RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Multisite Study Assessing the Effect of Cognitive Test Anxiety on Academic and Standardized Test Performance
JF American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
JO Am J Pharm Educ
FD American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
SP 8041
DO 10.5688/ajpe8041
VO 85
IS 1
A1 Pate, Adam N.
A1 Neely, Stephen
A1 Malcom, Daniel R.
A1 Daugherty, Kimberly K.
A1 Zagar, Michelle
A1 Medina, Melissa S.
YR 2021
UL http://www.ajpe.org/content/85/1/8041.abstract
AB Objective. To evaluate the degree of cognitive test anxiety (CTA) present in student pharmacists at multiple pharmacy programs in the United States and to determine if there are associations between self-reported CTA and relevant academic outcomes.Methods. All 2018-2019 advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students from three US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs (N=260) were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a validated 37-question survey that included the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2) along with demographics-related questions. Responses were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallace, and multiple linear regression where appropriate.Results. One hundred twenty-four students (48%) from the three programs participated in the study, and the individual data of 119 (46%) were included in the final analysis. Twenty-two students (18.5%) were classified as having high CTA, 41 (34.5%) as having moderate CTA, and 56 (47.1%) as having low CTA. High CTA predicted a 8.9 point lower NAPLEX total scaled score after accounting for other variables and was also correlated with lower cumulative didactic GPA, performance on the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA), and increased likelihood of requiring course remediation.Conclusion. High cognitive test anxiety affects 18% of pharmacy students and may significantly impact their performance on a variety of traditional student success measures, including the NAPLEX. Pharmacy educators should consider further use and adoption of test anxiety measurements to identify and assist potentially struggling students.