ABSTRACT
The focus in this chapter is on the effects of state anxiety on the learning process in the context of computer-based learning environments. In this chapter, state anxiety is employed as an independent variable and its effects on performance are examined. The question asked here is: How does state anxiety affect the learning process? In contrast, in Chapter 9 state anxiety was employed as a dependent variable. The question asked in Chapter 9 was: Do instructional strategies affect state anxiety? Thus, in this chapter, we are not concerned with the variables which influenced the level of state anxiety in the situation; rather, we are concerned that, given that state anxiety is present, what are its effects on performance? Further, the studies reviewed in this chapter are, in most cases, originally designed to investigate the impact of various instructional treatments on state anxiety. The relationship of state anxiety to performance was of secondary interest. For this chapter, of course, these relationships are of primary interest.
