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From L2 Comprehension Difficulty to Test Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Academic Stress Among Filipino University Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70148/v3i3.5

Keywords:

Academic stress, Test Anxiety, Second Language (L2) Comprehension Difficulty, Mediation Analysis, Educational Psychology

Abstract

In this study, the mediating role of academic stress in the relationship between the Second Language (L2) comprehension difficulty and test anxiety of beginner-level Filipino entrepreneurship students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Maragondon Branch was investigated. The total number of participants constitutes 80 individuals: 40 students in their first year and another 40 students in their second year, taking an entrepreneurship course at the tertiary level in universities. The findings showed that problems with L2 comprehension (English language academic texts and tasks) were linked to higher levels of academic stress, and this significantly increased students' test anxiety. The results of this study emphasize the need for pedagogical interventions that include L2 support mechanisms designed to reduce academic stress, test anxiety, and improve academic performance among early-stage university students.

Author Biography

  • Mhel Cedric D.Bendo, Polytechnic University of the Philippines

    Mhel Cedric D. Bendo is a student research author whose scholarly interests center on Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Measurement and Evaluation. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), where he serves as a class auditor and contributes to student leadership, classroom accountability, and foundational management initiatives within the Entrepreneurship program.

    His research applies advanced quantitative and psychometric methodologies to examine instructional effectiveness, learner behavior, and methodological rigor in educational research. His methodological expertise includes scale adaptation, reliability and validity assessment, incremental validity testing, and the evaluation of construct overlap and ceiling effects. He employs regression-based modeling techniques such as hierarchical regression, bootstrapped mediation analysis, and field-based quantitative experimentation, with a strong emphasis on accurate interpretation of intervention outcomes and the reduction of measurement-related false positives.

    Bendo’s substantive research focuses on the implementation and evaluation of literacy interventions in secondary education, using program-evaluation frameworks to assess instructional impact and educational change. His work also extends to technology-mediated learning and assessment, including the study of digital behaviors such as mobile game addiction, task switching, micro-procrastination, and survey response patterns. This line of research incorporates mixed-methods designs, empirical field testing, and the evaluation of ICT- and AI-supported assessment tools.

    As a sole author, Bendo has independently designed and conducted mixed-methods investigations addressing technology-mediated academic behaviors and learning outcomes, demonstrating proficiency in quantitative data analysis, qualitative thematic analysis, and multi-source data integration. In collaborative research contexts, he serves as a primary or lead researcher, contributing leadership in research design, measurement strategy, and data analysis. He has led large-sample evaluations of secondary-level literacy programs involving over 490 students using pre-test/post-test designs and descriptive quantitative approaches. His methodological work has been disseminated through research indexed in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC; ED676636).

    Bendo currently has multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts under active review in international journals examining educational psychology, literacy intervention, and applied educational research. His ongoing work emphasizes psychometric evaluation and statistical rigor, with particular focus on construct redundancy, ceiling effects, indirect effect estimation, and regression-based mediation modeling to strengthen the validity and interpretability of educational and behavioral research findings.

     

     

     

     

           

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Published

26-01-2026

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): Online First (Early Access)

Section

Early Access

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Copyright (c) 2025 Mhel Cedric D.Bendo (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Bendo, M. C. D. (2026). From L2 Comprehension Difficulty to Test Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Academic Stress Among Filipino University Students. Journal of Research, Innovation, and Strategies for Education (RISE), 3(1), 59-71. https://doi.org/10.70148/v3i3.5