GENDER BASED ANALYSIS OF TEST ANXIETY AND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Dr.Shazia Zamir
Assistant Professor, NUML, Islamabad
([email protected])

Dr. Mahek Arshad
Controller of Examinations, FBCOEW, Rawalpindi
([email protected])

Nadia Nazir
PhD Scholar, NUML, Islamabad

Abstract
Self-esteem and test anxiety have been studied closely on the premises of academic settings, since researchers has shown that they have a close interaction with each other. The major drive of the present study was to explore the level of test anxiety and self-esteem of the students of university regarding their gender difference and to determine the relation between test anxiety and self-esteem. Random sample of 73 students (30 male and 43 female) of two leading public sector universities were selected. Data for the present study were collected from the departments of social sciences only with the help of two types of inventories which were: Self Esteem by Todd. F. Heatherton and Spielberger’s State Anxiety Inventory. After collection of data, it was statistically treated and scores of male and female students were compared. T-test, correlation and mean analyses were run for statistical significance of data. Results of the study revealed that a significant negative relationship exists between test anxiety and self-esteem of students. It was also found that female students have significantly higher level of test anxiety as compared to male students. Further a significant difference was found between male and female students on self-esteem, which indicates that male students have high score on self-esteem as compared to female students. By keeping in view, the findings of present research it is concluded that test anxiety is one of the factors which are responsible for students’ self-esteem.
KEYWORDS: Test anxiety, Self-esteem, University students.