The influence of negative affect on test anxiety and academic performance: An examination of the tripartite model of emotions

Abstract Background Investigating the role of positive and negative emotions within the context of test anxiety and test performance is a growing field of research. Aim Based on the tripartite model of emotions (TME), this study tested the hypothesis that higher tendencies to experience negative affect and physiological hyperarousal would predict higher levels of test anxiety, while the experience of positive affect would not influence test anxiety. The present study also explored whether the broadly defined dimensions of the tripartite model are useful for predicting educational outcomes. Sample One hundred and eighty-eight secondary school students (aged 16–19) were recruited in a prospective design study. Method Participants completed self-reported measures of the variables of interest. Structural equation modelling was employed to examine the relationships among these variables, and evaluate whether these relationships are consistent with the TME. Results The findings were partly consistent with the TME, in particular, negative affect contributed to greater levels of test-specific worries, such as the personal and social consequences of failing. Such worries, in turn, directly impaired test performance, while the influence of negative affect on test performance was mediated by test anxiety. Conclusions The general construct of negative emotions appeared to be too broad for its influence to be detected, while more specific constructs such as the factors of test anxiety were useful predictors of test performance. The facilitative role of test anxiety was also identified, insofar as emotional apprehension or tension in the absence of intrusive cognitive worries had a positive influence on test performance.