Emotional impact on performance in a mathematical reasoning test for university admission
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Abstract
University entrance exams constitute high-stakes events capable of generating aversive emotions that can affect applicants' performance. Despite their relevance, the specific impact of these emotions on university admission tests that exclusively measure mathematical reasoning has received limited research attention. This study examined, within the framework of Control-Value Theory (Pekrun, 2006), the effect of four factors on performance in a mathematical reasoning test required for admission to specific programs at a Costa Rican university. Participants were 205 final-year high school students, recruited from randomly selected institutions, who were within four months of their university admission process. They completed self-report scales measuring two types of anxiety (test anxiety and mathematics anxiety), as well as their subjective antecedents: mathematical self-efficacy expectancy and perceived importance of the test. Subsequently, an abbreviated version of the mathematical reasoning test was administered. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the influence of emotions and their antecedents on test scores. Results showed that mathematics anxiety exerted a direct negative effect on performance, while mathematical self-efficacy exhibited an indirect effect mediated by this emotion. These findings may guide the design of interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of anxiety on performance in high-stakes mathematics tests.
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