THE CHALLENGES SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS FACE WHEN TAKING
RESEARCH RELATED COURSES
A Project
Presented to the faculty of the Division of Social Work
California State University, Sacramento, 2014
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK
by
Duyen Pham
Matthew Tidd
SPRING
2014
THE CHALLENGES SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS FACE WHEN TAKING
RESEARCH RELATED COURSES
A Project
by
Duyen Pham
Matthew Tidd
Approved by:
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Francis Yuen, DSW, ACSW
____________________________
Date
ii
Student: Duyen Pham
Matthew Tidd
I certify that these students have met the requirements for format contained in the
University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and
credit is to be awarded for the project.
__________________________, Graduate Coordinator
Dale Russell, Ed.D, LCSW
Division of Social Work
iii
___________________
Date
Abstract
of
THE CHALLENGES SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS FACE WHEN TAKING
RESEARCH RELATED COURSES
by
Duyen Pham
Matthew Tidd
This article examines current Master of Social Work (MSW) students’ perceived anxiety
in regards to taking research courses at California State University, Sacramento. It finds
MSWI (first year) students and MSWII (second year) students to have similar perceived
anxiety levels in regards to taking research courses due to their disinterest in research. As
a result, the authors discover several helpful strategies for instructors to help decrease
students’ perceived anxiety. The article concludes with the implications of fostering
students’ research interest to promote capable social workers who can apply research to
their practice to further advance the profession.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Francis Yuen, DSW, ACSW
_______________________
Date
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
List of Tables ............................................................................................................ viii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................. ix
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1
Background of the Problem ............................................................................ 2
Statement of the Research Problem ................................................................ 4
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................... 5
Theoretical Framework .................................................................................. 5
Definition of Terms ........................................................................................ 7
Assumptions ................................................................................................... 7
Justification .................................................................................................... 8
Statement of Collaboration ............................................................................. 9
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...................................................................... 10
Perceived Anxiety In Regards to Taking Research and Statistics Courses ... 10
Procrastination ................................................................................................ 17
Race/Gender Background ............................................................................... 19
Research Interest ............................................................................................ 20
Prior Math Experiences .................................................................................. 22
v
Instructors Influence ...................................................................................... 23
Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 26
3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 29
Study Design ................................................................................................... 29
Sampling Procedures ...................................................................................... 30
Protection of Human Subjects ........................................................................ 31
Informed Consent ............................................................................................31
Confidentiality ................................................................................................ 32
Human Subjects Review ................................................................................. 33
Data Collection Procedures............................................................................. 33
Instrument ....................................................................................................... 34
Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 35
4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 37
Overall Findings.............................................................................................. 37
Specific Findings ............................................................................................ 38
Additional Findings ........................................................................................ 48
Summary ......................................................................................................... 51
5. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 54
Implications for Social Work .......................................................................... 59
Recommendations ........................................................................................... 60
Limitations ...................................................................................................... 62
vi
Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 63
APPENDIX A. Questionnaire ................................................................................... 64
AAPPENDIX B. Implied Consent Form .................................................................... 67
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 69
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Tables
Page
1.
Identifying Information …………… ........... .………………………….……. 38
2.
Perceived Anxiety Related to Math/Statistics/Research Courses ……….…... 39
3.
Difference of Perceived Anxiety between MSWI and MSWII Students….… 41
4.
Perceived Anxiety to Math/Statistics/Research Courses . …………..………. 42
5.
I Tend to Procrastinate ………………………………………………….…… 43
6.
Differences in Procrastination Between MSWI and MSWII Students ……… 43
7.
Perception Regarding SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research ……….……. 44
8.
My Previous Math/Statistics/Research Class Prepared me for SWRK 210 .… 45
9.
Previous Math Class Prepared Student for SWRK 210 ……………………... 46
10.
Average Number of Math Courses Students Have Taken …………………… 46
11.
Correlation between SWRK 210 Grade and Perceived Anxiety...…………… 47
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figures
Page
1.
Decreasing Perceived Anxiety in SWRK 210 .………………………………. 49
2.
Most Helpful Strategies to Decreasing Perceived Anxiety in SWRK 210…... 50
3.
Overall Experience of SWRK 210. ………….………………………………. 51
ix
1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
What does research have to do with social work? The question that many social
work students have often asked. Even though social work programs have students taking
Social Work (SWRK) 210 Methods of Social Research in their first year and completing
a thesis project in their second year, many students still struggle with research and
statistics. Consequently, the authors question whether students’ struggle with research
courses as a result of the lack of research emphasis within social work programs, lack of
interest or something else.
The social work profession has long been recognized as the helping profession.
Subsequently, when it comes to research and statistics classes, social work students
develop negative attitudes (Epstein, 1987). This has resulted in severe negative outcomes
like fear, nervousness, panic, and worry (Onwuegbuzie et al., 1997). There is also a
perception that research is mysterious and difficult (Cox & Jackson, 2003). Few students
are enthusiastic about learning and applying research (Knee, 2002; Berger, 2002;
Montcalm, 1999). Adam, Zosky and Unrau (2004) have said, “Research is the curricular
content area that evokes the greatest amount of anxiety and the least sense of confidence
among social work students” (p. 2). Furthermore, social work students view research, in
general, as unimportant to their education (Adam et al., 2004). It has also been
hypothesized that social work students are attracted to social work because of their
interest in working with people and not with numbers (Gockel, 1966). Royse and Rompf
2
(1992) have suggested an alternative speculation that social work students are
uninterested in research or statistics courses because of their increased levels of
mathematical anxiety.
Background of the Problem
Since the beginning of the profession social work has battled with ways to
integrate research into the educational and practice curricula (Adam et al., 2004). The two
major national organizations, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and
the Counsel of Social Work Education (CSWE) who regulate social work education and
practice. They stress the importance of statistics and research in the social work
curriculum. NASW expresses the importance of research in its bylaws by stating one of
the main purposes of social work is “to further the broad objective of improving
conditions of life in our democratic society through utilization of the professional
knowledge and skills of social work, and to expand through research the knowledge
necessary to define and attain these goals” (NASW, 1955, p. 3). CSWE has also tried to
encourage the importance of research skills for “effective practice” (Adam et al., 2004).
Fraser and Lewis (1993) conducted a study examining MSW research curricula in
the United States and identified four teaching approaches: (1) De Rigueur (range of basic
and advanced research and statistical methods); (2) Single-Subject Plus (emphasis on
basic and single-subject research methods); (3) Traditionalist (basic research methods);
and (4) Minimalist (less emphasis on research content overall). Among these approaches,
a trend existed toward minimalist goals in research education. This reflects the ongoing
3
tensions within the profession about the nature and function of research (Hardcastle &
Bisman, 2003).
A trend towards overall research integration at the MSW level appears to be
absent to date in the literature. Information from professors about publication in social
work research literature, and attempts to encourage students to publish their ideas,
designs and results are not prevalent. According to Lewis (2003), the primary purpose of
social work research is “to inform policy and practice, to shape the body of knowledge
and theory which informs practice” (p.579). Yet social work graduates often do not use
research methodology in practice, despite the completion of research course work
through MSW education.
Conversion of knowledge into services uniquely designed for each consumer is
the mark of a professional (Compton & Galaway, 1999); however, it appears that some
social workers are not applying research to practice. For example, a study from the
United Kingdom, McCrystal (2000) found that social workers were generally unprepared
to understand the research processes and methodologies within a study. Furthermore,
these social workers were uncertain about how to translate research findings into daily
practice. In another study conducted by Bergmark and Lundstrom (2002), Swedish social
workers had shown little interest in the actual use of research results, theories and
methods in everyday practice. In fact, Bergmark and Lundstrom (2002) concluded that
most social workers hardly attempt to keep up with the professional or scientific
discourses in their field at all, at least not through the medium of scientific journals. They
4
also concluded that social workers highly value applied knowledge than research. Thus
both the comprehension and utilization of research by social workers are lacking.
Literature within the United States has shown that social work graduates
demonstrate a general lack of interest in research (Adam et al., 2004). Also, there is little
evidence that social workers are conducting or utilizing research in practice (Adam et al.,
2004). In a number of studies, researchers has found less than half of social work
practitioners engage in research-based activities, and many social workers do not read the
literature published in journals (Fraser, 1994; Fraser et al., 1990; Gantt et al., 1990).
These actions may be linked to perceptions of the lack of practicality of research. This
supports the historically turbulent relationship between research and practice (Adam et
al., 2004; Herie & Martin, 2002). This problem seems to be prevalent among social work
students all over the world. The trend does not appear to be changing considerably,
indicating an ongoing challenge for the profession.
Statement of the Research Problem
Within the social work program, research has often been a headache for many.
Epstein (1987) has explained, “no other part of the curriculum has been so consistently
received by students with as much groaning, moaning, eye-rolling, hyperventilation, and
waiver strategizing as the research course…” (p. 71). Students may be reacting to a fear
of the unknown (Yegidis, 1993). Many students enter research courses with panic and
trepidation (Sar, Yankeelov, Wulff, & Singer, 2003). With respect to research education
courses, students generally enter these classes with a negative attitude toward research
(Berger, 2002), and are often resistant to increasing their knowledge (Knee, 2002). The
5
perceived anxiety in regards to taking research courses has a long standing history in the
social work profession; therefore, the authors of this study want to explore more on the
factors that have contributed to the perceived anxiety MSW students have as it relates to
taking research courses.
Purpose of the Study
This study aims to explain the reasoning behind students’ perceived anxiety and
to seek out factors that alleviate the perceived anxiety MSW students have as it relates to
taking research courses. The authors use the SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research
course as a focus point to search for strategies that alleviate students’ perceived anxiety.
The purpose of these findings is to help the profession shapes MSW programs in a way
that is providing the best learning environment for students to achieve competency in
research to be able to apply it to practice in their career.
Theoretical Framework
To understand how perceived anxiety in regards to taking research courses among
social work students emerges, the authors look at where that anxiety has come from.
Sarason (1957) have suggested that the concept of anxiety is differentiated into general
tendency to be anxious and specific anxiety about specific circumstances. Formally
conceptualized as “trait-anxiety” and “state-anxiety” respectively by Spielberger and
Lushene (1971). Many specific state-anxieties have been identified; one that is relevant
to this study is math-anxiety.
Math-anxiety refers to the syndrome of emotional reactions including tension,
anxiety, nervousness, and dread associated with taking courses in mathematics, using
6
numbers and manipulating mathematical symbols (Rounds & Hendel, 1980). Mathanxiety is thought to produce avoidant behavior such as not taking math and science
courses in school and college, and opting for careers in non-technical areas (Mallow,
1981). It also interferes with performance when avoidance cannot be achieved (Tobias,
1978). Anxiety about research and statistics is conceptualized as a specific state-anxiety
that involves negative emotional reactions, such as tension and nervousness, occurring
upon the contemplation of taking a course in research and statistics (Wilson & Rosenthal,
1992). Eysenck (1979)has said that anxiety has two antagonistic consequences: it is both
motivating and disruptive of cognitive processes. The relative strengths of these
antagonistic influences in different circumstances produce apparently conflicting results.
