Electronic assessment anxiety scale: development, validity and reliability

Abstract

The widespread availability of internet access in daily life has resulted in a greater acceptance of online assessment methods. E-assessment platforms offer various features such as randomizing questions and answers, utilizing extensive question banks, setting time limits, and managing access during online exams. Electronic assessment enables real-time monitoring, customization, and scalability of feedback, benefiting students, academic staff, and administrative personnel. However, students encounter specific challenges in the electronic assessment environments. These challenges include limited control over test settings and the isolated nature of taking exams without peers. Furthermore, the technological proficiency of both instructors and students, along with resource constraints (computers, mobile devices, internet), can impede the effective utilization of these assessment tools. Technical issues like slow internet connection or disconnections can have significant consequences, especially in online exams, posing difficulties for corrections. The main goal of this study is to develop a Likert-type scale capable of measuring anxiety related to technical issues, social isolation, and the test interface experienced in e-assessment contexts. The study consists of two separate groups: the first group comprising 359 participants and the second group consisting of 356 participants. Both groups include undergraduate and pedagogical formation certificate program students from a university in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkiye. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Item parameters were examined using item analysis based on classical test theory. As a result of the study, a two-factor scale structure comprising 21 items measuring social and technical anxiety was developed. These two dimensions account for 59.89% of the total variance. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the entire scale was 0.93, the McDonald’s omega coefficient was 0.93, and the construct reliability was 0.99.