THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEST ANXIETY AND PARENTING IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, MALEKSHAHI, ILAM

Test anxiety, which is one of the main obstacles of education systems at different levels, is one of the most common phenomena among students. Regarding the effect of test anxiety on academic performance, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between test anxiety and parenting in Malekshahi city of Ilam. The present research is a descriptive cross-sectional study and the statistical population includes all male and female students of high school in Maleshahi city. The subjects were randomly selected from female students and graduated students. For this purpose, Sarason's test anxiety questionnaire was used, which has 25 questions. The data collected were analyzed by SPSS version 18 through using descriptive-analytical statistics and chi-squared statistical test. 100 high school students, 50 females and 50 females, with mean age of 48.78±1.74 for the fathers and 40.94±1.60 years for the mothers, participated in the present study. There was a significant relationship between the decisive method of childbearing and test anxiety (P<0.05). Also, there was a significant relationship between the level of test anxiety and parenting education (P<0.05). According to the findings of the present study, there is a direct relationship between parenting, education, and occupational status of parents with test performance of students; therefore, strict parenting, low level of education, and unemployment can be considered as predisposing factors in increasing the amount of test-anxiety. Therefore, holding counseling and distributing brochures for parents can help reduce testanxiety. Key words: Test Anxiety, Parenting, High school students, Malekshahi, Ilam.