The Role of Test Anxiety and Working Memory in Predicting Students’ Mathematics Performance
Keywords:
Test Anxiety, Working Memory, Mathematics Performance, Academic Achievement, High School Students, Cognitive Factors, Educational PsychologyAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the role of test anxiety and working memory in predicting mathematics performance among female high school students.
Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population consisted of female students enrolled in the second cycle of secondary education in Kermanshah, Iran. A total of 300 students were selected through a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the Test Anxiety Inventory developed by Spielberger (1980), the Wechsler Working Memory assessment, and a researcher-developed Mathematics Performance Test comprising 15 items derived from the mathematics curriculum of the tenth and eleventh grades. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and simultaneous multiple regression analysis in SPSS version 27.
Findings: The results revealed a significant negative relationship between test anxiety and working memory (r = −0.551, p < .001). Test anxiety was also negatively and significantly associated with mathematics performance (r = −0.535, p < .001), whereas working memory demonstrated a significant positive relationship with mathematics performance (r = 0.489, p < .001). Simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that test anxiety and working memory jointly predicted mathematics performance significantly. The multiple correlation coefficient was R = 0.780, and the coefficient of determination was R² = 0.609, indicating that the two predictors explained 60.9% of the variance in mathematics performance. The regression model was statistically significant (p < .001). Standardized regression coefficients showed that test anxiety (β = −0.544, p < .001) negatively predicted mathematics performance, while working memory (β = 0.365, p < .001) positively predicted mathematics performance. Furthermore, test anxiety contributed more strongly to the prediction of mathematics performance than working memory.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that mathematics performance is influenced not only by cognitive abilities such as working memory but also by emotional factors, particularly test anxiety. Reducing test anxiety and strengthening working memory may therefore serve as important targets for educational and counseling interventions aimed at enhancing students’ academic achievement in mathematics.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Khadijeh Zobeidizad (Author); Kamran Yazdanbakhsh
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