Abstract: The main objective of the present paper is to examine the relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety in high school students. The population consisted of 100 male students of Sadra private high school of Sar-ePol-e-Zahab city who were selected by random sampling and filled religious orientation questionnaire of Alport and  Ross (1962), questionnaire of demographics, hardiness questionnaire of Polty, Bartenon, Robert, Youground, Kathleen, Gary and Ingram (1989), and Spilberger&apos;s questionnaire of exam anxiety (1980). Results of correlation test showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between hardiness components (commitment, control, challenge and the overall hardiness) and exam anxiety. This means that an increase in students&apos; hardiness decreases their exam anxiety. Correlation analysis results also indicated a positive and significant relationship between hardiness components and educational performance. This means that and increase in students&apos; hardiness enhances their educational performance (p &lt; 0.05). [Javad Khalatbari, Shohreh Ghorbanshirodi, Mostafa Akhshabi. The relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety in students. Life Sci J 2013;10(2s):185-188] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 3

Javad Khalatbari

Mostafa Akhshabi

Shohreh Ghorbanshirodi

CiteSeerX

Life Science Journal 2013;10(2s)                                                          http://www.lifesciencesite.com 
 
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The relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety in students 
 
Javad Khalatbari1, Shohreh Ghorbanshirodi2, Mostafa Akhshabi3 
 
1Department of Psychology, Ramsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ramsar, Iran 
2Department of Psychology, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tonekabon, Iran 
3Department of Management, Ramsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ramsar, Iran 
 
Abstract: The main objective of the present paper is to examine the relationship between hardiness and exam 
anxiety in high school students. The population consisted of 100 male students of Sadra private high school of Sar-e-
Pol-e-Zahab city who were selected by random sampling and filled religious orientation questionnaire of Alport and 
Ross (1962), questionnaire of demographics, hardiness questionnaire of Polty, Bartenon, Robert, Youground, 
Kathleen, Gary and Ingram (1989), and Spilberger's questionnaire of exam anxiety (1980). Results of correlation test 
showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between hardiness components (commitment, control, 
challenge and the overall hardiness) and exam anxiety. This means that an increase in students' hardiness decreases 
their exam anxiety. Correlation analysis results also indicated a positive and significant relationship between 
hardiness components and educational performance. This means that and increase in students' hardiness enhances 
their educational performance (p < 0.05).  
[Javad Khalatbari, Shohreh Ghorbanshirodi, Mostafa Akhshabi. The relationship between hardiness and exam 
anxiety in students. Life Sci J 2013;10(2s):185-188] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 32 
 
Keywords: hardiness, exam anxiety,students 
 
Introduction  
          Anxiety is a cognitive – emotional alarm which 
warns an imminent danger. Hence, it is considered as 
a reaction which prepares an individual to face a kind 
of danger or threat. During their growth children and 
adolescents experience a wide variety of anxiety. 
These experiences are sometimes so severe that 
harden their daily and educational life. Exam anxiety 
is one of these anxiety types (Hill, 1984). In 1940 
researchers found that a type of inquietude results in 
severe anxiety and absence from school in children 
and they can't express their fear. This was not 
understandable for both teachers and students. A great 
deal of research was accomplished in this field since 
then and Sarason and Mandle began exam anxiety 
research since 1952 (Abolghasemi, 2004). According 
to researchers' estimations, annually around 10 million 
pre-university and 15% of university students in the 
US experience exam anxiety (Dendato and Dinner, 
1986). Different studies have reported the prevalence 
of students' exam anxiety as 10 – 15% (Mc Reynolds, 
1987; quoted from Abolghasemi, 2003).  
          Sarason identifies exam anxiety as an 
intellectual struggle with oneself which is specified by 
a doubt on oneself capabilities and often leads to a 
negative cognitive evaluation, lack of concentration, 
undesired physiologic reactions and degradation of 
educational performance (Hughes, 1988). No 
integrated and compatible research is done on the 
relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety. 
Hence, the present paper examines the correlation 
between psychological hardiness and exam anxiety 
and educational performance of students.  
Research Hypotheses  
1. There is a significant relationship between 
psychological hardiness (commitment, challenge 
and control) and exam anxiety.  
2. There is a relationship between psychological 
hardiness (commitment, challenge and control) 
and educational performance. 
 