Research has indicated that statistics anxiety is a multidimensional construct
(Cruise & Wilkins, 1980; Cruise, Cash, & Bolton, 1985; Onwuegbuzie et al., 1997).
Using factor analysis, Cruise et al. (1985) have identified six components of statistics
anxiety, namely: (a) worth of statistics, (b) interpretation anxiety, (c) test and class
anxiety, (d) computation self-concept, (e) fear of asking for help, and (f) fear of statistics
teachers. According to these researchers, worth of statistics refers to a student’s
perception of the relevance of statistics. Interpretation anxiety is concerned with the
anxiety experienced when a student is faced with making a decision from or interpreting
statistical data. Test and class anxiety refers to the anxiety involved when taking a
statistical class or test. Computational self-concept suggests that the anxiety experienced
when attempting to solve mathematical problems, as well as the student’s perception of
her/his ability to do mathematics. Fear of asking for help measures the anxiety
7
experienced when asking a fellow student or professor for help in understanding the
material covered in class or any type of statistical data. Lastly, fear of statistics teachers
is concerned with the student’s perception of the statistics instructor.
The authors build their hypothesis upon the math-anxiety theoretical framework.
Within the math-anxiety theory, the authors use the construct of statistics-anxiety to
explain the perceived anxiety in regards to taking research courses among social work
students because research within MSW programs has its foundation in statistics.
Specifically, anxiety about research and statistics is conceptualized as a specific stateanxiety that involves negative emotional reactions, such as tension and nervousness,
occurring upon taking a course in research and statistics (Wilson & Rosenthal, 1992).
This leads the authors to use the six components within the statistics-anxiety to explain
the reasoning behind perceived anxiety. Those components are the framework for the
data instrument and analysis because being able to identify what components of statisticsanxiety that are encumbering social work students will lead the authors to finding factors
that alleviate their perceived anxiety.
Definitions of Terms
Perceived anxiety – characterized by being aware of feeling worried, uneasy, nervous,
tense, or fearful of something.
Assumptions
Due to the lack of extensive research experience many students have prior to
entering the MSW program, the authors assume that MSW students are anxious when
having to take research courses. Historically, social work students are not generally
8
known for their mathematical skills because many social workers customarily work with
people, not typically with numbers or advanced mathematical problems. Lastly, the
authors assume that the SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research course within the MSW
program at California State University, Sacramento is believed to alleviate some of the
perceived anxiety many students have regarding research.
Justification
This study is important to the profession of social work because the authors want
to show the importance of research and how it can facilitate the advancement of the
profession. Also, the results of the study can further help MSW programs and instructors
to assist students in learning how to analyze and engage in research effectively. If social
workers cannot adequately interpret worthwhile studies from poor studies, then by
extension, these graduates will be unable to decide which studies are useful to apply in
their daily practice. As funding bodies increasingly demand evidence within the mental
health field, it is clear that the ability for social workers to carry out research is
significant. Research education will play a valuable role in preparing future social
workers for their role in a variety of contexts especially in the mental health field due to
the increasing use of evidence-based practice. Therefore, this study is seeking for an
explanation behind social work students’ perceived anxiety in regards to taking research
courses and how it can be alleviated. With their findings, the authors can provide
knowledge to the profession to facilitate a better learning environment within MSW
programs to produce researched competent social workers. Having social workers who
9
can apply research to practice will assist the social work profession to gain more prestige
among the helping professions and further advancement of knowledge within the field.
Statement of Collaboration
This thesis project is a collaborative effort between researchers Duyen Pham and
Matthew Tidd. Both researchers contributed equally on chapters one through five and on
creating the questionnaire, submission of the human subjects application, topic selection,
data analysis, writing and formatting of this research project.
10
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
There may be multiple reasons social work students are resistant to research
courses; many students enter the profession to work with people and not so much an
interest in working with numbers. The following literature review discusses the findings
of multiple studies regarding why research is a challenge for many college-level students.
The contributing factors ranged from simple dislike of research to instructors’ style of
teaching; therefore, the authors categorized the findings into different themes. Those
themes are perceived anxiety of students in regards to taking research and statistics
courses, procrastination, racial background, previous math experience, and instructors’
influences. The authors chose perceived anxiety as it relates to taking research and
statistics courses as one of the themes because the results of those studies have given
them a better understanding as to why perceived anxiety affects students negatively in
those courses. The reason the authors selected procrastination, racial background, and
previous math experience as their themes because these areas have affected students’
perceived anxiety level. Lastly, the authors included instructors’ influence in their
themes because the perceived anxiety students feel can be alleviated or heighten
depending on how professors teach the research course.
Perceived Anxiety In Regards to Taking Research and Statistics Courses
A growing body of research has documented a consistent negative relationship
between statistics anxiety and course performance (Zeidner, 1991; Elmore, Lewis, &
11
Bay, 1993; Lalonde & Gardner, 1993; Onwuegbuzie & Seaman, 1995). In fact, statistics
anxiety has been found to be the best predictor of achievement in research methodology
(Onwuegbuzie, Slate, Paterson, Watson, & Schwartz, 2000) and statistics courses
(Fitzgerald, Jurs, & Hudson, 1996). In particular, Onwuegbuzie and Seaman (1995)
found that graduate students with high levels of statistics test-anxiety who were randomly
assigned to a statistics examination which was administered under timed conditions
tended to have lower levels of performance. As for their low-anxious counterparts who
were administered the same test under untimed conditions have higher levels of
performance. Additionally, using qualitative techniques, Onwuegbuzie (1997) reported
that statistics anxiety primarily affects a student’s ability to understand research articles,
as well as to analyze and interpret statistical data. Nevertheless, it is clear that the levels
of statistics anxiety experienced by students can be so great that undertaking research
methodology and statistics classes have come to be regarded by many as a negative
experience (Onwuegbuzie, 1997).
In a study conducted by Fullerton and Umphrey (2001), 275 undergraduate
students who majored in advertisement from two southwestern United States universities
completed a questionnaire to determine students’ attitudes of statistics by measuring 6
factors: (1) students’ interest and future applicability, (2) relationship and impact of the
instructor, (3) attitude toward statistical tools, (4) self-confidence, (5) parental influence,
and (6) initiative and extra effort in learning statistics. Students were instructed to
complete a five-page questionnaire using the STATS inventory, a renowned instrument
used for determining students’ attitudes toward statistics (Sutarso, 1992). The STATS
12
inventory included 24 items measuring the six factors stated above. Students were asked
to mark each item using the Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly
agree (5). Students were asked six additional questions aside from the STATS inventory:
demographic questions, GPA, when they selected their major (if it was their first, second,
third, fourth, or fifth declared major), and what was their favorite and least favorite high
school subject.
The results of the study included close to half the students (49.5%) reported math
as their least favorite subject in high school. The analysis suggested students from this
survey primarily have negative views of statistics and statistics courses. The two most
disagreed statements were “I study/studied statistics regularly, even when there is/was no
specific assignment” and “I find statistics is a very interesting subject.” Only 29% of
those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I like statistics now.” Over
half the students either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, “I find
statistics an interesting subject.” The findings of this study shows how the negative
attitude of students towards statistics can be traced back to as early as high school. Due
to students’ negative attitude, professors have a difficult time trying to foster a more
positive experience for students in regards to research courses in graduate schools.
In another study, Onwuegbuzie (2000) examined students’ self-perceptions regard
research courses. The results included a negative relationship between perceived anxiety
regarding research and competency. One hundred and forty six graduate students
participated in the study, and 91.2% of the sample was women. They came from a
number of educational programs (i.e. early childhood education, elementary education,
13
secondary education, and speech language pathology). Students were enrolled in eight
sections of a research methodology course with the same instructor taught all sections.
The Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) (Cruise & Wilkins, 1980) was used to
determine the respondent’s anxiety level. The STARS consists of 51 items across six
scales. The scales are designed to measure a student’s (a) estimation of the worth of
statistics, (b) anxiety regarding interpreting statistics, (c) test and class anxiety, (d)
computational self-concept, (e) fear of asking for help, and (f) fear of the statistics
teacher. The results of the study indicated graduate students who have the lowest levels
of perceived creativity, perceived intellectual ability, and perceived scholastic
competence tend to have the highest levels of perceived anxiety associated with worth of
statistics, interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept, fear of
asking for help, and fear of the statistics instructor. From this study, it is concluded that
students have a high anxiety of research courses when their competency level regarding
creativity and intelligence is low.
Instead of looking at students in general, Green, Bretzin, Leininger and Stauffer
(2001) conducted a study comparing MSW students to psychology and business graduate
students in regards to research anxiety and computer anxiety. Researchers used the 11
item comprising the Graduate Student Research Anxiety Scale (GRAS), MARS-R and 24
questions about learning apprehension, and anxiety. Respondents were asked to respond
to questions using a Likert scale (5=strongly agree; 1=strongly disagree). Respondents
included 149 students; 62 social work graduate students, 49 clinical or counseling
psychology graduate students, and 38 business graduate students. Computer anxiety
14
questions included, “computers intimidate and threaten me,” “I am confident I can
improve my computing skills during my graduate program”, and “I have avoided
computers because they are unfamiliar to me.” Results suggested social work students
have the highest research anxiety and computer anxiety over the other majors surveyed.
This confirms the notion that MSW students have anxiety with performance in research
courses.
In a study where the STARS was utilized, Keeley, Zayac and Correia (2008)
investigated the relationship between statistics anxiety and performance. Participants
were drawn from 83 students enrolled in a single introductory statistics course from the
social sciences department during the spring of 2005 at a large university located in the
southeastern United States. Two scales were administered over the course of the study:
the STARS (Cruise & Wilkins, 1980) and a modified version of the Work Value
Survey’s Achievement scale (Schwartz, 1994). The Achievement scale of the Work
Value Survey (Schwartz, 1994) was used to measure students’ need for achievement
while the STARS measured student’s anxiety level on 6 components. Keeley et al. (2008)
hypothesized that there would be a curvilinear relationship between anxiety and test
performance, with high anxiety and low anxiety being associated with low test scores and
mid-level anxiety evidencing the best performance.
As hypothesized, high and low anxiety corresponded to lower test scores and midlevel anxiety corresponded to the best performance. The worth of statistics and
interpretation anxiety scales also showed a curvilinear relationship with performance on
the final exam of the semester. Contrary to their initial hypothesis, achievement
15
motivation did not moderate the relationship between anxiety and performance even
though students reported their need for achievement at a moderately high level.
In another study, Briggs, Brown, Gardner and Davidson (2009) focused their
attention on the issue of student perceptions and attitudes about research methods classes.
