The relationship between psychological resilience, hope levels and test anxiety in high school students

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between high school students' levels of psychological resilience, hope, and exam anxiety. Additionally, the research investigated whether there were differences in psychological resilience, hope, and exam anxiety levels based on demographic variables. A correlational survey model was employed in the study, with a sample consisting of 694 high school students from the Milas district of Muğla province during the academic year 2022-2023. Data were collected using the Westside Test Anxiety Scale, the Continuous Hope Scale, the Short Psychological Resilience Scale, and a Personal Information Form. Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey HSD post hoc tests, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were utilized to analyze the data. The research findings revealed that the level of exam anxiety among high school students differed based on gender, grade level, type of high school, and perceived parental attitude. Moreover, students' levels of psychological resilience and hope varied according to gender, grade level, and perceived parental attitudes. However, there was no significant difference in exam anxiety, psychological resilience, and hope levels based on students' academic support status. Moderate negative correlations were found between exam anxiety and psychological resilience, while a low negative correlation was observed between exam anxiety and hope. Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation was identified between students' psychological resilience and hope levels. According to multiple regression results, exam anxiety, psychological resilience, hope, gender, perceived parental attitude, and type of high school accounted for 18% of the variance. Psychological resilience emerged as the most significant predictor of exam anxiety, followed by school type, parental attitude, gender, and hope level. The findings obtained have been discussed in the light of the literature, and recommendations have been provided. KEYWORDS: High school, Test anxiety, Psychological resilience, Hope