 Method Population, Sample and Sampling Method 
           The study of research is correlationed.The 
research population is composed of all male students 
of Sadra private high school (Kermanshah province) 
in the year 2011 – 2012. 100 students were selected by 
random sampling to represent the research sample.  
 
Survey Tools 
A). Hardiness questionnaire: the hardiness 
questionnaire developed by Polty, Bartenon, Robert, 
Youground, Kathleen, Larry and Ingram (1989) was 
used to evaluate students' hardiness. This is a self-
report, pencil-paper scale having 45 items and the 
individual chooses form options: "completely wrong", 
"partly correct", "correct" and "completely correct". 
Gaining high scores in this test indicates high 
hardiness. The test evaluates commitment, challenge 
and control (aspects of psychological hardiness). 
Kiamarsi (1997) examined the reliability of this scale 
using test-retest and internal consistency methods. The 
correlation coefficient of tested individuals in test and 
retest was r = 0.84. Besides, the correlation coefficient 
of test and retest of scores for tested females was r = 
0.85 and that of males was r = 0.84. For internal 
consistency the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient from 
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normative data was (n=253 females and n=257 males 
were tested) and that of the whole tested individuals 
was 0.76, for females was 0.74 and for males was 
0.76. The validity coefficient of psychological 
hardiness was 0.48 for commitment, 0.35 for control 
and 0.38 for challenge. Moreover, internal consistency 
coefficients of psychological hardiness for control, 
commitment and challenge was 0.82, 0.66 and 0.62, 
respectively and 0.85 for the whole measure (quoted 
from Kiamarsi, 1997). Validity of hardiness 
questionnaire was 0.68 in the present paper (using 
Cronbach's Alpha).  
B). Spilberger's questionnaire of exam anxiety: this 
questionnaire was developed by Spilberger in 1980 
and includes 20 items which describe reactions before, 
during and after e certain exam. The exam anxiety 
questionnaire contains two micro tests of "worrying" 
and "emotionality" to evaluate individuals' differences 
in anxiety. Some items of the questionnaire are based 
on exam anxiety scale and the others are provided by 
developers. This is a self-report questionnaire and 
every individual must select and answer from 4 
possible choices: "almost never", "sometimes", "most 
often" and "almost always". These choices are scored 
as 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Marking high scores in 
this test indicates high exam anxiety. Moreover, 
minimum and maximum scores here are 20 and 80, 
respectively. Items 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 14 and 19 
evaluate "worrying" and items 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 
15, 18, 20 examine "emotionality" in this 
questionnaire. Spilberger has developed and validated 
the questionnaire in a research on school and 
university students. Based on the "state – adjective" 
theory, "worrying" is the adjective and "emotionality" 
is the state. Anastazi (1988) believes that the 
questionnaire of exam anxiety examines the adjective 
first and is constrained to a certain class of states 
around exam time. Despite traditional and 
conventional exam anxiety scales, this questionnaire 
suggests that worrying is not a more important 
component intervening the exam performance but is a 
combination of high emotionality and worrying scores 
which influences the exam performance. The 
Cronbach's Alpha was reported to be higher than 0.92 
for male and female samples. Besides, retest reliability 
coefficients were 0.80 after three weeks and one 
month (Register et al, 1991). Al Zahr (1991), Anton et 
al (1991) and Bandalous et al (1995) reported the 
Cronbach's Alpha of 0.92 – 0.97 for the questionnaire. 
This questionnaire is correlated with Sarason and 
Stop's (1978) exam anxiety scales for bys (0.82) and 
girls (0.83). The correlation between the "worrying" 
micro scale of the questionnaire and that of Morris 
and Libert (1967) is reported to be 0.73 and 0.69 for 
boys and girls, respectively. Furthermore, this 
correlation between the micro scale of emotionality in 
this questionnaire and that of Morris and Libert's was 
0.77 and 0.85 for boys and girls, respectively. The 
overall correlation of Spilberger's questionnaire and 
his questionnaire of adjective – state anxiety is also 
reported to be 0.86 and 0.77 for boys and girls, 
respectively. These coefficients indicate a good and 
satisfactory validity of the questionnaire (Register et 
al, 1991).  
 