They proposed that the common apprehension, resistance, and anxiety expressed by
students regarding the requirement to take research courses is characterized by three
distinct but related concepts: Research Disinterest, Relevance Argumentation, and Math
Anxiety (DRAMA). Using data drawn from sample of criminal justice students, Briggs
et al. (2009) presented evidence in support of the idea that student aversion to research
methods classes encompasses not just math anxiety, but also a generalized disinterest in
the class (Research Disinterest) and the perception that the class is not career-relevant
(Relevance Argumentation).
Meldrum and Stults (2012) sought to build upon and extended the work of Briggs
et al. (2009) in two ways. First, whereas Briggs et al.’s (2009) study was based on a
small sample of criminal justice majors (a portion of which were not enrolled in a
research methods class), this study used data collected from students enrolled exclusively
in four sections of a criminology/criminal justice research methods courses. Second, this
study examined the extent to which the DRAMA scale is related to students’
performance, something that has yet to be considered. Meldrum and Stults (2013)
hypothesized that the levels of student DRAMA will be negatively related to students’
performance in the research methods class. Data for this study came from 164 students
enrolled in 4 sections of a research methods class in a criminology/criminal justice
16
department in the spring of 2010 at a traditional 4-year- university located in the
southeastern United States.
Having found that the composite DRAMA scale is significantly related to
students’ performance, their interest turned to examining the extent to which each of the
subscales were related to students’ performance (Meldrum & Stults, 2009). Their first
finding was that when the three subscales of the composite DRAMA scale were
considered separately, the math anxiety scale was the only scale that significantly related
to students’ performance. The second finding was that the composite DRAMA scale was
negatively related to the final grade that students received in the research methods class.
In light of this evidence, it appears that student disinterest in research courses and
perceptions regarding the relevance of taking the class are of little consequence. The
anxieties regarding research and statistics have a much greater influence on students’
performance.
In a more specific study, Hyduk and Large (1999) searched for factors that
influenced fear of research in MSW students and found that foundation-year MSW
students have a decreased fear of research when compared to advanced-year students. A
possible reason for the difference between the two program sequences could be stress
level. Stress level may also be high as students approach graduation that could affect fear
of research. Further study is warranted of the differences between foundation-year and
advanced-year MSW students’ fear of research.
17
Procrastination
As a result of anxiety, graduate students have often delayed enrolling in research
methodology and statistics courses for as long as possible, sometimes waiting until the
final semester of their degree programs—which is clearly not the optimal time to
undertake such courses (Onwuegbuzie, 1997). Academic procrastination, which is
experienced by approximately 95% of college students (Ellis & Knaus, 1977), is defined
as the purposive and needless delay in beginning or completing tasks (Rothblum,
Solomon, & Murakami, 1986). Solomon and Rothblum (1984) noted that nearly onequarter of Caucasian-American college students reported problems with procrastination
on academic tasks such as writing term papers, studying for examinations, and keeping
up with weekly readings. Further, Clark and Hill (1994) found that between 30% and
45% of African-American undergraduate student in their sample reported problems with
procrastination on writing a term paper, studying for examinations, and keeping up with
weekly reading assignments. Academic procrastination has been found to be associated
with negative academic outcomes, including missing deadlines for submitting
assignments, delaying the taking of self-paced quizzes, low course grades, and course
withdrawal (Semb, Glick, & Spencer, 1979; Beswick, Rothblum, & Mann, 1988).
Onwuegbuzie (2004) studied the prevalence of academic procrastination among
graduate students and investigated the relationship between academic procrastination and
research/statistics anxiety. He hypothesized that academic procrastination would be
positively related to research/statistics anxiety associated with worth of statistics,
interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept, fear of asking
18
for help, and fear of the statistics instructor (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). The study had 135
graduate students from a number of education disciplines enrolled in several sections of a
graduate-level research methodology course at a small public southeastern university.
Participants were administered the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) and the
Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS).
Findings revealed that approximately 40% to 60% of the graduate students
reported they nearly always or always procrastinate on writing a term paper, studying for
examinations, and keeping up with weekly reading assignments (Onwuegbuzie, 2004).
Additionally, between 20% and 45% of graduate students reported problems with
procrastination in these three areas (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). The results also uncovered
that a larger proportion of students in the present study than in the undergraduate norm
group reported that they nearly always or always procrastinate on studying for
examinations and on weekly reading assignments (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Nevertheless,
the fact that most graduate students have appeared to delay writing term papers and
studying for examinations might explain why underachievement is prevalent in research
methodology. The second major finding was that procrastination resulting from both fear
of failure and task aversiveness appeared to be related significantly to worth of statistics,
interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept, fear of asking
for help, and fear of the statistics instructor (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). The findings
demonstrate procrastination to be positively related to the perceived anxiety in regards to
taking research courses.
19
Race/Gender Background
Racial background has shown to play a role in students’ perceived anxiety of
statistics and research courses according to literature. Base on Onwuegbuzie’s (1999)
study, he compared the levels of statistics anxiety between African American and
Caucasian American graduate students. Respondents included 225 graduate students,
who were enrolled in the required college education research methodology course.
Participants were asked to fill out the Background Information Form (BIF) and the
STARS. The BIF asked demographic information, including; gender, race, age, number
of college-level statistics courses taken, number of college-level mathematics courses
taken, time elapsed since last college-level statistics course, and time elapsed since
college-level mathematics course.
Results of this study indicated that even though African American students had
taken significantly more college-level mathematics courses than had Caucasian American
students; no statistically significant differences were found between them with respect to
the number of statistics courses taken, time elapsed since previous statistics course, and
time elapsed since their last mathematics course (Onwuegbuzie, 1999). However, African
American respondents had significantly higher levels of statistics anxiety, interpretation
anxiety, test anxiety and class anxiety compared to Caucasian American respondents
(Onwuegbuzie, 1999). African American students from this study scored higher anxiety
in all categories, when compared to Caucasian American students (worth of statistics,
interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept, fear of asking
for help, and fear of the statistics instructor) (Onwuegbuzie, 1999). The participants in
20
the study were mostly female; therefore, it is unclear whether the study can be
generalized to all students or only female students. Further studies are needed for
clarification.
On the other hand, Davis (2003) found dissimilar results regarding race and
gender contributing to the perceived anxiety of statistics and research courses. Davis
(2003) evaluated whether students attribute any anxiety of statistics to self-perceptions of
inadequacy based on gender or ethnicity. Students’ perceptions of ethnicity and
statistical performance indicated that they did not believe they were over-compensating
in their effort to perform in the course (Davis, 2003). Even though students
acknowledged their high anxiety about statistics, they overwhelmingly disagreed with
statements that attributed their anxiety to being African American (100%) or female
(100%) (Davis, 2003).
Research Interest
It has been said over and over in the literature that students who enter the social
work profession are not interested in research, which have resulted in their increased
perceived anxiety with research courses and decreased performance in it. In a research
study by Hyduk and Large (1999), they looked at the factors that influenced fear of
research in MSW students. During the fall 1994 and winter 1995 semesters, 179 MSW
students (94 in the foundation-year research course and 85 in the advanced-year course)
in a large urban state university received copies of a questionnaire containing indicators
representing different student factors and fear of research. The predictor variables for
fear of research were interest in research, average math grade, core-year MSW program,
21
and prior research project. The results revealed interest in research was the largest
contributor, followed by average math grade, foundation-year MSW, and prior research
projects. These four factors combined explained 28% of the variance in fear of research.
This leaves 72% of the variance unexplained. One such factor not addressed in this study
includes the number of years since completion of the most recent previous research
course. Students often have verbalized this concern as a rationale for their fear. Another
factor not included in this study that might affect anxiety involves the type of learning
motivation of students.
In another study, Lei (2008) explored different factors that changed the attitudes
of graduate students toward an introductory research methods course. The six factors he
looked at are research usefulness, interest, self-efficacy, training environment, anxiety,
and task difficulty. The participants were 217 graduate students who enrolled in an
introductory research methodology course from fall 2005 through spring 2007 semesters
at a mid-sized university. A vast majority of participants in the sample were enrolled in
the counseling education, educational leadership, educational psychology, curriculum and
instruction, or special education major. Lei (2008) developed a survey instrument called
Student Research Assessment Survey and disseminated to his participants after they
successfully completed the research methods course.
The results suggested students’ research interest, usefulness, overall self-efficacy,
and training environment increased significantly, while students’ levels of research
anxiety and task difficulty decreased significantly (Lei, 2008). Participants exhibited
positive attitudes toward research when having an outstanding research-training
22
environment and when research activities and assignments were useful, interesting, and
meaningful (Lei, 2008). Students’ negative attitudes toward a research methodology
course were significantly associated with high research anxiety and task difficulty, along
with low research interest, self-efficacy, and little or no research usefulness to personal
and professional lives (Lei, 2008). Lei’s (2008) findings demonstrates that students have
to see the importance of research courses to be interested in learning it, which reduces
their perceived anxiety.
Prior Math Experiences
According to the literature, prior math experiences have shown to affect students’
perceived anxiety level. Royse and Rompf (1992) compared undergraduate social work
students to non-social work majors. The study was conducted on the first day of class,
419 undergraduate students were asked to complete the 24-item Mathematical Anxiety
Rating Scale-revised (MARS-R) and additional background questions. The data was
collected from (n=54) undergraduate social work students enrolled in statistics courses,
undergraduate social work students (n=109) enrolled in research methods courses, and a
cross-section of university undergraduates (non-social work students) who had enrolled
in an undergraduate introductory statistics course (n=256). The method, MARS-R is a
revised version of the 98-item MARS, which was developed to provide an index of
statistics or mathematics course-elated anxiety (Richardson & Suinn, 1972).
Their outcomes suggested non-social work student majors had completed more
math courses than the social work students. Also, the non-social work students had
finished significantly more math courses than the social work students enrolled in a
23
research methods or statistics course. Royse and Rompf’s (1992) findings are consistent
with other studies that have indicated that math anxiety is related to the number of math
courses completed. However, it is unclear whether it is a causal relationship, further
studies need to be done to determine causation.
In another study, Davis (2003) found dissimilar results compared to Royse and
Rompf’s results. With a sample of 41 MSW African American female students, she
discovered that even though the majority of students had taken research methods or
statistics as undergraduates, 62% of the them felt unprepared to take the graduate level
statistics course (Davis, 2003). The results confirm the notion that statistics anxiety is not
mediated even when students have had research methods or statistics as undergraduates.
Instructors Influence
Overall, the literature has suggested that social work graduate students exhibit
perceived anxiety in regards to taking research and statistics courses. However, the
literature has failed to consider the role of instruction or pedagogy in this dynamic.
Davis’s (2003) study explained how using student-centered teaching approaches can
improve the teaching of statistics to women and minorities enrolled in a master of social
work (MSW) program in a large, public, southeastern historically black
college/university. The approach was developed in response to the lack of pedagogical
focused research on research/statistics anxiety. The student-centered teaching approach
allowed instructors to use an applied research project to teach students to conceptualize
research questions, design research projects, collect, analyze, and present the data.
