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 REFERENCES Adam, N., Zosky, D. L., & Unrau, Y. A. (2004). Improving the research climate in social work curricula: clarifying learning expectations across BSW and MSW research courses. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24 (3/4), 1-18. Adams, N., & Holcomb, W. (1986). Analysis of the relationship between anxiety about mathematics and performance. Psychological Reports, 59 (October), 943-948. Benson, J. (1989). 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