Early Indicators of Study Delay and Dropout: Test Anxiety and its Link to Exam Participation and Performance

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between test anxiety and early indicators of dropout at the largest distance university in Germany. Specifically, we examined how test anxiety correlated with first-year students’ intention to take their first exam, the postponement of it and their performance in it ( N = 542). Results indicated a negative association of (motivational) test anxiety with students’ intention to sit the exam. The postponement of the exam did not correlate with test anxiety. However, our results suggest that male students and students with a migration background were more likely to postpone the exam when test anxiety was high. Furthermore, we observed a strong negative association between (motivational) test anxiety and performance. Additionally, there was a negative association of the intention to sit the exam and exam postponement. Participation intention weakened the negative association between test anxiety and performance. Our findings provide insights for developing interventions aimed at reducing dropout.