Mastery and Vicarious Experiences as Predictors of Thesis Writing Anxiety Among Doctoral LIS Students in South-West Nigeria

Olayinka Buraimo; Yemisi T. Babalola; Yacob Haliso; Chidi Deborah Segun-Adeniran

doi:10.25159/2663-659X/19599

Authors

Olayinka Buraimo Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2280-7820
Yemisi T. Babalola Babcock University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0506-6976
Yacob Haliso Babcock University https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5901-6375
Chidi Deborah Segun-Adeniran Covenant University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5978-3164

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/19599

Keywords:

mastery experience, vicarious experience, self-efficacy, thesis writing anxiety, doctoral students, Library and Information Science

Abstract

This study explored the effect of mastery and vicarious experiences on thesis writing anxiety among PhD students studying in LIS programmes in six universities located in South-West, Nigeria. Survey design was employed for this study and data were collected from a census sample comprising 375 MPhil/PhD and PhD students through a structured and validated questionnaire. Anxiety of thesis writing was measured along the dimensions of cognition, somatic and avoidance, while mastery and vicarious experiences were used as measures of self-efficacy. Out of the 375 distributed questionnaires, 315 questionnaires were retrieved and considered valid, constituting 84.0% of the total respondents. The statistical techniques employed included descriptive statistics and regression analysis using SPSS software. The study results indicated that thesis writing anxiety among PhD LIS students was not common, but in cases where it occurs, cognition was the predominant dimension. From regression analysis, it was found that the mastery experience was significantly and negatively correlated with thesis writing anxiety both on individual and combined basis. Conversely, vicarious experience was not significantly related with thesis writing anxiety on an individual basis but was significantly positively related when the two types of experience were analysed together. The results indicate the importance of considering various forms of self-efficacy while predicting the thesis writing anxiety of doctoral students. The article suggests that the doctoral programmes offer structured experiences for doing successful research and writing while the process of mentorship and peer-learning be properly designed to enhance self-efficacy without making students anxious through social comparison.

Author Biographies

Yemisi T. Babalola, Babcock University

Department of Information Resources Management /Professor

Yacob Haliso, Babcock University

Department of Information Resources Management/Professor

Chidi Deborah Segun-Adeniran, Covenant University

University Library/ Librarian I

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