POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ANXIETY AS A PREDICTOR OF ACHIEVEMENT SCORES IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS AND EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated postgraduate students’ research anxiety as predictor of achievement scores in Educational Research Methods and Educational Statistics in public Universities in Anambra State.  Two research questions and corresponding hypotheses guided the study.  Correlational and ex-post facto research designs were employed for the study. The population of the study was 350 students. The sample was 150 students obtained through multi-stage sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled ‘Postgraduate Students’ Research Anxiety Questionnaire (PSRAQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to content validation by three experts. Two experts are from Measurement and Evaluation unit and one expert from Educational Psychology The internal consistency of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha and the reliability coefficient of 0.86 was obtained, showing that the instrument is reliable and could be used for data collection. Data were collected by the researcher with the help of two research assistants. The data collected were analyzed using simple regression analysis. Findings from the results of the analysis revealed that, postgraduate students’ research anxiety was not a significant predictor of achievement scores in Educational Research Methods in public Universities in Anambra State. Also, it was revealed that postgraduate students’ research anxiety was not a significant predictor of achievement scores in Educational Statistics. It was therefore recommended among others that, lecturers should offer more opportunities to postgraduate students to air their views on instructional matters, which will motivate them to improve their performance in Educational Research Methods and Educational Statistics.