Examination Anxiety and Academic Performance of Higher Secondary Students in Koraput District, Odisha: A Convergent Mixed-Method Study

This study examined examination anxiety and its relationship with academic performance among higher secondary students of Vigyan International Higher Secondary School, Koraput District, Odisha. A convergent mixed-method design was used: quantitative data on anxiety (a self-constructed Examination Anxiety Scale) and academic records were collected from 60 students (Class XI and XII), while qualitative data were collected concurrently from 10 teachers through a structured interview schedule. The two strands were analysed separately, using Pearson's correlation, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA (SPSS) for the quantitative data and thematic analysis for the interviews, and merged at interpretation. Results showed that 76.7% of students reported moderate to high examination anxiety, and a significant negative correlation emerged between anxiety and academic performance (r = -.67, p < .01). Female students reported significantly higher anxiety than male students (p = .002), though male students scored marginally higher on academic performance (p = .047); Class XII students outperformed Class XI students (p = .001); and students from low-income households showed the highest anxiety and lowest performance among socio-economic groups (p < .01 for both). Teachers most frequently observed avoidance behaviour and academic decline linked to anxiety, and reported minimal institutional counselling capacity. The findings position examination anxiety as a systemic barrier to equitable outcomes in under-resourced tribal and rural districts, pointing to a need for school-based emotional support consistent with the National Education Policy 2020's holistic development agenda.