Pharmacy students' anxiety towards research during their undergraduate degree; How to reduce it?

PLoS One. 2017 Apr 18;12(4):e0176095. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176095. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Objective: To measure pharmacy students' anxiety towards research and how academic support, academic effort, attitude and self-efficacy influence their research anxiety.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with undergraduate final year students of pharmacy using a convenient sampling method. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used.

Results: Response rate for this study was 85.9% (128 students from a population of 149). The participants agreed that they read literature to understand research, but did not attend research-related coursework. Most participants (91.4%) felt that they were under stress while doing research. Almost all participants (97.6%) felt that they were doing very badly during their data analysis or they may fail their research projects. The majority of participants agreed that help from the lecturers' and friends in research give emotional support for their research activities.

Conclusion: Academic support for pharmacy students, along with their additional academic effort will improve the students' self-efficacy and reduce research anxiety.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety / epidemiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Curriculum
  • Education, Pharmacy* / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Research
  • Self Efficacy
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Students, Pharmacy
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Institute For Research, Development and Innovation BP I-01-12 (49) 2015.