Influence of Study Skills on Test Anxiety of Secondary School Students in Nsukka Urban, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of study skills on test anxiety levels of senior secondary school students. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A structured study skills inventory (SSI) consisting of 29 items, a test anxiety scale (TAS) consisting of 32 items developed by the researchers and validated were administered to 400 senior secondary school class III students (200 boys and 200 girls) in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The data collected were presented using mean scores and standard deviations. The t-test statistics was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 probability level. Findings indicated that study skills had no significant influence on students’ test-anxiety levels; students’ test-anxiety levels were significantly influenced by gender; the female students showed higher test-anxiety than their male counterparts. The following recommendations were made: School guidance counsellors are invited to provide gender sensitive learning environment to reduce academic anxiety. There is need to educate parents and teachers on how to handle their wards bearing in mind individual differences in gender orientation.

Key Words: Study Skills, Anxiety, Test Anxiety, Cognitive Performance