Investigating the Effect of Anxiety on Test Takers’ Performance on a Large-scale High-stakes Computer-based English Listening and Speaking Test

Abstract

Previous research have suggested that anxiety may affect test takers’ performance on high-stakes tests, such as the National College Entrance Examination (Guangdong) Computer-based English Listening and Speaking Test (the CELST). The CELST test takers can potentially experience three types of anxiety, namely cognitive test anxiety (CTA), foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) and foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA). Despite the high-stakes impacts the CELST has on millions of test takers’ future, scarce research has specifically investigated the effect of anxiety on test takers performance and the source of anxiety from the CELST test takers’ perspectives. Therefore. the present study aimed to investigate how CTA, FLLA and FLSA affect CELST test performance.

Quantitative data were collected by administering questionnaires to 585 CELST test takers. Qualitative data were collected by individual semi-structured interviews with twelve test takers. The quantitative analysis showed that: (1) most test takers experienced a moderate degree of CTA, cognitive dimension of FLLA and FLSA; (2) females had a significantly higher level of CTA, cognitive dimensions of FLLA and FLSA than males. (3) self-perceived English competence did impact test takers’ CTA, FLLA and FLSA; (4) the frequency of language use negatively correlated with CTA, FLLA and FLSA; (5) CTA, behavioral dimension of FLSA negatively predicted the CELST scores while the somatic dimension of FLSA positively predicted the CELST scores.

Second, the qualitative analysis confirmed the existence and interference of CTA, FLLA and FLSA among CELST test takers. Besides, the results revealed reasons that lead to anxiety in the CELST, and identified helpful strategies to alleviate anxiety from the test takers’ perspectives.

The findings of the present study have important implications. Theoretically, the study bridged the gap by deepening the understanding of how CTA, FLLA and FLSA affect test takers’ performance in high-stakes foreign language tests. Practically, the findings provide valuable references for the CELST test developers to design test tasks that consider the effect of anxiety such that the CELST can elicit test takers’ best performance. Besides, the findings also provide insights for foreign language teachers to alleviate their students’ anxiety so that students can better perform during the CELST.