An examination of the relationship between state ? trait anxiety levels, test anxiety levels and parental attitudes in the 8th grade primary school students

In this study, it was examined that whether there is a meaningful relationship between levels of state / trait anxiety, levels of test anxiety, and parental attitudes in 8th grade primary school students. Also, it was examined that whether there is a meaningful differentiation between state anxiety, trait anxiety, and levels of test anxiety of students based on some variables.The sample of the research consisted of the students of Kazımpaşa and Cumhuriyet Primary Schools of in the district of Torbalı in İzmir province. The students in the sample were the 8th grade students during the 2007 - 2008 semester. The number of the sample was 251 in which there were 122 female and 129 male students.?State / Trait Anxiety Inventory? was conducted with the purpose of assessing the anxieties of the students; ?Test Anxiety Inventory? was conducted with the purpose of assessing the attitudes of the students toward exams; ?Parental Attitude Scale? was conducted with the purpose of assessing how the students perceive the attitudes of their parents. ?Personal Information Form?, prepared by the researcher, was used in order to gather some information about the students.The data were analyzed with means of SPSS 13 Windows package software. In the analyses; t test, variance analysis, and Pearson Moments Multiplication Correlation technique were used.The findings of the research can be summarized as follows:It was determined that there was a meaningful differentiation between levels of state anxiety of students based on the monthly revenue of the parents, whether the students are pleased with their primary schools and their classrooms, the students? evaluation of their level of success in lessons, from whom the students get assistance about their lessons problems.It was determined that there was a meaningful differentiation between levels of trait anxiety of students based on the marital status of the parents, the monthly revenue of the parents, the ranking of the students among the brothers / sisters, whether the students are pleased with their classrooms, the students? evaluation of their level of success in lessons.It was determined that there was a meaningful differentiation between levels of test anxiety of students based on the monthly revenue of the parents, the gender of the students, from whom the students get assistance about their lessons problems.The correlation between state anxiety levels of students and protective / demanding attitude and authoritarian attitude, between trait anxiety levels of students and protective / demanding attitude and authoritarian attitude, between test anxiety levels of students and protective / demanding attitude and authoritarian attitude was found to be as positive and meaningful. The correlation between state anxiety levels of students and democratic attitude and between trait anxiety levels of students and democratic attitude was found to be as negative and meaningful.It was determined that there was a meaningful relationship between levels of state / trait anxiety, levels of test anxiety, and parental attitudes in 8th grade primary school students.Key Words: State ? Trait Anxiety, Test Anxiety, Parental Attitudes