The Use of Test Anxiety Assessment and Anxiety Reduction Training to Predict and Improve Performance of Collegiate Pilot Trainees

Abstract

Written, oral, and practical flight tests, along with challenging flying tasks, place pilot trainees in stressful situations. The initial goals of this research were to determine assessment tools for identifying pilot trainees who might perform poorly in stressful flight testing environments, and measure the efficacy of a test anxiety (TA) workshop on anxiety levels and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) knowledge assessments of pilot trainees. The researchers determined that: Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores marginally predict facilitating anxiety levels, and FAA knowledge tests, taken in authentic testing environments, correlate significantly with debilitating anxiety, facilitating anxiety, and FAA exam scores. The researchers recommend continuing longitudinal assessment of freshman flight students that potentially links anxiety and performance on low-risk assessments with these measures on higher-risk practical flight tests. Further study is needed to determine if a more intense anxiety treatment can lower debilitating anxiety, raise facilitating anxiety, or improve performance on FAA exams.

The Incidence of Anxiety among Paramedic Students

“…These assessments can be in the form of written or oral examinations and simulated practical scenarios (1). However, the importance of achieving a good grade can manifest into unwanted stress and anxiety (2). Test anxiety can be defined as a characteristic that causes an individual to view an upcoming assessment as a threat, which can result in debilitating psychological, physical and behavioural symptoms (3).…”

“…Test anxiety can be defined as a characteristic that causes an individual to view an upcoming assessment as a threat, which can result in debilitating psychological, physical and behavioural symptoms (3). It can present with emotional and physiological symptoms including nervousness, shortness of breath, palpitations and feeling of inadequacy (2). Previous poor assessment performance can contribute to test anxiety through conditioning or fear learning (4), while students may bring the burden of poor learning experiences to new learning environments and, if educators do not employ strategies that allow the student to engage and learn, they may not acquire the tools necessary to prepare for assessments (5).…”