The path analysis of influential factor related to test anxiety among undergraduate students

Objective To explore the relation between personality,coping style and social support and the effects and paths to test anxiety.Methods Test Anxiety Scale(TAS),Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ),social support questionnaire and EPQ were applied to 552 undergraduate students.All data were analyzed by Pearson correlation,regression and path analysis.Results The students whose score of TAS from 12 to 20 were 15.59%,above 20 were 7.78%.There was significant negative correlation between test anxiety and so cial support(r=-0.309),positive coping(r=-0.269)and extraversion(r=-0.272),there was significant positive correlation between test anxiety and negative coping(r=0.144),psychoticism(r=0.275)and neuroticism(r=0.298).Stepwise regression analysis appeared that test anxiety correlated with the neuroticism,extraversion,positive coping and social support.The path analysis showed that factors direct affected the scores of anxiety were social support,positive coping,psychoticism,extraversion and neuroticism,the path's coefficient was -0.247,-0.278,0.194,-0.213 and 0.326,respectively.Personality and coping style could influence the anxiety scores by indirect paths.Social support could also influence the anxiety scores directly or indirectly and relieve the effects of other factors such as personality and coping style.Conclusions The occurrence of test anxiety was influenced by multiple factors by direct and indirect paths,and should take varies measures to prevent and intervene test anxiety. Key words: Test anxiety ;  Personality ;  Coping style ;  Social support ;  Path analysis ;