Test anxiety and hexaco personality traits as correlates of academic stress among secondary school students in Kiambu County, Kenya
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Date
2025-06
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Academic stress is a common phenomenon among students. It may be accelerated by the anxiety they experience especially during exams coupled with their different personality traits which may result in poor academic performance. This study established how test anxiety and HEXACO personality traits relate to academic stress among high school students in Kiambu County. It had sought to establish the extent to which test anxiety and HEXACO personality traits predicted academic stress. Gender differences in HEXACO personality traits and test anxiety were also tested. The study was guided by the Stress and Coping Theory of Stress by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) and HEXACO theory by Lee and Ashton (2009). Convergent parallel mixed methods design was used. The study targeted 37 schools with a population of 3500 (1900 boys, 1600 girls) form three students from public secondary schools in Kiambu County. The researcher purposively sampled form three students. Stratified sampling was used to sample schools based on whether they were single sex or coeducational. Four schools and 346 form three students (195 boys and 151 girls) were randomly sampled to participate in the study. Westside test anxiety scale was used to measure test anxiety, HEXACO-Personality Inventory-Revised measured HEXACO personality traits and Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents measured academic stress. A pilot study involving 35 students for the quantitative data and 5 students for the qualitative data was carried out in one school which was not part of the actual study to test the validity and reliability of the research instruments. Data was collected through administering of questionnaires and conducting interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic data. Inferential statistics, specifically Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, independent samples t-test, and multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses of the study. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The results indicated a positive and significant relationship between test anxiety and academic stress (r (344) = .35, p < .05). Honesty-Humility personality trait had a negative and significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = -.14, p < .05). The emotionality personality trait had a positive and significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = .26, p < .05). The extraversion personality trait had a negative and significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = -.11, p < .05). Agreeableness personality trait had a negative and significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = -.19, p < .05). Conscientiousness personality trait had a negative and significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = -.23, p <.05). Openness personality trait had a positive and non-significant relationship with academic stress (r (344) = .05, p >.05). There were significant gender differences in students’ test anxiety (t (342) = - 5.99, p < .05) but gender differences in HEXACO personality traits were not statistically significant (t (342) = .98, p > .05). Test anxiety and HEXACO personality traits were found to predict academic stress among the students (R = .52). Qualitative results also found that test anxiety, HEXACO personality traits were related to students’ academic stress. In light of the above findings, the study recommended that school administrators and teachers should expose the learners to as many tests as possible as the familiarity with tests may reduce their anxiety levels. It also recommended that teachers should be keen to note the personality differences in the learners so as to tailor make the learning and instruction process to cater for the different personality traits in a classroom. This will not only reduce the academic stress among students but will also improve the overall academic performance.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of a degree of doctor of philosophy (Educational Psychology) in the School Of Education And Lifelong Learning Of Kenyatta University, June 2025
Supervisors:
Dr. Elizabeth Mwaniki
Dr. Edward Kigen