CóMO SE RELACIONA LA ANSIEDAD ESCOLAR CON EL RENDIMIENTO ACADéMICO?

Little is known about the relationship between school anxiety and academic achievement of students. This study analyzed the relationship between school anxiety and academic achievement in a sample of 520 Spanish students from 12 to 18 years (M = 15.38, SD = 1.95). Results revealed that students with high performance in Spanish language (language and literature) had significantly higher scores in anxiety faced with school failure and punishment, anxiety faced with aggression, behavioral anxiety and psychophysiological anxiety. Similarly, students with high performance in mathematics had significantly higher scores in anxiety faced with school failure and punishment, anxiety faced with aggression and behavioral anxiety. Furthermore, students with academic success scored significantly higher in anxiety faced with school failure and punishment, behavioral anxiety and psychophysiological anxiety. However, students with school failure had significantly higher scores on anxiety faced with social evaluation. Finally, anxiety faced with school failure and punishment was a significant predictor of high achievement in Spanish language (language and literature) and mathematics, whereas anxiety faced with school failure and punishment and anxiety faced with social evaluation were significant predictors of overall academic success. Thus, the results indicate a higher academic performance of students who have certain fears school. These results could be used by teachers, school psychologists and clinical psychologists as an empirical basis to develop preventive and effective intervention of underachievement.