The structure of test anxiety in Israeli-Arab high school students: An application of confirmatory factor analysis with miniscales

The structure and the levels of test anxiety among Israeli-Arab high school students were examined using the Arabic version of Sarason's Reactions to Tests scale. The questionnaire was administered before a math exam to 226 female and 195 male students. The results of confirmatory factor analyses using eight miniscales consisting of three items each indicated that the four-factor model of Sarason fit the data 'best' for both male and female students. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the number of factors, factor loadings, and item residuals were invariant across gender. Latent mean analysis showed that girls reported higher test anxiety levels in worry, tension, bodily symptoms, but not in test irrelevant thinking.