24
The purpose of Davis’s (2003) study was to investigate the impact of a studentcentered teaching approach on reducing research/statistics anxiety in female African
American MSW students. The major finding uncovered that instructor awareness as well
as student-centered pedagogy reduces statistics anxiety from high to moderate levels
(Davis, 2003). Student-centered strategies included helping students to understand the
value of statistics, building their self-confidence, peer-learning, utilizing multiple
methods of testing, enlisting students as teaching and research assistants, and student
mentoring (Davis, 2003). In the past, the focus has been on students and their anxiety but
not the design and implementation of the course content. Student-centered approaches to
teaching statistics create a relatively new area for empirical research.
In another study by Onwuegbuzie (2003), 130 graduate students enrolled in a
quantitative-based educational research course were surveyed to investigate a method for
predicting statistics achievement. The majority of the sample was female (96.5%) with
respondents mean age of 26.0. The results of the study revealed effective ways research
and statistics instructors can help students minimize anxiety. Those techniques included
incorporating untimed examinations into the course, and allowing students to use
supporting material during exams.
In a more recent study conducted by Lalayants (2012), 195 MSW students were
asked a series of open-ended questions to attempt to gather possible avenues to overcome
statistics anxiety. The data revealed 75.5% of respondents felt “not at all” and “not too
comfortable” with statistics (Lalayants, 2012). Additionally, respondents stated they did
not see a connection between statistics and their work and/or field. As a result, the
25
findings suggested relating the course material to students’ field study and demonstrating
real life applications using statistics. Furthermore, Lalayants (2012) stressed the
importance of instructors being understanding and acknowledging students’ fears and the
intimidating nature of statistics. Finally, she indicated instructors should take small steps
in building the foundation of statistics in their students (Lalayants, 2012). This way the
student will be able to apply statistics to their daily work life and realize its value. In
related studies, Marson (2007) indicated repetition, and immediate feedback as helpful
strategies. When students are given feedback right away, they are able to see their
mistakes and correct them in the moment. Additionally, Schacht and Steward (1990)
suggested incorporating humorous cartoon into the course material will reduce students’
anxiety level.
Similarly, Maschi, Wells, Slater, MacMillan, and Ristow (2013) sought out for
more strategies used by instructors to lower students’ perceived anxiety. Potential
participants were recruited using an announcement in the CSWE (Counsel on Social
Work Education) Focus newsletter. Initial screening questions asked participants, ‘yes’ or
‘no’ if they had taught a social work research course such as research methods, statistics,
program evaluation or a similar course. Those who selected ‘yes’ were eligible to
complete the survey. A total of 186 social work research instructors were surveyed via an
online questionnaire by the Survey Monkey website. Participants were asked several
questions from two sections; sociodemographic information and social work research
teaching methods. Results of the study indicate 70% of BSW research instructors and
26
61% of MSW research instructors use specific activities or approaches to assess, and/or
measure to address student-related anxiety.
Respondents described using different techniques to alleviate research-related
anxiety including providing support, conveying a positive demeanor, and facilitating
cooperative learning among students (Maschi et al., 2013). Maschi et al. (2013)
explained, “for example, one instructor said, ‘I encourage students to say “I love
research” every day’ – sounds silly but it helps them and eases some anxiety” (p. 810).
They also reported that research and statistics instructors will constantly mention their
availability to students in class to remind them that there is help available outside of class
(Maschi et al., 2013). Respondents reported they perceived students’ research-related
anxiety was higher at the beginning of the course but greatly reduced by the end. Those
who educate social work students may need to explore other avenues for research and
statistics anxiety instead of meeting resistance with force, perhaps instructors may find
more gains with “starting where the client is,” when it comes to alleviating students’
anxiety (Royse & Rompf, 1992; Adam et al., 2004).
Conclusion
It seems there is a consensus among the literature that there is a perceived anxiety
regarding statistics and research for students who are entering the helping profession,
especially MSW students. However, the disagreements lie in the factors that are
contributing to the perceived anxiety. Onwuegbuzie (2000) found that graduate students
from many educational programs have a high level of anxiety regarding research and
statistics course when their competency level is low. Meldrum and Stults (2011)
27
uncovered similar results as well and that anxiety negatively affects students’
performance outcome regardless of their interest or perception of relevance of research
courses. On the other hand, Hyduk and Large (1999) and Lei (2008) both agreed that the
lack of interest by students is the biggest contributor to their perceived anxiety of
statistics and research courses, which have resulted in lower performance in class. As for
Keeley et al. (2008), they explored in depth the level of perceived anxiety regarding
statistics and research courses. They discovered that mid-level anxiety produces the best
performance outcome while low- and high-level anxiety reduces performance outcome.
Looking at factors that have contributed to the perceived anxiety of
statistics/research, there seems to be mixed evidence. Onwuegbuzie (1999) revealed
African American students to have higher levels of statistical anxiety than Caucasian
American respondents even though African American students have taken significantly
more college mathematical classes. Therefore, he contributed the students’ high level of
anxiety to their race/ethnicity. Conversely, Davis (2003) found perceived anxiety to be
the result of the lack of preparedness for class rather than contributing the anxiety to
being African American or female.
A few other factors worth mentioning are procrastination by students and
instructors’ influence. Onwuegbuzie (2004) showed that graduate students tend to
procrastinate which have contributed to their perceived anxiety regarding statistics and
research courses. On the other hand, Davis (2003) and Lalayants (2012) indicated that
the fault is not on the students but rather instructors’ style of teaching that can influence
students’ perceived anxiety. Both studies further explained the different techniques
28
instructors can implement to reduce perceived anxiety such as student-center teaching
approach and other supportive teaching styles from instructors.
Overall, it seems the perceived anxiety as it relates to taking statistics and
research courses does exist among social work students; however, the contributing factors
have mixed results. What can be agreed upon is that some of these factors and
instructors’ style of teaching still need to be studied further. As a result, the authors
incorporated the findings of these studies into their research and sought further answers
to the different factors that have contributed to students’ perceived anxiety. Additionally,
the authors explored SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research course to search for helpful
strategies that have been assisting students in learning research.
29
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
This study aims to seek out the contributing factors associated with perceived
anxiety among graduate social work students as it relates to taking research courses.
Perceived anxiety is characterized by being aware of feeling worried, uneasy, nervous,
tense, or fearful of something. More specifically, the researchers have used deductive
reasoning during the data analysis process to infer specific factors that have contributed
to the lowered perceived anxiety among those students using qualitative research
gathered from the survey. Deductive reasoning is defined as using general information to
seek out more specific answers (Yuen, Terao, & Schmidt, 2009). Qualitative research is
information gathered to describe or interpret something used in an exploratory or
descriptive research study (Yuen et al., 2009).
Study Design
The type of design for this study is descriptive research due to it being specific in
its scope and focus. Descriptive research provides in-depth information about a situation,
its variables, or its characteristics such as providing clearer and more specific information
on what is being studied (Yuen et al., 2009). It also illustrates the relationships between
two or more variables (Yuen et al., 2009). Using descriptive research, this study sought
out factors associated with perceived anxiety as it relates to taking research courses in
graduate social work students. Specifically, the researchers compared MSWI and MSWII
students on their level of perceived anxiety for significant difference. Also, the
30
researchers looked further into the different factors that increase or decrease students’
perceived anxiety level. With this type of study design, the researchers used a
questionnaire survey to poll the graduate social work students to answer their research
hypothesis.
Sampling Procedures
The sample for this study consisted of current graduate students in the Master of
Social Work (MSW) program at California State University, Sacramento during the
spring semester of 2014. The type of sampling the researchers employed is stratified
random sampling. Stratified random sampling draws samples that are representative of
the different strata of the population (Yuen et al., 2009). A stratum is a segment or
category that shares a common characteristic (i.e. MSWI and MSWII students) (Yuen et
al., 2009). A random sampling method is then used to draw a sufficient number of
samples from each of the strata. This study required graduate participants to be MSWI
and MSWII students due to the research hypothesis seeking out factors contributed to the
perceived anxiety as it relates to taking research courses among graduate social work
students.
The sample of graduate students in the MSW program included MSWI and
MSWII students during the spring semester of 2014. MSWI is the graduate students who
are in the foundation year of the MSW program (first year). MSWII is the graduate
students who are in the advanced year of the MSW program (final year). The researchers
recruited participants from the practice classes, Social Work (SWRK) 204B Social Work
Practice II from the foundation year and SWRK 204D Multi-Level Practice with
31
Vulnerable Life Conditions from the advanced year. The SWRK 204 series-classes are
practice classes that every graduate social work student enrolls in as part of their MSW
program required curriculum. MSWI students take SWRK 204B in their second semester
of their foundation year and MSWII students take SWRK 204D in their second semester
of their advanced year.
In order for a more representative sample of the MSW students, the researchers
randomly chose two SWRK 204B and two SWRK 204D classes out of the sampling of
all the SWRK 204 classes. After the four classes were chosen, the researchers sought
permission from those professors who were teaching the classes to enter into their
classrooms and collect data from the students. The criteria for participation included
MSWI students currently enrolled in the SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research class
and MSWII students who have completed SWRK 210. Each practice class has at least 20
participants; therefore, the study aims for 80 respondents. The researchers collected 36
responses from foundation year MSWI students and 37 responses from advanced year
MSWII students after they consented to participate in the research study.
Protection of Human Subjects
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from the students before the researchers
administer the surveys. Being informed means the participants are fully educated and
have a good knowledge of what they agree to do (Yuen et al., 2009). Consent is their
voluntary decision of agreeing to participate (Yuen et al., 2009). The researchers
verbally informed the students of the research study and asked for their consent through
32
voluntary participation. Voluntary participation means potential respondents are free to
participate without being concerned about any real or implied threat or inappropriate
reward (Yuen et al., 2009). A cover letter (see Appendix B) was attached to the survey to
reiterate to the participants the purpose of the research study and how their participation
is voluntary. Within the cover letter, the researchers also explained the procedures of the
study, any risks or benefits, confidentiality, implied consent, contact information for both
California State University, Sacramento Student Health and Counseling Services and
Sacramento County Mental Health if participants feel stressed by this questionnaire, and
how to contact the researchers if participants have questions regarding the study.
Confidentiality
The participants’ rights to privacy and safety are protected through confidentiality
and anonymity. Confidentiality is treating data collected as classified information that
would not be shared with entities that are inessential or indirectly related to the research
study (Yuen et al., 2009). The information collected will only be used for this specific
research study by the researchers. Anonymity refers to the secrecy and protection of the
identity of the respondents (Yuen et al., 2009). The researchers ensured anonymity by
not having questions about the identity of the participants in the surveys. Anonymity was
maintained during the data analysis process as well because the researchers were unable
to tell who provided what information. The researchers were only aware of whether the
participants were MSWI or MSWII and their age range and nationality. Our cover letter,
Appendix B, was attached to the surveys, which included both researchers’ contact
33
information, should the participants have any questions regarding confidentiality and
anonymity.
