Investigating Students' Test Anxiety and Attitude toward Foreign Language Learning in Secondary School in Ilam.
This study tried to examine the level of anxiety of Iranian high school students in English language exams and their attitudes towards English language learning. Further, relationship between these two variables and the differences between test anxiety and attitude in different genders and majors of study were addressed. Westside Test Anxiety Scale and Language Learning Attitudes Questionnaire were used as research instruments to collect the data. The instruments were translated into Persian and their reliability and validity were confirmed. They were, then, administered to 400 male and female high school students. The findings showed that 60% of students had an above average level of test anxiety. However, no significant difference in test anxiety was found between male and female participants. Nonetheless, the level of Incapacity was higher among females but the level of Worry was not significantly different. Significant differences in anxiety level were found between students of Mathematics vs. Humanity; Science vs. General, and Humanity vs. General, yet no difference was found between students of different majors regarding attitude. However, female participants tended to have more optimistic attitudes toward English language learning. In spite of the fact that meaningful differences were found between gender vs. Risk taking and Ambiguity, no meaningful relationships were found between gender and Self image, Inhibition and Ego Permeability. In general, there was a meaningful, nonetheless weak, relationship between test anxiety and attitude, and between test anxiety and age.