The Impact of Anxiety on Test Performance: The Case of 1st year EFL Students at Tlemcen University

Abstract

Test anxiety is a phenomenon that is commonly encountered at university. As an affective factor, it has been investigated in different contexts as psychological and educational fields, since anxiety drives learners to different performance during their test-taking. The aim of this research work is to explore the impact of anxiety on students’ test performance and the importance of teachers’ assessment in increasing or decreasing it. 1 st year EFL students, at the Department of English, Tlemcen University represented the sample population of a case study tocollect data, a students’ questionnaire and a teachers’ interview were used as research instruments. The results were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and they revealed that high test anxiety could demotivate students and might lead to failure as well as the teachers’ assessment which could have an impact on students’ test-anxiety and thus their performance.