The effects of design factors on students' success and test anxiety in electronic tests

The purpose of this study to determine the effects of test design factors on students? success and test anxiety in electronic tests. The study was conducted in 2x4 factorial design. The study model has two variables. The first variable is an independent variable with two groups; test environment is/is not in accordance with principles of design based on between-group measurements under different experimental conditions. The second one is measurement variable which is applied in order to describe the change of success obtained by participation of students into these tests based on time and has Test 1, Test 2, Test 3, and Test 4 including repeated measurements. The other dependent variable of the study is test anxiety in electronic environment. In this study, variable of test anxiety in electronic environment was measured for 4 weeks, which is experimental period of the study, as done in the variable of success. General test anxiety was chosen as another variable in the study. General test anxiety was measured for once before the experimental procedures. General test anxiety was considered as the control variable.The sample group of the study consists of 46 third-year students attending at Sakarya University, Faculty of Education, Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies in spring term of 2011-2012 academic year.The two-factor ANOVA test for success changes obtained by students in experimental groups during experimental procedures and two-factor ANCOVA test for comparing electronic test anxieties were conducted using SPSS 19 software program.As a result of the study, it was determined that success of participating students in electronic tests was affected by design factors of the test they took. In tests conducted in repeated measurements, success of the students in the tests in design environment taking principles of design into consideration was higher in comparison to success of those in tests in environment designed without taking principles of design into account. When general test anxieties of students, who were subjected to experimental conditions, in test environments designed and not designed by taking principles of design into consideration were controlled, it was found out that there was no difference between electronic test anxiety levels of students for four tests. When opinions of students were taken in the study, the fact that the students could not get back the questions answered later was determined to create anxiety over students. The students were affected by majority of design factors in general and could not get used to negativities caused by noncompliance with principles of design in time.Keywords: Electronic test, design factors, achievement, success, anxiety.