The Comparative Validity of the Mandler-Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire and the Achievement Anxiety Test

Abstract

The validity of the Mandler-Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and its subscales, (anxiety about taking individual intelligence tests (AII), anxiety about taking group intelligence tests (AGI), and anxiety about taking course examinations (ACE), was compared with the validity of the two subscales of the Academic Achievement Test (AAT), Debilitating Anxiety (Deb), and Facilitating Anxiety (Fac), against the criterion of cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in a college population. The subscales whose item content was directed at measuring anxiety about taking academic examinations, correlated significantly with the criterion measure, but the other subscales did not. The Deb scale had the highest numerical correlation. The total TAQ score was significantly related to the criterion in the male sample but not in the female sample.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alpert, R. A. and Haber, R. N. Anxiety in academic achievement situations. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1960, 61, 207-215.

Atkinson, J. W. An introduction to motivation . Princeton, N. J.: D. VanNorstrand , 1964.

Harper, F. B. W. Specific anxiety theory and the Mandler-Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire. EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT, 1971, 31, 1011-1014.

Mandler, G. and Sarason, S. B. A study of anxiety and learning. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1952, 47, 166-173.

Sarason, S. B. , Davidson, K. , Lighthall, F. , Waite, R. R. , and Ruebush, B. K. Anxiety in elementary school children. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1960.