The role of uncertainty tolerance in lowering test anxiety and enhancing English achievement

Abstract

Test anxiety is generally perceived to impede L2 achievement. One focus of test anxiety studies has been on predictors of test anxiety, aiming to detect factors that may reduce the harm of test anxiety to L2 achievement. Considerable efforts have been invested in psychological and contextual factors at the neglect of cognitive factors such as uncertainty tolerance. The current study examined the interplay between uncertainty tolerance and test anxiety in predicting L2 achievement, with a focus on the mediation of test anxiety between uncertainty tolerance and L2 achievement. Participants involved 400 Grade 10 students from a high school in East China. Structural equation modeling results showed that (1) test anxiety was negatively associated with L2 achievement, (2) uncertainty tolerance was positively associated with L2 achievement, and (3) test anxiety partly mediated the relationship between uncertainty tolerance and L2 achievement. The study provided theoretical and practical implications for L2 instruction.