and seventeen (117) college students participa ted by completing three paper and pencil measures: (1) a self-report m easure of test anxiety; (2) a metacognitive word knowledge task; and ( 3) a standardized measure of reading comprehension. The results of a s eries of multiple regression analyses suggest that the cognitive compo nent of test anxiety (worry) exerted a negative influence on students' performance on the metacognitive word knowledge task, independent of overall reading ability. Additional analyses suggest that once initial reading ability is controlled, both anxious worrying and metacognitiv e word knowledge jointly influence performance on a standardized measu re of reading comprehension. On the most cognitively demanding reading comprehension tasks, however, metacognitive word knowledge interacted with worry, such that when anxious worrying was low, increases in met acognitive word knowledge were associated with higher performance; and when anxious worrying was high, increases in metacognitive word knowl edge were associated with lower levels of performance. The findings ar e discussed within a cognitive capacity framework of test anxiety.