Data Analysis 
           Descriptive statistics test such as mean, 
standard deviation, percentage and abundance were 
used to analyze descriptive properties of the research. 
Moreover, Pearson correlation test was used to test 
research hypotheses. 
 
Research Findings 
Descriptive data 
 
Table 1: Mean and standard deviation of research 
variables 
Variable Mean Standard deviation 
Exam anxiety 31.12 5.46 
Hardiness 73.22 9.21 
Educational 
average 
17.31 3.21 
 
The above table shows the mean and standard 
deviation of research variables. 
 
Table 2: Summary of correlation test of hardiness and 
its micro scales with students' exam anxiety 
Predictor 
variables 
Correlation Worrying Emotionality Exam 
anxie
ty 
Commitment Correlated  -0.33 -0.305 -0.29 
 P 0.041 0.044 0.037 
Control Correlated -0.18 -0.23 -0.18 
 P 0.05 0.045 0.05 
Challenge Correlated -0.34 -0.27 -0.32 
 P 0.04 0.05 0.043 
Hardiness Correlated 0.375 0.35 0.34 
 P 0.03 0.041 0.03 
 
The table shows that there is a negative and 
significant relationship between hardiness components 
(commitment, control, challenge and overall 
hardiness) and exam anxiety. This means that an 
increase in students' hardiness decreases their exam 
anxiety. 
The table shows that there is a positive and 
significant relationship between hardiness components 
(commitment, control, challenge and overall 
hardiness) and educational performance. This means 
that an increase in former enhances the latter. 
 
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187 
 
Table 3: Summary of correlation test of hardiness and 
its micro scales with students' educational 
performance 
Predictor 
variables 
Correlation Exam anxiety 
Commitment Correlated  0.245 
 P 0.031 
Control Correlated 0.175 
 P 0.05 
Challenge Correlated 0.27 
 P 0.025 
Hardiness Correlated 0.34 
 P 0.02 
 
Discussion and Conclusion 
           Results of Pearson correlation test showed that 
there is a negative and significant relationship 
between hardiness components (commitment, control, 
challenge and overall hardiness) and exam anxiety. 
This means that an increase in students' hardiness 
decreases their exam anxiety. Therefore, the first 
hypothesis (there is a significant relationship between 
psychological hardiness and exam anxiety) is 
accepted. To explain this finding it can be said that 
hardiness creates a particular internal approach which 
influence the way individuals face various problems in 
their life and leads them toward having a realistic look 
at mental stresses. In other words, the challenge 
enables an individual to consider unpleased events as 
a learning possibility not a safety threat and these 
aspects, as a whole, prevent (or shorten) negative 
consequences of stressing events, decrease over-
expectations leading to stress and as a result, students 
do not consider exam situation as a stress and never 
face exam anxiety.  
          Furthermore, results of Pearson correlation test 
showed that there is a positive and significant 
relationship between hardiness components 
(commitment, control, challenge and overall 
hardiness) and educational performance. This means 
that an increase in former enhances the latter. 
The results of this hypothesis testing are consistent 
with those of Westman (1990), St. Seven (1999), 
Vibeh and Morgan (1999) and Verdi (2002) but 
inconsistent with Kiamarsi (1997).  
          To explain this finding it can be said that 
individuals with high hardiness eventually use certain 
guidelines to change boring task to a positive one and 
find a way enjoy that activity. Considering the 
psychological hardiness feature they are committed in 
education, challenge and control surrounding events. 
To assure the accuracy of averages mentioned by 
individuals the research referred to all educational 
histories and files and gained their real average score 
in this way while in other studies (such as that of 
Kiamarsi) they just sufficed to what individuals stated.  
 
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The relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety in students

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The relationship between hardiness and exam anxiety in students

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