There is widespread belief that test-taking ability is an influential component of academic success distinct from domain knowledge and comprehension. Most of today's college students took many more tests over the course of their primary and secondary education than students of previous generations, and also participated in regular training to…

The idea that test anxiety hurts performance is deeply ingrained in American culture and schools. However, researchers have found that it is actually worry about performance and anxiety--not bodily feelings of anxiety (emotionality)--that impairs performance. Drawing on this insight, anxiety reappraisal interventions encourage the view that…

To examine the effects of listening test preparation, we had three groups, two experimental and one control (63 learners total), partake in three types of instruction sandwiched between two equally difficult listening tests (pretests and posttests). The first experimental group took four practice tests and received "explicit"…

This study investigated changes in reported test-taking motivation from a low-stakes to a high-stakes test and if there are differences in reported test-taking motivation between school classes. A questionnaire including scales assessing reported effort, expectancies, perceived importance, interest, and test anxiety was administered to a sample of…

The purpose of this study was to compare high- and low-achieving undergraduate college students on selfefficacy, test anxiety, and self-reported test-taking ability. Eighty students from 2 sections of educational psychology course participated in the study; complete data were collected for 76 students. Before taking their first exam, students…

A structural equation model of relationships among testing-related motivation variables (test value, effort, self-efficacy, and test anxiety), test-taking strategies (test tactics and metacognitive strategies), gender, and math test performance were examined with a sample of 10th graders (N = 438; 182 males and 256 females). In general, motivation…

As teachers of higher education, we expect students to enter college with some understanding of what it means to be an effective learner and the ability to apply effective learning strategies. Unfortunately, many students do not develop effective learning strategies unless they receive explicit instruction and the opportunity to apply these…

This book aims to empower students and teachers to take a fresh look at the learning process. It guides students to become aware of their learning styles and to develop strategies to make their language learning successful. The book includes the following features: questionnaires in every chapter to help learners assess their learning styles;…

A module consisting of eight academic skills is presented to help students achieve success and graduate from Northwestern State University (Louisiana) and other institutions. The elective course is open to all students, and especially for entering freshmen who have a grade point average of 2.0 or who are enrolled in developmental education…