Assessing Test Anxiety in Italian-Speaking Adults: The Italian Multi-Faceted Test Anxiety Questionnaire

Abstract

In order to enable cross-cultural test anxiety research involving Italian-speaking samples, the present chapter reports on the validation of the multi-faceted Italian Test Anxiety Questionnaire (in German: "Prüfungsangstfragebogen"-Italian Version, PAF-I). Currently, validated versions are available in German (PAF) and English (PAF-E). All items were translated by means of a standardized multiple-step procedure. Based on a sample of 745 Italian university students (M age ¼ 21.64, SD ¼ 4.04, 42.8% male, 56.3% female), confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the expected four-factor structure: worry, interference, lack of confidence, and emotionality. Each subscale consists of five items yielding a total of 20 items. Reliability analyses substantiated favorable properties. Weak measurement invariance of the four subscales could be supported for women and