Effects of ADHD and Test Anxiety on Reading Comprehension and Test Performance

Past research suggests that reading comprehension performance relies not solely on cognitive skills such as decoding, vocabulary, and inference skills, but also on attention and behavior. Specifically, the literature has pointed to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and test anxiety as possible influences on reading comprehension test performance. Previous work has examined the individual effects of ADHD and test anxiety on reading comprehension test performance. However, there is little research investigating their joint effects on reading comprehension test performance. The proposed study will attempt to answer three questions through a series of structural equation models (SEM). First, do ADHD and test anxiety affect reading comprehension test performance? Second, if so, are these effects independent or redundant? Third, in addition to their main effects, do test anxiety and ADHD interact in affecting reading comprehension test performance? Taken together, these results will inform researchers on the effects of ADHD and test anxiety about reading comprehension test performance.