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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 69 (2012) 2119 2123

International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology (ICEEPSY 2012)

Comparative Study of Relationship between General Perceived

Self-efficacy and Test anxiety with Academic Achievement of
Male and Female Students
Ghasem mohammadyari*
Educational Sciences Department, Payame Noor University,Tehran, I.R.of IRAN

Abstract
Recently, the use of non-cognitive measures such as general self-efficacy and test anxiety in predicting academic achievement besides use of
ability tests in predicting academic achievement of learners have much attractiveness to researchers. The aim of this research is comparative
study of relationship between general perceived self-efficacy and test anxiety in academic achievement of male and female students. This study is
the correlation one. In the present study, 350 students (175 males' and175 females) were selected by random sampling method. To measure the
general perceived self-efficacy, it was used self-efficacy questionnaire (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995), to measure the test anxiety, it was used
test anxiety questionnaire (Abolghasemi and colleagues, 1996) and finally to gather demographic data, it was used a prepared inventory. The
results showed that there was a positive significant relationship between general perceived self-efficacy and students academic achievement
(female: r =0.551, P< 0.000,
male: r =0.281, P<0.004) and a negative significant relationship between test anxiety and students academic
achievement (female: r =-0.674, P<0.000, male: r =-0.121, P<0.043). The results of regression analysis showed that in academic achievement of
female students, test anxiety ( -0.084) and in academic achievement of male students, self-efficacy (0.057) had significant predictive power and
in academic achievement of male students, test anxiety and female student's general perceived self-efficacy had no significant predictive power.
As a result, Anxiety as a female characteristic and belief to be capable as a male characteristic can be imagined reasons of success in context of a
gender role.
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Keywords: academic achievement, cultural stereotype, general perceived self-efficacy, students test anxiety

According to Bandura, how people behave can often be better predicted by the beliefs they hold about capabilities,
which he called self-efficacy beliefs, than by what they are actually capable of accomplishing, for these selfperceptions help determine what individual do with the knowledge and skills they have (Pajares & Schunk, 2001). A
strong relation between self-efficacy and general performance of the individuals were observed, Staikovic &
Luthans (1988) through a research on 114 experimental studies, which had considered the relationship between the
self-efficacy and the performance found out that there is a strong and positive relationship between the self-efficacy
and the performance. Perceived self-efficacy is often defined as how students perceive their own ability to solve a
task successfully, to learn an activity, or to perform behaviors at designated levels (Bandura, 1997; Schunk, 2001;
Yang & Cheng, 2009) and self-efficacy influences students' choice of effort, persistence, tasks, and achievement
(Schunk, 2001). Multon Brown & Leni (1991) through a research on 38 studies within the years 1977 to 1988 found
the positive relationship between the self-efficacy and the academic achievements.

* Corresponding author. Tel; 00989141605937; fax: 00984612332556

E-mail address: gmohamadyari@yahoo.com
1877-0428 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Dr. Zafer Bekirogullari of Cognitive Counselling, Research & Conference
Services C-crcs.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.175

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Ghasem mohammadyari / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 69 (2012) 2119 2123

Self-efficacy theory has been widely used to understand gender differences in motivation and achievement patterns.
Most of this research has focused on academic areas that are traditionally sex-typed as male or female domains of
achievement. For example, numerous studies document that boys tend to report higher self-efficacy and expectancy
beliefs than girls about their performance in math and science (Anderan & Young, 1994; Zimmerman & Martinez
Pons, 1990). Also Pajares and Valiante (2001) reported that middle school girls had higher writing self-efficacy than
boys, even though there were no gender differences in actual writing performance.
This study considers gender expectations in relationship between self-efficacy and test anxiety in academic
achievement among males and females students.
Another variable studied in predictive academic achievement in this research is test anxiety. Findings show that
there is a significant negative relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement. Greater anxiety would be
associated with poorer academic achievement (Luigi et al., 2007) and a negative correlation between test anxiety
and students' performances (Onyeizugbo, 2010; Abulghasemi, 2009). Definition of anxiety by Spielbergers (1995)
is emotional state consisting of feeling, tension, apprehension, and its effects on the nervous system. About 10
million students at schools and about 15% to 20% of university students in USA experience test anxiety (Chapel et
al, 2005). Moreover, research shows that older students feel more stressed than younger students, and female
students experience more anxiety than male students (Ginter et al, 1982). Also Feingold (1994), and Pajares, Frank
& kranzler (2002) have shown that female students experience more anxiety than male students. Students with
anxiety disorder exhibit a passive attitude toward their studies such as lack of interest in learning, poor performance
in exams, and do poorly on assignments. Aronen et al (2004) revealed that high levels of anxiety influence on the
decrease of working memory, distraction, and reasoning in students.
2. Methodology
2.1. Population and sample
175 male and 175 female students were selected by simple random sampling from Khoy Payame Noor university.
The age rang is between 1828 and the mean age is 21/45.
2.2. Tools
2.2.1. General perceived self-efficacy scale
General perceived self-efficacy scale has been made by Schwarzer & Jerusalem in 1995. This questionnaire consists
of ten items and grading based on Likert scale four options; completely agree= 4; agree=3; disagree=2; completely
disagree=1.We used Persian version this Scale. Scale reliability was for all students a=0/76, male students a=0 /78
and female students a=0 /74.
2.2.2. Test anxiety scale
:
Anxiety scale has been made by Abolghasemi and et al. In 1996, This questionnaire consists of twenty five items
and grading based on Likert scale four options; never = 0; rarely,=1; sometimes =2; often =3 Cronbach's alpha was
for all students a=0/78, male students a=0 /75 and female students a=0 /79.
2.3 Data analysis
The obtained data were analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). For analysis of
data, Pearson`s correlation, Regression coefficient, one-way analysis and t-test were used.

