Abstract

The present study examined the association of the personality trait neuroticism and test anxiety (encoded as worry and emotionality) as well as social relationships (teacher-student and student-student relationship) as possible mediators for girls and boys. Participants were 8th grade students (N = 512) attending schools in Konya. Using cross-sectional data in a self-report study the association between neuroticism and test anxiety was found and was mediated by high quality student-student relationships for both girls and boys. Furthermore, it was shown that especially for girls, a positive teacher-student relationship was associated with low test anxiety. Based on these results, practical implications for the prevention of test anxiety can be derived.

Key words: Test anxiety, neuroticism, student-student and teacher-student relationship, early adolescence, mediator analysis