Qualitative Modeling of the Effect of Test Anxiety on Academic Performance: The Mediating Role of Rumination and the Moderating Role of Self-Compassion

Abstract

This study aimed to explain the experienced pattern through which test anxiety affects students’ academic performance, with emphasis on the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of self-compassion. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. The participants were 24 upper-secondary school students from Tehran who were selected through purposive sampling based on their experience of test anxiety, academic performance decline or fluctuation, and ability to articulate their personal academic experiences. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation occurred at the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm the adequacy of the data. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using NVivo software through open coding, axial coding, and theme development. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, peer review, analytic memo writing, and constant comparison were employed. Data analysis led to the identification of five main categories: threatening experience of examination, activation of the rumination cycle, disruption of concentration and retrieval of learned material, decline in academic efficacy, and the protective role of self-compassion. The findings indicated that test anxiety leads to academic performance decline mainly when students become trapped in repetitive thoughts about failure, others’ judgments, the consequences of low grades, and comparison with peers. In contrast, self-compassion moderates this process by reducing self-blame, increasing acceptance of negative emotions, strengthening mindful awareness, and reframing failure as a learning experience. The findings suggest that test anxiety does not necessarily impair academic performance by itself; rather, its effect is intensified through rumination and persistent negative cognitive processing. Self-compassion can function as a protective psychological resource in school contexts and should be considered in interventions designed to reduce test anxiety, decrease rumination, and improve academic functioning.