The emotional reactions of fourth and fifth grade students prior to taking high-stakes standardized tests

The purpose of this quantitative study was to describe the perceived anxiety of fourth and fifth grade students during the weeks prior to taking high-stakes standardized testing and to determine the variables that predicted this anxiety. Participants were 462 fourth and fifth grade students attending a large public elementary school located 30 minutes outside a large metropolitan city in the southeastern United States. Data sources included a brief teacher survey and a student survey. Data were analyzed by hierarchical linear regression. Findings indicate that student intelligence and achievement test scores; teacher experience and stress; demographic information such as ethnicity, socio-economic status, student enrollment date, grade, and special education, gifted, or English as a Second Language services are significant predictors of student stress.