Human Subjects Review
In the fall semester of 2013, the researchers filled out the Human Subjects
Protocol application seeking for approval to further the research study. Attached with the
application was the questionnaire (see Appendix A) and cover letter (see Appendix B) to
allow Institutional Review Board to review what will be disseminated to the students and
whether the questionnaire is appropriate. The researchers were assigned Protocol #
1314016 for the application. After a few weeks, the application was approved by the
Division of Social Work Research Review Committee as exempt. The study has been
exempt under 45 CFR 46.101 (b)(1) from all 45 CFR part 46 requirements because the
research is being conducted at California State University, Sacramento, and poses no
risks to respondents.
Data Collection Procedures
The researchers collected data during the beginning of the spring semester of
2014. After having received consent from the 4 practice class professors, the researchers
entered each class and made a short presentation (3 min. long), provided students
information on the study and encouraged students to participate in the study. The
participation for the research study was voluntary; therefore potential respondents were
free to participate without being concerned about any real or implied threat or
inappropriate reward. The researchers gave out the surveys to those who volunteered to
participate. Those students had the option of completing the survey during break or after
34
class. Due to the voluntary nature of the study, participants also had the option of not
turning in the survey even after they completed it. An envelope was left in the classroom
for students to place their completed surveys in. The professors helped seal the
envelopes once all the surveys were collected, and the envelopes were picked up at the
end of each class. The envelopes were placed in a locked cabinet at a secure location
within one of the researchers’ house. Only the researchers had access to the data. The
information was analyzed in a private setting among the researchers and the advisor. The
information will be destroyed after two months.
Instrument
The questionnaire survey consisted of multiple-choice, open-ended, ranking, and
rating questions. Many of the questions utilized the Likert-type scale. The Likert-type
scale measures the degree participants agree or disagree with something. The degree
ranges from strongly-disagree to strongly-agree. However, question 22 through 24
measured the degree of perceived anxiety from no-anxiety to high-anxiety. The questions
within the survey asked for demographic information, prior experiences in math and
research, MSWI and MSWII students’ experiences with their SWRK 210 class, and
perceived anxiety related to math, research, and/or statistics.
The types of questions within the survey were developed using information found
within the literature review. After reviewing the literature, the researchers gathered
themes that were relevant to the research study. Using the themes as the foundation for
the survey, the researchers developed the questions. The researchers also used the Table
of Specifications to break down the questions into different topics within the
35
questionnaire. The Table of Specification allowed the researchers to see the degree of
significance of each topic as it relates to the research study. The Table of Specification
ensures that the instrument collects the information needed to measure the anticipated
results to create a table that matches the needed information with the questions in the
survey (Yuen et al., 2009).
Once the researchers completed the survey, they pilot tested the survey on 4
random students within the university. Pilot testing the survey is to determine if the
instruments will collect the information needed to respond to the anticipated outcomes
(Yuen et al., 2009). Also, it can address uncertainties such as: Are the questions asking
for the appropriate information needed to address the outcomes identified in the research
study? After analyzing the data from the 4 students, the researchers modified the
questions within the survey in order to seek the results needed for the research study.
See Appendix A for a sample of the questionnaire.
Data Analysis
The collected data was entered into SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social
Sciences). Using statistical analysis, the researchers analyzed the collected data. The
analysis included using descriptive statistics to find the distribution for age, gender, and
racial/ethnic background. This information was categorized into nominal data along with
their status as MSWI or MSWII students. Specifically, the researchers utilized descriptive
statistics to look for frequency patterns among questions regarding perceived anxiety
related to math, statistics, and/or research courses. The researchers also used
crosstabulation under descriptive statistics to analyze perceived anxiety differences
36
between MSWI and MSWII students. Crosstabulation was also used to establish students
overall experience with the SWRK 210 course.
Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test was utilized to look for statistical
difference between MSWI and MSWII students regarding procrastination. The
researchers also used Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test to determine statistical
significance between MSWI and MSWII students and whether their previous math
courses prepared them for SWRK 210 class. The significance level was set at .10 for the
Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test. Then the researchers explored further for
correlation between the grades students received in SWRK 210 and their perceived
anxiety level before, during, and after the class. Spearman’s Rho was used to determine
significant correlation. The significance level was set at .10 for Spearman’s Rho.
Additional analysis was done to determine factors that alleviate perceived anxiety among
students and their overall experience with SWRK 210. Bar graphs were used as well to
show the frequency of strategies students thought were helpful and whether their overall
experience was positive.
37
Chapter 4
RESULTS
This study is a descriptive research exploring contributing factors behind the
perceived anxiety as it relates to taking research courses among graduate students within
the MSW program at California State University, Sacramento. Also, the researchers are
seeking out elements that can alleviate their perceived anxiety. In the questionnaire, the
researchers used SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research class as the foundation to
determine significant difference among MSW students because it is the only research
course that both MSWI and MSWII students have in common. The researchers surveyed
73 participants, 36 MSWI and 37 MSWII students. The questionnaire consisted of 39
questions using quantitative data.
Overall Findings
The sample of this study consisted of 73 participants; their age ranges from 21 to
40+ years old. Of the sample’s age, 86.3% (n=63) ranges from 21 to 39 years old. Of
all the respondents, 78.1% (n=57) are female and 21.9% (n=16) are male as seen in Table
1. The demographic of the sample showed participants who identified as Caucasian
made up a large portion of the sample with 37% (n=27), followed by 28.8% (n=21)
Hispanic, 16.4% (n=12) Asian or Pacific Islander, and 11% (n=8) African American.
Within the sample, 86.7% (n=64) of respondents have at least a 3.0 or higher GPA in
their undergraduate studies before they entered the MSW program.
38
Table 1
Identifying Information
Gender
Female
Male
78.1% (n=57)
21.9% (n=16)
Status
MSWI
MSWII
49.3% (n=36)
50.7% (n=37)
Age
21-29
30-39
40+
65.8% (n=48)
20.5% (n=15)
13.7% (n=10)
Racial/Ethnic Background
African American
Hispanic
Caucasian
Asian/Pacific Islander
Other/Mix
11% (n=8)
28.8% (n=21)
37% (n=27)
16.4% (n=12)
5.5% (n=4)
Undergraduate GPA
2.9 and below
3.0 – 3.5
3.6+
9.6% (n=7)
41.1% (n=30)
46.6% (n=34)
Specific Findings
First the researchers investigated whether MSW students have perceived anxiety
as it relates to taking math, statistics, and research courses. As seen in Table 2,
participants were asked to respond to four statements: (1) I feel intimidated when
working with math or statistics, (2) I feel intimidated when working on research projects,
(3) I feel intimidated by the unknown when taking math/research/statistics class, and (4) I
am fearful of not knowing how to conduct research. The responses were on a Likert-type
39
scale, where participants selected one of the following choices: strongly disagree,
disagree, neutral, agree, or strongly agree.
Table 2
Perceived Anxiety Related to Math/Statistics/Research Courses
Statement
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
I feel intimidated when
working with math or
statistics
8.2%
(n=6)
12.3%
(n=9)
16.4%
(n=12)
41.1%
(n=30)
21.9%
(n=16)
I feel intimidated when
working on research
projects
4.1%
(n=3)
16.4%
(n=12)
17.8%
(n=13)
41.1%
(n=30)
20.5%
(n=15)
I feel intimidated by the
unknown when taking
math/research/statistics
class
5.5%
(n=4)
12.3%
(n=9)
17.8%
(n=13)
43.8%
(n=32)
20.5%
(n=15)
I am fearful of not
knowing how to conduct
research
4.1%
(n=3)
21.9%
(n=16)
11%
(n=8)
43.8%
(n=32)
19.2%
(n=14)
As seen in Table 2, when asked whether participants “feel intimidated when
working with math or statistics,” 62% (n=46) of the sample agreed or strongly agreed
compared to only 20.5% (n=15) who strongly disagreed or disagreed. For the second
statement, 61.6% (n=45) of participants agreed or strong agreed to feeling “intimidated
when working on research” while only 20.5% (n=15) strongly disagreed or disagreed.
On the third statement, 64.3% (n=47) of participants agreed or strong agreed to feeling
“intimidated by the unknown when taking math, research, and statistics class” but only
17.8% (n=13) strongly disagreed or disagreed. Again, 63% (n=46) of participants agreed
or strongly agreed to feeling “fearful of not knowing how to conduct research,” while
40
only 26% (n=19) strongly disagreed or disagreed. Base on the overwhelming responses
from participants agreeing to the four statements in Table 2, the researchers concluded
that the sample of students do experience perceived anxiety when working with research
courses.
The researchers also further analyzed the four statements using crosstabulation to
look for the difference between MSWI and MSWII students regarding perceived anxiety
(Table 3). In regards to the statement about feeling “intimidated when working with
math,” 61% (n=22) of MSWI students and 64.8% (n=24) of MSWII students responded
agree or strongly agree. When asked whether participants feel “intimidated when
working with research,” 63.8% (n=23) of MSWI students and 59.4% (n=22) of MSWII
students replied agree or strongly agree. With the statement regarding feeling
“intimidated by the unknown when taking math, research, and statistics class,” 66.6%
(n=24) of MSWI students and 62.1% (n=23) of MSWII students responded agree or
strongly agree. When asked whether participants are “fearful of not knowing how to
conduct research,” 58.3 % (n=21) of MSWI students and 67.5% (n=25) of MSWII
students replied agree or strongly agree.
41
Table 3
Difference of Perceived Anxiety between MSWI (n=36) and MSWII (n=37) Students
Statement
Status
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree
Agree
I feel intimidated when MSWI
working with math or
statistics
MSWII
11.1%
(n=4)
8.3%
(n=3)
19.4%
(n=7)
38.8%
(n=14)
22.2%
(n=8)
5.4%
(n=2)
16.2%
(n=6)
13.5%
(n=5)
43.2%
(n=16)
21.6%
(n=8)
I feel intimidated when MSWI
working on research
projects
MSWII
2.8%
(n=1)
16.7%
(n=6)
16.7%
(n=6)
44.4%
(n=16)
19.4%
(n=7)
5.4%
(n=1)
16.2%
(n=6)
18.9%
(n=7)
37.8%
(n=14)
21.6%
(n=8)
I feel intimidated by
MSWI
the unknown when
taking
math/research/statistics MSWII
class
2.8%
(n=1)
13.9%
(n=5)
16.7%
(n=6)
44.4%
(n=16)
22.2%
(n=8)
8.1%
(n=3)
10.8%
(n=4)
18.9%
(n=7)
43.2%
(n=16)
18.9%
(n=7)
MSWI
8.3%%
(n=3)
16.7%
(n=6)
16.7%
(n=6)
44.4%
(n=16)
13.9%
(n=5)
MSWII
0.0%
(n=0)
27.0%
(n=10)
5.4%
(n=2)
43.2%
(n=16)
24.3%
(n=9)
I am fearful of not
knowing how to
conduct research
As seen in Table 3, the results demonstrated the possibility of no significant
difference between MSWI and MSWII students regarding perceived anxiety. Both
MSWI and MSWII students have roughly the same amount of perceived anxiety. To be
certain, the researchers employed the Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test to
ascertain that there is no statistical difference between MSWI and MSWII students. The
significance level was set at .10. As seen in Table 4, the null hypothesis was retained for
all the statements. Consequently, the results showed no statistical difference between
42
MSWI and MSWII students as it relates to perceived anxiety related to math, statistics,
and/or research courses.
