Criterion Validity
Criterion validity or concrete validity is a powerful means of establishing the validity of a test. In regards to test scores, variables that can be compared include test scores and anxiety levels (Csikszentmihalyi " Larson, 2014). A comparison of the two variables helps to establish the relationship between anxiety measure and decreased test scores.
Anxiety and Test Scores
Anxiety is one significant filter that determines success or failure in education. The level of anxiety that people experience is usually different. Increased anxiety is related to decreased test scores while reduced anxiety results in increased test scores. A little anxiety is safe and good since it motivates someone and increases individual achievement by pushing the person to perform their best (Csikszentmihalyi " Larson, 2014). However, too much anxiety has a negative effect on an individual as it disturbs mental skills needed by students to successful partake tests. Test anxiety is a major worrying factor in learning institutions.
Effects of Test Anxiety
It is common for students with test anxiety not to be able to fully concentrate on questions which lead to poor performance. Hence, anxious children are more likely to perform below their expectations and capabilities. Students with multiple episodes of anxiety that have not been treated by a licensed practitioner can face more severe health disorders that will automatically affect their future academic development.
Fight-or-Flight Response
Students with test anxiety are also known to have a fight-or-flight response. The response can be understood by considering a case of someone walking in a dark alley and encounters a large snake. The individual's body will instinctively prepare to flee. In such a case, the person will run faster than he has ever thought he could. Since the person feels anxious, his brain associates his anxiety with danger. The body reacts as it would in any other traumatic situation. A student taking a sensitive test triggers similar emotions.
References
Csikszentmihalyi, M., " Larson, R. (2014). Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 35-54). Springer Netherlands.
