The threshold of anxiety in low-stakes testing for foreign language reading

• Published in: Reading in a foreign language Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 92 - 107
• Main Authors: Mikami, Hitoshi, Chi Yui Leung, Yoshikawa, Lisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Honolulu University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center 01.04.2018; Reading in a Foreign Language
• Subjects: Anxiety; Bias; College Students; Competence; Comprehension; Correlation; Educational Objectives; English (Second Language); English as a second language learning; English Learners; Foreign Countries; Fundamental Concepts; High Stakes Tests; Information Storage; Language Proficiency; Language Tests; Likert Scales; Linguistic Competence; Literature Reviews; Psychological Studies; Psychological Testing; Reading comprehension; Reading Materials; Reading Tests; Regression (Statistics); Scores; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Second language reading; Second Languages; Statistical Analysis; Student Attitudes; Test Anxiety; Japan
• ISSN: 1539-0578; 1539-0578

The following question has yet to be answered by researchers: when does anxiety have a systematic downward bias on foreign language (FL) reading test scores? The results of the correlation and regression analyses conducted in this study indicate that, at least in the case of university-level English learners in Japan, anxiety-induced bias occurs in a low-stakes FL reading test when the test becomes objectively challenging for students. Our data also suggest that concerns about unsuccessful text comprehension play a central role in the elevation of anxiety in a low-stakes test situation.