Table 4
Perceived Anxiety Related to Math/Statistics/Research Courses
Null Hypothesis
Test
Sig.
Decision
I feel intimidated when working
with math or statistics
IndependentSamples MannWhitney U Test
.858
Retain the
null
hypothesis
I feel intimidated when working on
research projects
IndependentSamples MannWhitney U Test
.844
Retain the
null
hypothesis
I feel intimidated by the unknown
when taking math/research/statistics
class
IndependentSamples MannWhitney U Test
.613
Retain the
null
hypothesis
I am fearful of not knowing how to
conduct research
IndependentSamples MannWhitney U Test
.308
Retain the
null
hypothesis
The researchers looked specifically into students’ perception regarding SWRK
210 to conclude whether students see the importance of research in their MSW program.
Participants were asked a series of questions regarding their perception of SWRK 210
class: (1) I tend to procrastinate, (2) I have a difficult time understanding the material, (3)
My previous math/research/statistics class prepared me for this class, (4) If not required
for my major, I would not take it, and (5) This course is irrelevant to my future career.
When asked whether participants “tend to procrastinate” in class, roughly half
admitted to procrastinating as seen in Table 5. With 39.7% (n=29) of the sample
answered strongly disagree and disagree to procrastinating while 42.5% (n=31) answered
43
agree and strongly disagree to procrastinating. However, when separated into foundation
year students and advanced year students, 52.8% (n=19) MSWII students admitted to
procrastinating, as compared to only 34.3% (n=12) of MSWI students. Due to the large
difference between MSWI and MSWII students, the researchers analyzed the information
further using the Mann-Whitney U Test. The significance level was set at .10. The test
summary showed a significance of .089; therefore, the researchers rejected the null
hypothesis of the distribution of “I tend to procrastinate” the same across categories
between MSWI and MSWII students (Table 6). In other words, statistical significance
was found between MSWI and MSWII students as it relates to procrastination where
MSWII students tend to procrastinate more than MSWI students.
Table 5
I Tend to Procrastinate
I tend to
procrastinate
Strongly
Disagree
9.6%
(n=7)
Disagree Neutral
Agree
30.1%
(n=22)
15.1%
(n=11)
23.3%
(n=17)
Strongly
Agree
19.2%
(n=14)
MSWI
11.4%
(n=4)
37.1%
(n=13)
17.1%
(n=6)
22.9%
(n=8)
11.4%
(n=4)
MSWII
8.3%
(n=3)
25.0%
(n=9)
13.9%
(n=5)
25.0%
(n=9)
27.8%
(n=10)
Table 6
Differences in Procrastination Between MSWI and MSWII Students
Null Hypothesis
Test
Sig.
The distribution of tend to
procrastinate is the same across
categories of Status
Independent-Samples
Mann-Whitney U Test .089
*Asymptotic significances are displayed. p< .10.
Decision
Reject the
null*
hypothesis
44
The researchers further analyzed the additional statements regarding students’
perception of SWRK 210 class (Table 7). More participants responded to strongly
disagree or disagree to having “a difficult time understanding the material” than those
who agreed or strongly agreed to it, 42.5% (n=31) to 31.5% (n=23) respectively. When
asked whether participants “would not take SWRK 210 if not required for the major,”
71.3% (n=52) of the sample agreed they would not take it if not required. However,
56.2% (n=41) of participants disagreed that “SWRK 210 is irrelevant to their career,” and
only 23.2% (n=17) agreed. Base on the findings, the researchers concluded that for the
most part, students understand the material being taught in SWRK 210 and believe the
course is relevant to their career; however, if given a choice, the students would not take
the course.
Table 7
Perception Regarding SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research
Statement
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree
Agree
I have a difficult time
9.6%
32.9%
26.0% 23.3%
8.2%
understanding the material
(n=7)
(n=24) (n=19) (n=17)
(n=6)
If not required for my
major, I would not take it
2,7%
(n=2)
9.6%
(n=7)
15.1%
(n=11)
28.8%
(n=21)
42.5%
(n=31)
This course is irrelevant to
my future career
17.8%
(n=13)
38.4%
(n=28)
20.5%
(n=15)
16.4%
(n=12)
6.8%
(n=5)
One particular statement the researchers explored in detail was “my previous
math, statistics, and research class prepared me for SWRK 210.” As seen in Table 8,
43.8% (n=32) of participants agreed while only 24.6% (n=19) disagreed to the statement.
When the sample was split into MSWI and MSWII students, the outcomes established
45
that 50% (n=18) of MSWI students agreed while only 37.8% (n=14) of MSWII students
agreed to the statement. To confirm the difference, the researchers employed the
Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test to ascertain statistical difference. With the
significance level set at .10, statistical significance of .044 was found (Table 9). As a
result, the researchers rejected the null hypothesis of “my previous math, statistics, and
research class prepared me for SWRK 210” is the same across categories of MSWI and
MSWII students. The findings informed the researchers that there is a statistical
difference between MSWI and MSWII students as it relates to previous math, statistical,
and/or research class in preparing them for SWRK 210. Base on the results, it is likely
that more MSWI students believed their previous math, statistics, and/or research class
prepared them for SWRK 210 than MSWII students did due.
Table 8
My Previous Math/Statistics/Research Class Prepared me for SWRK 210
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree
Agree
My previous
6.8%
17.8%
31.5% 37.0%
6.8%
math/statistics/research class
(n=5)
(n=13) (n=23) (n=27)
(n=5)
prepared me for SWRK210
MSWI
5.6%
(n=2)
2.8%
(n=1)
41.7%
(n=15)
41.7%
(n=15)
8.3%
(n=3)
MSWII
8.1%
(n=3)
32.4%
(n=12)
21.6%
(n=8)
32.4%
(n=12)
5.4%
(n=2)
46
Table 9
Previous Math Class Prepared Students for SWRK 210
Null Hypothesis
Test
The distribution of previous math
Independentprepared me for SWRK 210 is
Samples Mannthe same across categories of
Whitney U Test
Status
*Asymptotic significances are displayed. p< .10.
Sig.
Decision
.044
Reject the null
hypothesis*
The researchers investigated further to understand how and why MSWI students
were more prepared than MSWII students for SWRK 210. Looking at Table 10, the
average number of math courses MSWII students had taken prior to entering the MSW
program is 2.91 (n=35), a little more than the average for MWI students, 2.44 (n=34).
Looking into statistics courses specifically, MSWI and MSWII students averaged about
the same number of statistics courses taken prior to entering the MSW program, 1.81
(n=36) and 1.78 (n=37) respectively. Due to these results, the researchers concluded that
the reason MSWI students believed their previous math, statistics, and research courses
prepared them for SWRK 210 class had more to do with the content than the number of
courses.
Table 10
Average Number of Math Courses Students Have Taken
MSWI
MSWII
Number of math courses taken prior to
entering the MSW program
83
103
Mean
2.44 (n=34)
2.91 (n=35)
Number of statistics courses taken prior to
entering the MSW program
65
66
Mean
1.81 (n=36)
1.78 (n=37)
47
Specifically, participants were asked about the perceived anxiety they had when
taking SWRK 210, the anxiety levels were approximately the same between MSWI and
MSWII students. However, when looking at the relationship between the grades students
received in the class to the perceived anxiety level regarding the class, the results showed
a statistically significant correlation (Table 11). The Pearson product-moment correlation
coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between the grades students received
in SWRK 210 to their perceived anxiety level before, during, and after taking the class.
The significance level was set at .10 level (2-tailed). For the relationship between
perceived anxiety before taking SWRK 210 and students’ grade, there was a very weak
negative correlation (r =-0.295, n = 68, p = 0.015). Another negative correlation was
found between perceived anxiety while taking SWRK 210 and students’ grade (r=-0.382,
n=68, p=0.001). Lastly, the relationship between perceived anxiety after taking SWRK
210 and students’ grade was also a weak negative correlation (r=-0.300, n=46, p=0.042).
The results revealed a negative correlation between the two variables, which suggested
that when perceived anxiety increases, grade decreases and vice versa.
Table 11
Correlation between SWRK210 Grade and Perceived Anxiety
Pearson
Sig. (2Correlation
tailed)
N
Perceived anxiety before taking
SWRK 210
-0.295
0.015
68
Perceived anxiety during taking
SWRK 210
-0.382
0.001
68
Perceived anxiety after taking
-0.300
0.042
SWRK 210
*Correlation is significant at the 0.10 level (2-tailed)
46
48
Additional Findings
Looking at the responses of participants as it relates to “decreasing perceived
anxiety in SWRK 210,” there were several factors that helped decrease perceived anxiety
as reported by participants (Figure 1). Around 57.5% (n=42) of the sample agreed that
“proactively asking the professor” alleviated their perceived anxiety. Of the sample,
79.4% (n=58) agreed that “studying for every quiz/exam” was helpful while 54.8%
(n=40) believed “study session outside of class prior to quiz/exam” helped lower their
perceived anxiety.” “Working in peer groups” helped lower students’ perceived anxiety
with 63% (n=46) of participants in agreement. “Instructor’s sense of humor” had a
response of 65.7% (n=48) of the sample. “Instructor’s availability outside of class” and
“instructor’s understanding and empathy toward student’s struggles with the class”
received 65.8% (n=48) and 76.7% (n=56) of participants in agreement with the questions
respectively.
As seen in Figure 2, participants also identified “instructor’s understanding and
empathy toward their struggle in the class (21.9%, n=16)” as the most helpful strategy
that alleviated their perceived anxiety, followed by “working in peer group” (12.3%, n=9)
and “studying for every quiz/exam” (12.3%, n=9) respectively. According to the
outcomes from both Figure 1 and 2, the researchers were able to establish some helpful
strategies that will be useful for instructors to reinforce in their classes to empower their
students to understand the material more effectively.
