Sex and Ethnic Differences in Relationships of Test Anxiety to Performance in Science Examinations by Fourth and Eighth Grade Students: Implications for Valid Interpretations of Achievement Test Scores

Test anxiety scores from a 15-item internally consistent instrument (r,, = .73) were correlated with performances on an aggregate science test made up of items administered over an entire school year. Samples of 171 fourth-grade and 187 eighth-grade students were subdivided by sex and race. A tendency was noted for the magnitude of correlations to be (a) higher in grade eight than in grade four, (b) positive for blacks but negative for whites, and (c) about the same for males and females. The data are interpreted as possibly suggesting that test anxiety is operating differentially for black and white students. Implications for the making of interpretations of achievement test behavior are discussed.