Development and Validation of a Scale Assessing Test Anxiety in Physical Education

Abstract

Purpose: There is currently no scale assessing test anxiety in physical education (PE), despite the specificities of this class (e.g., body image, failure in front of peers). Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to develop a specific scale named the “Revised Test Anxiety and Regulatory Dimension of Anxiety in Physical Education” (RTAR-PE). Method: Self-report data were collected from 281 (Study 1) and 390 (Study 2) students in French schools (age range: 13–18 years). Results: Study 1 showed that the RTAR-PE scale has acceptable psychometric properties. Study 2 confirmed the results of Study 1 and showed the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validities of the scale. Gender differences were found, with girls showing higher PE test anxiety than boys. Discussion/Conclusion: The RTAR-PE is a newly available scale assessing the different facets of test anxiety in PE (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension, and perceived control) considering the specificities of this class.

The relationships between the 3 × 2 achievement goal model and test anxiety in Physical Education

“…Test anxiety. Test anxiety was assessed with the RTAR-PE scale (Danthony et al, 2019). Four items assessed the worry dimension of PE test anxiety (e.g.…”

“…Mastery-avoidance goals were positively correlated with worry and somatic tension (Putwain et al, 2010;Putwain and Symes, 2012), performance-approach goals were positively related to bodily symptoms (Putwain et al, 2010), and performanceavoidance goals were positively related to worry and somatic tension (Putwain and Symes, 2012). The only study (Danthony et al, 2019) assessing test anxiety in PE and achievement goals showed that approach-based goals were negatively correlated with worry and self-focus, and positively correlated with perceived control. Mastery-approach goals were negatively correlated with bodily symptoms, while performance-approach goals were negatively correlated with somatic tension.…”

“…This exposure to others (Warburton, 2017) may be particularly stressful during evaluations and examinations because the results are immediately available and known to all (Barkoukis et al, 2005) and may lead to social pressure (Liukkonnen et al, 2010). Recently, the Revised Test Anxiety and Regulatory Dimension of Anxiety in Physical Education scale (RTAR-PE, Danthony et al, 2019) was developed based on the initial RTA scale (Benson and El-Zahhar, 1994) to assess five dimensions of test anxiety in the specific context of PE: worry (more fear of failure than during the PE lesson), self-focus (what might others say or think about my performance in the PE examination task? ), bodily symptoms (more accelerating heartbeats, more breathing difficulty than during the PE lesson), somatic tension (more tiredness, more nervousness than during the PE lesson), and perceived control (the positive dimension of anxiety representing the belief in one's capacity to have a good PE grade).…”

Perceived Paternal Attitudes Predict Test Anxiety Beyond the Effect of Neuroticism: A Study in the Context of University Entrance Examination in Turkey

“…Moreover, according to a current meta-analytic review, test anxiety is more prevalent among middle school students (Von der Embse, Jester, Roy & Post, 2018). In terms of gender, it has been shown that females have higher levels of test anxiety than males (Arnold, 2002;Núñez-Peñaa, Suárez-Pellicioni, & Bono, 2016;Ely & Jastrowski-Mano, 2019;Danthony, Mascret, & Cury, 2019). A study conducted among elementary school children concluded that central exams are more anxiety-provoking than classroom testing (Segool, Carlson, Goforth, von der Embse, & Barterian, 2013).…”

Turkish Validity and Reliability of Physical Education and Sport Course Exam Anxiety Scale

“…This situation is similar in physical education and sport courses and measuring this exam anxiety level seems important. The purpose of this study was to adapt the physical education and sport course exam anxiety scale developed by Danthony, Mascret and Cury (2019) to Turkish context. Adaptation process of the scale was executed by two language experts.…”