TEST FORMAT AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN CIVIC EDUCATIONSTUDENTS’ TEST ANXIETY AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLSTUDENTS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

While test anxiety is mostly seen as negative, a low to moderate level of test anxiety is oftenconsidered beneficial for students to put more efforts for achieving academic excellence.This study investigated how test format and gender affect Civic education students' testanxiety in senior secondary schools in Ogun state. This study adopts a descriptive researchdesign. The population for this study consists of all Civic education students in publicsenior secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.The sample for this study consisted of 188 senior school II students selected through asimple random sampling technique. Three instruments were used for this research, whichwere (1) the Text Anxiety Questionnaire, (2) the Civic Education Objective Test, and (3)the Civic Education Essay Test. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics ofmeans, standard deviation and inferential statistics of t-test. Results showed that themajority (64.3%) of the students preferred the objective test format. It also showed thatthere is a significant difference between the essay and objective test group on Civiceducation test anxiety (t= 1. 270, P < 0.05). It also showed no significant differencebetween male and female students' test anxiety in Civic education (t = .551, P < 0.05). Thestudy concluded that test format matters in Civic education students' test anxiety becausea significant difference was obtained with the objective test group experiencing low testanxiety compared with the essay test group. The study recommends that both objective andessay test formats should be balanced in classroom assessment practices.