The relationship of Piagetian cognitive development and text anxiety to academic performance in disadvantaged college students.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of Piagetian cognitive development and test anxiety to academic performance in disadvantaged college students. The purpose of the study was to determine if cognitive reasoning ability had a more significant relationship to academic performance than test anxiety. The study also sought to determine the predictability of academic performance based on cognitive reasoning ability and level of test anxiety. The data were obtained from 31 college students (23 women, 8 men) participating in the Student Support Services project at Emporia State University. Each of the participants in this study completed the Arlin Test of Formal Reasoning (ATFR), The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAl) and a questionnaire designed to obtain self reported data on other extraneous variables believed to have a possible impact on the dependent variable (academic performance). Results obtained from the ATFR indicated that only 35% of the students scored at the formal reasoning level. While correlations were found between the ATFR scores and grade point average, and between level of test anxiety and grade point average, none of these relationships were found to be significant. A multiple regression model was used to determine the predictability of academic performance based on the predictor variables cognitive reasoning and level of test anxiety. While the results supported the alternative hypothesis that cognitive reasoning ability has a stronger effect on academic performance than test anxiety, again, the level of significance was not sufficient to conclusively support this hypothesis. While the findings in this study supported the null hypothesis, they also suggest that there may be a stronger association between cognitive reasoning and academic performance and a weaker association between level of test anxiety and academic performance than previously believed. It was concluded that the sample size was insufficient to yield conclusive results in this study. It was recommended that further research be conducted in this area utilizing sampling procedures which will result in a useful sample size. In spite of the lack of influence that the independent variables had on academic performance, it is strongly suggested that further research be conducted on these factors.