Impact of Test Anxiety and Mindfulness on Academic Performance among University Students

Abstract

The present study aims to analyse the impact of test anxiety and mindfulness on academic performance among university students. The students at the time of test or evaluation face a high level of anxiety, which could badly affect their academic performance. Practicing mindfulness reduce the level of anxiety hence improves the academic performance. Many researchers in the past, studied the causes of test anxiety and low academic performance, and the role of mindfulness in reducing test anxiety and improving the academic performance. This research is quantitative in nature and the questionnaire survey was used to collect the data from the university students. The sample consisted of 350 students (190 males and 160 females) taken from the universities located in Multan district. The “Westside Test Anxiety Scale” is used for the measurement of test anxiety, the “Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale” is used to measure mindfulness and the “Academic Performance Scale” is used for measuring Academic performance. The findings of the results showed that there is a significant relationship between test anxiety, mindfulness and academic performance among students, and there are differences in test anxiety, mindfulness and academic performance in terms of gender. Males have more test anxiety than females and females are high at mindfulness as compare to male, and less differences are found in academic performance among male and female students. Thus, on the basis of findings of this research, it is concluded that male students are more prone to undergo test anxiety and less at being mindful which are the negative qualities which suppress the academic performance. Moreover, this research will be benefited for other researchers in the field of social science particularly, psychology and public health with the literature to support their arguments and hence improved knowledge.