The Mediating Role of Test Anxiety in the Relationship Between Automatic Thoughts and Academic Achievement in Elementary School Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship
between automatic thoughts during learning and school
achievement, with emphasis on the mediating role of the
cognitive and physiological aspects of test anxiety. A total of
256 sixth- and seventh-grade elementary school students
(52.8% female; Mage = 12.80 years, SDage = 0.73)
participated in the study. Validated questionnaires assessing
automatic thoughts and test anxiety were used, and the data
on students' overall academic success and self-assessment of
satisfaction with themselves as students were collected. The
path analysis revealed a positive direct effect of positive
automatic thoughts on the student's satisfaction, while
thoughts reflecting a lack of motivation and interest in
learning had a positive direct effect on the final grade.
Thoughts reflecting fear of failure showed a negative direct
effect on measures of school achievement, partially mediated
by the physiological signs of test anxiety. The findings
contribute to the understanding of emotional-cognitive
mechanisms underlying school functioning and imply the
importance of their integration into school prevention and
intervention programmes.