Utility of networking procedure for personal problem solving: mapping of test anxiety

Abstract

Minimal research has been conducted on the first stage of problem solving, defining and representing the dimension of the problem. Some difficulties in defining the problem lie in specifying the awareness of the problem dimensions, and in describing the dimensions with the limitations of verbal language. Networking, a spatial representational scheme consisting of nodes and links, was considered to be a good strategy for representing the dimensions of problems. In order to examine the utility of networking as a problem solving tool, test anxiety was chosen as the personal problem area for exploration. The literature on test anxiety suggests many aspects and dimensions of test anxiety, yet no single measurement instrument has been constructed which reflects the different dimensions of test anxiety. Therefore, another part of the study dealt with the construction of a test anxiety instrument, the Test-Taking Questionnaire (TTQ). Three groups of general psychology students were employed: a test anxiety networking group, a test anxiety essay writing group, and a term paper networking group. The Test Anxiety Scale (TAS; Sarason, 1978), the Test-Taking Questionnaire, and an alternate form of the TTQ were administered before and after the experimental treatment manipulations in order to assess change in subjective occurrence, subjective awareness, and subjective impact of test anxiety. To assess the impact of the treatment manipulations on test performance, a short version of the 1980 Scholastic Aptitude Test was administered. Although subjective occurrence and subjective awareness were found to decrease after treatment, no one experimental group was found to differentially effect the change. Eight sub-scales were developed from the TTQ, each of which was found to have substantial reliability and a strong relationship with the TAS. After further assessment, the TTQ should be a valuable instrument in specifying the construct of test anxiety.