3. Result

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Ghasem mohammadyari / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 69 (2012) 2119 2123

Table1. Pearson correlation coefficient between self-efficacy, test anxiety and academic achievement of students
based on their sex.
Correlation
Academic achievement
Sig. (2-tailed)
Main
SD
Male 175
Self-efficacy
Female 175
Male 175
Test anxiety
Female 175

0/281**

0/004

30/44

3/257

0/551**

0/000

29/75

4/09

-0/121*

0/043

54/69

15/04

-0/674**

0/000

58/59

15/79

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
As in table 1 are noticeable, relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement is positive significant in
males and females students ( males; r =0/281, p 0/004 and females; r =0/551, p 0/000 ) and also, there is a negative
and significant relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement in males and females students ( male; r
= -0/121, p 0/05 and female; r = -0/678, p 0/000).

Table2. Calculation results of one-way analysis of variance between the predictive variables
R

R2

Regression

0/705

0/491

127/525

Residual
128/839

df

Mean Square

63/763

Sig

60/873

0/000

a. predictors: (constant),
b. dependent variable: Test anxiety
Table 2 shows that F (63/873) is a significant at = 0/000. This indicates that regression is the significant at first and
Secondary, at least one of the independent variables in predicting the dependent variable was effective. To
understanding this it was used partial regression coefficients and t-dependent test, and results have been showed in
table 3.
Table3. results Regression coefficients and T-test concerning the predictive variables
B
(Constant)

16/83

Beta

1/26

Sig.

16/409

0/000

Test anxiety

-0/084

0/012

-0/532

-6/882

0/000

Self-efficacy

0/033

0/010

0/253

1/694

0/095

Dependent Variable: academic achievement

Regression analysis shows that only test anxiety has a significant negative effect on academic achievement in the
females' students.

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Ghasem mohammadyari / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 69 (2012) 2119 2123

Table4. Calculation results of one-way analysis of variance between the predictive variables
R

R2

0/136

0/134

Regression
18/57

Residual

df

120/497

632

Mean Square

9/29

7/864

Sig
0/001

a. predictors: (constant),
b. dependent variable: Test anxiety
Table 4 shows that F (7/864) is a significant at the 0/001 level. This indicates that regression is a significant at first
and secondary, at least one of the independent variables in predicting the dependent variable was effective. To
understanding this we use partial regression coefficients and t-dependent test, and results have been showed in table
5.
Table5. results Regression coefficients and T-test concerning the predictive variables
B

Std. Error

(Constant)

9/313

1/644

Self-efficacy

0/057

0/014

Test anxiety

0/061

0/024

Beta

Sig.

5/665

0/000

0/432

3/938

0/000

0/278

1/793

0/095

Dependent Variable: academic achievement

Regression analysis shows that only self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on academic
achievement in the males' students.
4. Conclusion
The present study investigating the relationship between self-efficacy and test anxiety in academic achievement
among students was based on gender. The study showed that there is a positive significant relationship between selfefficacy and academic achievement among males and females students. Findings are consistent with the findings of
(Multon Brown & Leni, 1991; Staikovic & Luthans, 1988). Furthermore, findings showed that there is a negative
significant relationship between test anxiety and academic achievement among males and females students. Findings
are consistent with the findings of (Luigi et al., 2007; Onyeizugbo, 2010; Abulghasemi, 2009; Aronen et al, 2004).
One of the goals of this study predicted males and females students' academic achievement through the self-efficacy
and test anxiety. The results showed that between self-efficacy and test anxiety, test anxiety had significant
predictive power in females students' academic achievement; while in predicting of males students' academic
achievement, self-efficacy had significant predictive power. This finding indicates that in terms of social
expectations, males students in compare with female students believe that being ability or belief to being an ability
are effective in their greater academic achievement, while Females students in compare with males students, believe
that being anxiety or belief to being anxiety is effective in their lower academic achievement. According to social
expectations, males' students considered that being capable is a male trait. Whereas, female students considered
anxiety is a female trait. As research reported that female students reported more anxiety than male students (Ginter
et al, 1982; Feingold, 1994; Pajares, Frank & kranzler, 2002). It can be said in aggravating or mitigating factors
affecting academic achievement, cultural stereotypes or social expectations have the effective role.
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