Patterns of examination anxiety among secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria

Anxiety is a negative emotion which affects human beings irrespective of social status. However, individuals exhibit anxiety in different forms. This study therefore investigated the patterns of examination anxiety among secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria. The influence of variables of gender and school type on respondents’ views was also examined. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study while random sampling technique was employed in selecting 180 students across six secondary schools in the three local government areas in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria. A questionnaire entitled “Patterns of Examination Anxiety Questionnaire (PEAQ)” was used to collect relevant data. The instrument was validated by experts in the Faculty of Education; University of Ilorin and test re-test reliability co-efficient of 0.66 was obtained. The two hypotheses postulated were tested using t-test statistics at .05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that the major patterns of examination anxiety experienced by secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis are worry, faster heartbeat, fears, and restlessness before and during examinations. The study also revealed no significant difference in the patterns of examination anxiety experienced by secondary school students based on gender and school type. In line with the findings of the study, it was recommended that school authorities should provide a favourable examination environment for the students; teachers should teach students regularly to be mentally prepared for examinations and counsellors should equip the students with anxiety coping skills in order to assist them to overcome anxiety before and during examinations.Keywords: Patterns, Examination anxiety, students, secondary school, Ilorin metropoli