The effects of modes of test administration on test anxiety and test scores: A study in an Indonesian school

Sahlan, Alberth, Wahyudin Madil
Universitas Halu Oleo, Indonesia
Hutnisyawati
SMPN 12 Konawe Selatan, Indonesia

Online testing is now becoming more prevalent internationally, across different educational levels. However, little is known about the impact of this mode of testing on male and female students' anxiety levels and test performance. Conducted in an Indonesian sociocultural context which is under-represented in the international literature, this paper presents results from a study examining the effect of two different modes of testing (online and paper-and-pencil tests) on test takers' anxiety levels and test scores. A total of 243 (99 males, 144 females) junior high school students were recruited. These students were assigned to either paper-and-pencil or online testing. The PHCC test anxiety questionnaire was administered immediately after the test. A 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA revealed that neither gender, mode of test administration nor the interaction between gender and mode of testing impacted on students' anxiety levels. The main effect of gender and the interaction effect between gender and mode of testing on test scores were significant. Students who experienced high anxiety levels performed significantly poorer than those who had medium or low anxiety levels.
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Authors: Dr Sahlan is a senior lecturer currently working at the Department of Indonesian Language and Literature Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Halu Oleo, Indonesia. He has taught a range of courses, including language testing and evaluation, education profession, literary theory, and language teaching research. His research interests include language testing and integration of local wisdom in education. Email: sahlan.kdi@gmail.com Dr Alberth holds a PhD in language and intercultural education from Curtin University, Australia, and is currently a senior lecturer attached to the Department of English Language Education, Universitas Halu Oleo. Alberth's research interests encompass computer-assisted language learning, applied linguistics and teaching English as a foreign language. Alberth has published extensively in a wide array of internationally refereed journals, including book chapters, and has presented at various national and international conferences. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-1712 Email: alberth@uho.ac.id Wahyudin Madil is a lecturer at the Department of English Language Education, Universitas Halu Oleo, Indonesia, and is presently pursuing a doctorate in educational technology at State Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia. He has taught a range of courses, including web-based learning, critical reading, and computer assisted language learning. His research interests include mobile assisted language learning, teaching English as a foreign language and media in language teaching. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9964-2921 Email: wahyu.md@uho.ac.id, wahyuddin.uho@gmail.com Hutnisyawati is an English teacher at SMPN 12 Konawe Selatan, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Holding a masters degree in language education, Hutnisyawati's research interests include teaching strategies, teaching techniques, and critical thinking skills. Email: nischajuddah@gmail.com, hutnisyawati.kdi@gmail.com Please cite as: Sahlan, Alberth, Madil, W. & Hutnisyawati (2021). The effects of modes of test administration on test anxiety and test scores: A study in an Indonesian school. Issues in Educational Research, 31(3), 952-971. http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/sahlan.pdf