49
Figure 1
Decreasing Perceived Anxiety in SWRK 210
instructor's understanding and
empathy toward student's
struggles
instructor's availability outside of
class
instructor's sense of humor
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
working in peer groups
Neutral
Agree
study session outside of class
prior to quiz/exam
Strongly Agree
studying for every quiz/exam
proactively asking the professor
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
50
Figure 2
Most Helpful Strategies to Decreasing Perceived Anxiety in SWRK 210
Most Helpful Strategies
Most Helpful Strategies (%)
Instructor's understanding & empathy
toward my struggle
21.9
Instructor's available outside of class
8.2
Instructor's humor
9.6
Working in peer groups
Tools, such as caculators and computers
12.3
1.4
Study session outside of class prior to
quiz/exam
5.5
I studied for every quiz/exam
I proactively ask my professor
I read for almost every class meeting
12.3
1.4
2.7
Lastly, the researchers investigated further into students’ overall experience with
SWRK 210 to determine whether they had a positive experience with learning about
research (Figure 3). More than half of the sample, 63% (n=46) agreed that their “overall
experience was positive” while only 8.2% (n=6) disagreed. Many participants (72.6%,
n=53) also believed they did gain “new knowledge regarding research and statistics” and
only 8.2% (n=6) did not. Approximately 56.1% (n=41) of the sample agreed “SWRK
210 prepared them for their thesis project” and only 20.6% (n=15) disagreed. Base on
the findings, the researchers concluded that most participants enjoyed the class while
expanding their knowledge on research and statistics from SWRK 210 class. Similarly,
they thought the class was helpful in preparing them for their thesis project.
51
Figure 3
Overall Experience of SWRK 210
SWRK 210 prepared me for my
thesis/project
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
I gained new knowledge
regarding research and statistics
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
My overall experience was
positive
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Summary
When looked at whether MSW students have perceived anxiety as it relates to
taking math, statistics, and research courses., More than half of the sample agreed or
strongly agreed to the four statements of: (1) I feel intimidated when working with math
or statistics, (2) I feel intimidated when working on research projects, (3) I feel
intimidated by the unknown when taking math/research/statistics class, and (4) I am
fearful of not knowing how to conduct research. Based on these findings, the researchers
concluded MSW students do experience perceived anxiety when working with research
courses. Furthermore, the researchers did not find differences in perceived anxiety
between MSWI and MSWII students.
Next, the researchers ascertained participant’s perceptions regarding SWRK 210
course. Particularly, statistical difference was found between MSWI and MSWII students
52
regarding the statement, “I tend to procrastinate.” Surprisingly, MSWII students
procrastinated more in SWRK 210 course than MSWI students. In other aspects of their
perception regarding SWRK 210, more participants disagreed with the following
statements than agreed: (1) I have a difficult time understanding the material, and (2)
This course is irrelevant to my future career. Additionally, more participants agreed with,
“if not required for my major, I would not take it” than disagreed. This led the
researchers to conclude that the majority of MSWI and MSWII students understand the
material in SWRK 210 course and believe the course is relevant to their career; however,
they would not take the course if given a choice.
The researchers furthered their understanding regarding whether students’
previous math, statistics, and research experience facilitated their learning in SWRK 210.
Statistical difference was found between MSWI and MSWII where MSWI students
expressed being more prepared for SWRK 210 than MSWII students. The researchers
were surprised by the findings; therefore, they looked at the number of previous math,
research, and statistics courses taken by students. Both MSWI and MSWII students had
roughly the same amount of previous math, research, and statistics courses. As a result,
the researchers concluded that the reason MSWI students believed their previous math,
statistics, and research courses prepared them for SWRK 210 class had more to do with
the content than the number of courses.
More specifically, the researchers looked in the perceived anxiety regarding
SWRK 210. The anxiety levels were approximately the same between MSWI and
MSWII students. However, when looking at the relationship between the grades students
53
received in the class to the perceived anxiety level regarding the class, the results showed
a statistically significant correlation for before, during and after taking the class. The
results suggested that when perceived anxiety increases, grade decreases and vice versa.
Lastly, the researchers investigated into methods of alleviating perceived anxiety.
They found “instructor’s understanding and empathy toward student’s struggles with the
class” ranked highest in most helpful strategies, followed by “working in peer groups”,
“studying for every quiz/exam”, and “instructor’s sense of humor.” In conclusion, even
though students had perceived anxiety about SWRK 210, their overall experience was
positive with many students gaining new knowledge regarding research and statistics that
prepared them for their thesis project.
54
Chapter 5
DISCUSSION
Base on the results from the analysis of the surveyed sample, those findings does
support the hypothesis. However, more research is needed to further understand the
definite causes of perceived anxiety as it relates to taking research courses for social work
graduate students. The researchers found overwhelming responses from the sample of 73
participants agreeing to feeling intimidated when working with math, statistics, and
research projects and feeling fearful of not knowing how to do research. The results
showed that there is no difference in perceived anxiety regarding research, math, and
statistics between MSWI and MSWII students. This led the researchers to believe that
students in the MSW programs have a perceived anxiety regarding research, which is
similar to the findings within the literature concerning students’ perceptions regarding
research within the social work profession.
A puzzling part of the findings was that there is no statistical difference in
perceived anxiety regarding math, research, and statistics between MSWI and MSWII
students. The assumption was that MSWII students should have had lower perceived
anxiety than MSWI student as a result of completing the SWRK 210 course already.
This is contrary to Hyduk and Large’s (1999) study where there was a decreased fear of
research in MSWI students when compared to MSWII students. They attributed it to
stress level. Hyduk and Large (1999) reported that stress level might be high in students
who are approaching graduation. At this time, it is unknown to the researchers as to why
55
there is no difference in perceived anxiety regarding research between MSWI and
MSWII students. Further studies are warranted to determine the difference between
them.
As a result of the lack of difference between MSWI and MSWII students in
perceived anxiety regarding research, the researchers explored more specifically about
student’s perception regarding SWRK 210 to see whether there is a difference in their
perception regarding the class. The researchers looked at whether students procrastinated
in the class; the results showed a statistical difference between MSWI and MSWII
students, where more MSWII students procrastinated than MSWI students. According to
the literature by Onwuegbuzie (2004), approximately 40% to 60% of the graduate
students reported that they nearly always or always procrastinate on writing a term paper,
studying for examinations, and keeping up with weekly reading assignments. He also
reported that a larger proportion of graduate students within the study than in the
undergraduate norm group reported that they nearly always or always procrastinate on
studying for examinations and on weekly reading assignments. Even though
Onwuegbuzie’s (2004) study is more generalized in terms of graduate students within the
education disciplines, the results can be inferred to MSW students. The findings to
Onwuegbuzie’s (2004) study and the results of this study are consistent in that those who
have more years of education procrastinated more than those who have less.
The researchers probed further to look for answers as to why there was a
difference between MSWI and MSWII students regarding procrastination. The
researchers discovered that MSWI students’ previous math, statistics, and research
56
classes prepared them for SWRK 210 more than it did for MSWII students. Due to
MSWI students being more prepared for SWRK 210, they did not procrastinate as much
as MSWII students. Onwuegbuzie’s (2004) research showed that procrastination is a
result of both fear of failure and task evasiveness. Subsequently, the researchers
speculate the reason MSWII students procrastinated may have stemmed from the lack of
preparedness and the perceived anxiety regarding research course they have.
Again, the researchers investigated deeper to look for tangible and concrete
evidence behind why MSWI students were more prepared for SWRK 210 than MSWII
students. The researchers looked into the number of math courses the students had
completed prior to entering the MSW program. The outcomes demonstrated that MSWII
students averaged slightly more math classes than MSWI students and both averaged
about the same number of statistics courses; yet MSWI students were more prepared for
SWRK 210. This is contrary to the study by Royse and Rompf (1992) that explained
math anxiety is related to the number of math courses completed. This leads the
researchers to believe that it is the content of the students’ previous math, statistics, and
research classes that regulated how prepared students were for SWRK 210 more than the
number of math, statistics, and research courses they completed.
Interestingly, MSWI students’ previous math courses prepared them for SWRK
210 more than MSWII students’ previous math courses, yet both experienced
approximately the same amount of perceived anxiety in the class. This led the
researchers to believe that maybe preparedness does not correlate with perceived anxiety
regarding the class but something else such as competency. One of the findings revealed
57
that most students did not have a difficult time understanding the material within the
class. The researchers also found that most students within the sample believed they
“gained new knowledge regarding research and statistics” from the class, the class
prepared them for their thesis project, and their overall experience of the class was
positive. These findings facilitated the researchers to believe that MSW students have
high competency with the class, yet their perceived anxiety still exists. According to
Onwuegbuzie’s (2001) study, a negative relationship between anxiety and competency
exists. However, this finding cannot determine a relationship between competency and
perceived anxiety. Further research is needed to determine whether a relationship exists.
A relationship the researchers did find was between perceived anxiety and grades
students received in SWRK 210 class. The results demonstrated that the grades students
received in the class were negatively correlated with perceived anxiety before, during,
and after taking the class. The results are consistent with the findings within the literature
regarding the negative relationship between perceived anxiety and course performance.
In a study by Meldrum and Stults (2012), they found that anxieties had a great influence
on students’ performance in the research methods course. Interestingly, Keeley et al.
(2008) found a curvilinear relationship between anxiety and performance, with high
anxiety and low anxiety being associated with low-test scores and mid-level anxiety
evidencing the best performance. Unfortunately, the researchers cannot confirm this
finding due to the lack of anxiety measurement within the study.
The researchers looked at relevancy of the SWRK 210 course in MSW students.
And found that MSW students believed the course is relevant to their career; however, if
58
given a choice, they would not take the course. Base on this evidence, the researchers
concluded that information related to research does not interest the students even though
they know the importance of it. As a result, MSW students have perceived anxiety based
on their lack of interest. This is consistent with the findings in the literature. In the study
by Hyduk and Large (1999), they found that the largest predictor for fear of research was
lack of interest in research in MSW students. In another study by Lei (2008), he found
research interest negatively correlated with levels of research anxiety. These two studies
along with this finding confirm the notion that lack of interest in research is related to
perceived anxiety.
Finally, the researchers searched for factors that can alleviate perceived anxiety.
The researchers found several strategies that are helpful. These strategies are: (1)
proactively asking the professor when students do not understand the material; (2)
students study for every quiz/exam; (3) instructors having study sessions outside of class
prior to quiz/exam; (4) students working in peer groups; (5) instructors sense of humor;
(6) instructors being available outside of class for students; and (7) instructors’
understanding and empathy toward students’ struggles with the class. More than half of
the sample believed these strategies were helpful in alleviating their perceived anxiety
regarding SWRK 210.
An overwhelming number of students believed instructors’ understanding and
empathy toward students’ struggles with the class lowered their perceived anxiety the
most. A large amount of literature supports these findings. In a study by Davis (2003),
she found that instructor’s awareness and peer-learning reduced anxiety among students.
59
Lalayant (2012) also found that instructors who are understanding and acknowledging
students’ fears lower anxiety for them. Machi et al. (2013) reported instructors providing
support, conveying a positive demeanor, and facilitating cooperative learning among
students alleviate anxiety among students. These studies confirms the strategies found
within this research project to be of help in facilitating the reduction of perceived anxiety
and fostering research interest at the same time.
