Evaluation of a classroom anxiety scale for secondary-school students

Abstract

School-related anxiety is a frequent phenomenon that affects many students at all levels of education. To reduce students' school-related anxiety, teachers need valid, reliable diagnostic instruments that examine its various forms. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate a new instrument, Classroom Anxiety Scale (CAS), to estimate the incidence of school-related anxiety among secondary students, and to examine the relationships between student demographic characteristics and school-related anxiety. The results show that students experience intensive anxiety related to tests/exams and public speaking, while a small number experience anxiety related to writing tasks and group work. They also show that the Classroom Anxiety Scale (CAS) has satisfactory metric characteristics.