Adaptation of children’s test anxiety scale to Turkish

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to adapt the “Children’s Test Anxiet Scale (CTAS)" developed by Wren and Benson (2004) into Turkish. The original scale was in English and comprised of three factors including 30 items. Seven experts were involved in the adaptation process to translate the scale into Turkish and then back to English for providing evidence based on the consistency between the two forms. Following the translation process, a pilot study was conducted and the scale was given its final form. The Turkish form was administered to 1100 students who were attending to 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes in 3 public schools. Findings regarding the construct validity of the scale, which were obtained from the confirmatory analysis, supported the three-factor structure of the original scale. Subdimensions of the scale were Thoughts, Off-Task Behaviors, and Autonomic Reactions. Cronbach Alpha coefficients for the overall scale (a= .88) as well as the subdimensions of Thoughts (a= .82), Off-Task Behaviors (a= .72), and Autonomic Reactions (a= .75) were substantial in size. Regarding the discriminant validity analyses, there were no significant gender differences in students’ test anxiety while there were significant grade level differences. These results demonstrated that the Turkish version of the scale is a valid and reliable instrument, which may serve as useful in measuring elementary school students’ test anxiety levels. Directions for future research and practical implications for educational practice are discussed in terms of mathematics education. © 2017, Ankara University. All rights reserved.