Self-Identified Race, Test Anxiety, and Reading Comprehension: A Preliminary Case for Mediation (Poster 24)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Division J: Assessing College Student Success and Impact Poster Session

Abstract

This study reports a preliminary case for the role of test anxiety as a potential mediator between self-identified race and performance on an assessment of reading comprehension. College students (N = 44) completed a measure of reading comprehension, test anxiety, and a demographic questionnaire. Results from independent samples t-tests suggested that students who identified as Black/AA reported higher levels of test anxiety and scored lower on the reading comprehension measure than students who identified as White. However, after controlling for test anxiety, a regression model suggested Black/AA students no longer differed from White students in terms of performance on the reading comprehension measure. This provides preliminary evidence in support of the role of test anxiety as a mediator.

Authors

• Daniel Feller, University of Memphis

• John P. Sabatini, University of Memphis