Research Anxiety among Turkish Graduate ELT Students

Authors

  • Ali Merç Anadolu University

Keywords:

research anxiety, research self-efficacy, graduate students, ELT

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level and predictors of research-related anxiety among graduate ELT students in the Turkish context. 81 MA and PhD students from 14 universities offering graduate programs in ELT responded to a background questionnaire, a research anxiety scale, and a research self-efficacy survey. The analysis of the data revealed that graduate students were moderately anxious about conducting research. It was also found out that self-efficacy beliefs of graduate students were able to explain a certain portion of the research anxiety. Furthermore, while gender and having a publication experience do not affect the level of research anxiety, MA students were found to be having more research-related anxiety than PhD students. Finally, research self-efficacy was found to be negatively correlated with research anxiety. The overall findings suggest that graduate students need support to increase their self-efficacy about research in order to have lower levels of research anxiety. Recommendations for graduate programs and suggestions for further research are also provided.

Author Biography

Ali Merç, Anadolu University

Dr. Ali MERÇ is an Assisstant Professor in ELT at Anadolu University, Faculty of Education. He received his BA (2000), MA (2004), and PhD (2010) from Anadolu University. His research interests include pre-service EFL teacher education, language teaching and learning anxiety, teaching practicum issues, distance EFL teacher training, and teaching and learning reading in a foreign language.

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Published

2016-03-08

How to Cite

Merç, A. (2016). Research Anxiety among Turkish Graduate ELT Students. Current Issues in Education, 19(1). Retrieved from https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/1539

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Section

Articles