The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Online Test Anxiety in Paramedical Students in Qom During the COVID-19 Epidemic in 2021

Abstract Background: Following a shift in the exam mode from face-to-face to online exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, test anxiety became more prevalent among students. Emotional intelligence is one of the factors that may be effective in controlling anxiety. To this end, the present study examined the relation between emotional intelligence and anxiety caused by online exams in students of paramedical sciences during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2021 during the final-semester exams of the students at the Faculty of Paramedicine of Qom University of Medical Sciences. The data in this study were collected using a demographic information questionnaire, the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), and the FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale. The questions were developed in Google Form and sent to the students. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-test, and Pearson’s correlation test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The participants in this study were 193 undergraduate students. The mean scores of the students’ online test anxiety and emotional intelligence were 42.03 ± 10.90 and 97.05 ± 14.36, respectively. There was a statistically significant relation between test anxiety scores with age (P = 0.020), gender (P = 0.010), field of study (P = 0.001), and place of residence (P = 0.034). However, there was no statistically significant relation between the students’ emotional intelligence and test anxiety (r = 0.042; P = 0.563). Conclusion: The paramedical students in this study had high online test anxiety and a moderate level of emotional intelligence. However, the students’ emotional intelligence had no relation with their online test anxiety. Thus, other strategies should be adopted to reduce students’ online test anxiety.

Keywords: Emotional intelligence, Test anxiety, Students