Exam Anxiety in Romanian Students: A Preliminary Validation of the Westside Test Anxiety Scale

Barbu Andreea (), Woldeab Daniel (), Brothen Thomas () and Deselnicu Dana Corina ()
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Barbu Andreea: National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Woldeab Daniel: Metropolitan State University, Twin Cities, MN, USA
Brothen Thomas: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
Deselnicu Dana Corina: National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 2025, vol. 19, issue 1, 2024-2033

Abstract: Exam anxiety can influence academic performance, which requires the use of valid psychometric tools. This pilot study evaluated the test-retest reliability and linguistic equivalence of the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS) among Romanian students. The scale was translated and revised, and the questionnaire was administered online, in two stages, at an interval of two weeks, analyzing the data of 39 students who completed both administrations. The results indicated moderate to good reliability, with greater stability in the English version (r = 0.516 - 0.763) than in the Romanian version (r = 0.495 - 0.873), and linguistic equivalence was confirmed by high correlations between versions (r = 0.565 - 0.928). However, certain items in the Romanian version showed high variability, suggesting the need for a revision of the translation. This pilot research supports the use of WTAS in Romanian, but recommends adjustments for clarity, and future studies will target a larger sample and controlled administration, to obtain more robust data on the validity of the scale.

Keywords: test anxiety; Westside Test Anxiety Scale; language equivalence; test-retest reliability; bilingual students; higher education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:poicbe:v:19:y:2025:i:1:p:2024-2033:n:1019

DOI: 10.2478/picbe-2025-0158

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