In conclusion, MSW students do have perceived anxiety as it relates to taking
research courses. Different contributing factors have shown to be facilitating their
perceived anxiety, such as procrastination and previous math, research, and/or statistics
courses. An important aspect of the findings the researchers wants to emphasize is that
MSW students see the relevance of research and are competent in understanding the
material but lack interest. As a result, the researchers have found helpful strategies to
alleviate perceived anxiety in students as it relates to taking research courses and
fostering research interest altogether. The researchers are hopeful with the findings
because it gives MSW program an avenue to assist students in the MSW programs to
overcome their perceived anxiety and lead the profession toward a more researchoriented field.
Implications for Social Work
Our findings have important implications for social work education for both
students and professors because of the lack of research emphasis within the professions.
Due to the lack of research emphasis, the profession is falling behind compared to other
professions. MSW graduates and social workers are generally not knowledgeable in
60
research where they cannot adequately decipher between poor and valuable studies.
Consequently, the social work profession needs graduates proficient in research so they
can critically analyze research studies and social workers who can apply research to
practice. When research remains an atypical challenge to students, the profession could
be at risk from attracting fewer students interested and knowledgeable in conducting
research on a permanent level. The ramifications are important; without concerted effort
toward practical applications, we will limit the knowledge generation potential of the
social work profession and continue to rely on other disciplines to tell us what they know
about our clients from their perspective. Subsequently, it is essential for social workers
to be competent in research so they can critically appraise journal articles, apply research
to practice, being able to do program evaluation, increase understanding of research to
see the importance of research milieu, and contribute knowledge to advance the
profession (Cameron & Este, 2008). As a result, it is essential for both students and
professors to utilize this study to reduce perceived anxiety and foster research interest to
advance the profession further in the research area.
Recommendations
This study confirms that many MSW graduate students have perceived anxiety
towards taking research courses; therefore, it is recommended that the results of this
study be implemented into social work programs to help students become more
comfortable and confident when working with research. Also, to facilitate professors in
reducing perceived anxiety and fostering research interest in their students. Professors
should encourage their students to utilize office hours to ask questions on concepts they
61
do not understand and devote additional time and energy outside of the class to study. It
is important for students to dedicate adequate time for learning new concepts.
Additionally, it is imperative for research instructors to use humor when teaching
difficult concepts to students. Another important concept is instructors need to be aware
of the importance of their attitude where they are to provide understanding and empathy
toward their students’ struggles at all times. Using these recommended strategies will
reduce perceived anxiety and foster research interest for students in social work
programs. As a result of these changes, the profession will produce social workers who
are less intimidated in working with numbers and whose research will ultimately add
knowledge to the field of social work. Additionally, when the social work profession has
research-oriented social workers, it will gain more prestige among other professional
disciplines.
Additionally, it is recommended that further research be conducted to supplement
the information lacking from this study. One area that needs to be addressed is the
differences in perceived anxiety between MSWI and MSWII students. Likewise, more
information is needed to determine a relationship between competency and perceived
anxiety. Furthermore, future studies need to focus on performance and level of anxiety to
determine if there is a definite difference between high, mid, and low level anxiety. This
study reflects some helpful techniques instructors may utilize to assist with student
perceived anxiety. However, additional research regarding the instructors’ point of view
is warranted to understand other strategies instructors have used to reduce students’
perceived anxiety and to empower and inspire students to be interested in research.
62
Limitations
The most significant limitation of this study was the sample size; participants of
our survey represented a narrow range of MSW students. With further research, it would
be beneficial to survey a greater number of MSW students and at more than one
institution to ascertain differences and similarities regarding perceived anxiety toward
research. Moreover, the greater number of participants would provide a more
comprehensive picture of MSW student’s perspective on perceived anxiety. Also, the
sample population included mostly females. Although, typically female students
represent the majority of students enrolled in social work courses, the lack of male
participants must be address. Another limitation in this study is the lack of findings on
whether race/ethnicity has an affect on students’ perceived anxiety. The researchers in
this article were unable to investigate the topic of race/ethnicity due to the uneven and
low number of students in each race/ethnicity category. In regards to research
instructors, it is another limitation. Only 3-5 instructors at California State University,
Sacramento currently teach the SWRK 210 Methods of Social Research course. When
further research is conducted, multiple instructors at different institutions need to be
surveyed.
After reviewing the results from our study, it was clear that question 35, “for
question 26-34, which one is the most helpful strategy (please select only one)” was often
overlooked and data for this question was incomplete. This was an important question to
probe participants; however, participants may have missed the question because of its
63
inconspicuousness location on the questionnaire. Researchers need to re-evaluate where
and how to emphasize open-ended questions in a Likert-type questionnaire. Fluency in
the questionnaire language may also limit accurate data. Participants unfamiliar with
verbalizing or understanding their “perceived anxiety,” or not understanding other terms
could result in inaccurate data collected. Additional limitations regarding the
questionnaire include the ability of respondents to skip questions. This can result in
missing data.
Conclusion
This study gathered information from current MSWI and MSWII students at
California State University, Sacramento regarding their perceived anxiety as it relates to
taking research courses. Our findings are similar with other studies in the literature
regarding anxiety and research among graduate students. The findings reveal even though
participants feel intimidated when working with research, they see the relevance of
research in their career. As a result, this study uncovers helpful strategies to reduce
students’ perceived anxiety and foster research interest altogether. Some of the helpful
strategies include studying for every quiz/exam, having instructor’s understanding and
empathy toward their struggles with the class, and the instructor’s sense of humor. These
findings are beneficial to perspective MSW students, current MSW students, research
instructors and university administration personnel because they need to be aware of the
existing perceived anxiety. At the same time, learn how to alleviate it to be a more
research-oriented profession and be able to apply research to practice.
64
APPENDIX A
Questionnaire
65
Graduate Social Work Students and the Study of Social Work Research Questionnaire
□ 21-29
1. Age:
2. Identify as:
□ 30-39
□ 40+
□ Female
□ Male
□ African American
□ Hispanic
□ Caucasian
3. Racial/ethnic background:
□ Asian/Pacific Islander
□ American Indian
□ Other: _________
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
4. Year undergraduate completed
5. Most difficult undergraduate class
6. Number of undergraduate math course(s) taken
7. Time elapsed since last undergraduate math course completed
8. Number of college level statistics courses completed
9. Time elapsed since last undergraduate statistics course completed
10. Undergraduate final GPA:
PRESENT QUESTIONS
11. Student status:
12. SWRK 210 (CSUS class)
□ 2.9 and under
□ 3.0 – 3.5 □ 3.6 and up
□ MSW I
□ MSW II
□ In-progress
□ Completed
PERCEIVED ANXIETY RELATED TO MATH/STATISTICS/RESEARCH COURSES
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
13. I feel intimidated when working with math or statistics
□
□
□
□
□
14. I feel intimidated when working on research projects
□
□
□
□
□
15. I feel intimidated by the unknown when taking
math/research/statistics class
□
□
□
□
□
When I think about SWRK 210 Research Methods, my thoughts are (please answer all questions that applied to you):
Strongly
disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly
agree
16. I am fearful of not knowing how to conduct research
□
□
□
□
□
17. I tend to procrastinate
□
□
□
□
□
18. I have a difficult time understanding the material
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
20. If not required for my major, I would not take it
□
□
□
□
□
21. This course is irrelevant to my future career
□
□
□
□
□
19. My previous math/research/statistics class prepared me for this class
No
anxiety
Low anxiety
Some anxiety
Moderate
anxiety
High anxiety
22. Your perceived anxiety level before taking SWRK 210
1
2
3
4
5
23. Your perceived anxiety level during SWRK 210
1
2
3
4
5
24. Your perceived anxiety level after taking SWRK 210
1
2
3
4
5
Anxiety level (please circle)
25. SWRK 210 Received/Expected Grade:
□ C+ or below
□ B- to B+
□ A- to A
66
26. I read for almost every class meeting
□
□
□
□
□
27. If I don’t understand something, I proactively ask my professor
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
28. I studied for every quiz/exam
29. Study session outside of class prior to quiz/exam helped lower my
perceived anxiety
30. Tools, such as calculators and computers helped lower my anxiety
31. Working in peer groups helps lower my anxiety
32. Instructor’s humor help lower my perceived anxiety
33. Instructor’s availability outside of class help lower my perceived
anxiety
34. Instructor ‘s understanding & empathy toward my struggles with
the class helped lower my perceived anxiety
When I think about SWRK 210 Research Methods, my thoughts are (please answer all questions that applied to you)
DECREASING PERCEIVED ANXIETY IN SWRK 210
35. For question 26-34, which one is the most helpful strategy (please only select only one): _________
OVERALL SWRK 210 EXPERIENCE
36. My overall experience was positive
37. I gained new knowledge regarding
research and statistics
38. SWRK 210 prepared me for my
thesis/project
39. Research/statistics is important in my future
jobs
Strongly disagree
□
Disagree
□
Neutral
□
Agree
□
Strongly agree
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
67
APPENDIX B
Implied Consent Form
68
IMPLIED CONSENT FORM
Title of Project:
The Challenges Social Work Students Face When Taking Research
Related Courses
Researchers:
Duyen Pham & Matthew Tidd
XXX-XXX-XXXX & XXX-XXX-XXX
XXXXX@yahoo.com & XXXX@yahoo.com
Advisor:
Dr. Francis Yuen, DSW
Division of Social Work, CSUS
1. Purpose of the study: The purpose of this research study is to search for the factors that
contribute to the perceived anxiety Social Work students face when taking research
related courses. We also want to look further into factors that alleviate perceived anxiety.
Perceived anxiety is defined as being aware of feeling worried, uneasy, nervous, tense,
or fearful of something
2. Procedures to be followed: You will be asked to answer questions on a survey
3. Discomforts and Risks: There are no risks in participating in this research study beyond
those experienced in everyday life.
Benefits: This research study will offer feedback to researchers on how and why Social
Work students respond to perceived anxiety when taking research related courses and
also, the factors that alleviate perceived anxiety.
4. Statement of Confidentiality: Your participation in this research is confidential and will
be protected. The survey does not ask for any identifying information. The Institutional
Review Board at Sacramento State University may review surveys related to this study.
In the event of any publication or presentation resulting from the research, no personal
identifiable information will be shared.
5. Rights to Ask Questions: Please contact Duyen Pham at (916) 812-0139 or Matthew
Tidd at (707) 481-1997 with questions, complaints or concerns about this research. If you
feel any distress, please contact Sacramento State Health Center & Counseling Services
at (916) 278-6461 or Sacramento County Mental Health at (916) 875-7070.
6. Voluntary participation: You must be 18 years of age or older to take part in this
research study. Your decision to be in this research in voluntary. You can stop at anytime.
You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to answer. Completion and
return of this survey is considered your implied consent to participate in this study. Please
keep this form for your records.
69
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