Influence of mastery and vicarious experiences on thesis writing anxiety of doctoral students in library and information science, Southwest Nigeria
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study investigated the influence of mastery and vicarious experiences on thesis writing anxiety among doctoral students in library and information science (LIS) programmes across six universities in Southwest Nigeria. Adopting a survey research design, the study employed a structured and validated questionnaire to collect data from a census population of 375 MPhil/PhD. and PhD students. The instrument measured thesis writing anxiety through cognitive, somatic, and avoidance dimensions, and assessed mastery and vicarious experiences as sub-constructs of selfefficacy. In all, 315 copies of questionnaire were retrieved, accounting for 84.0% response rate. Data were analyzed with both descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (regression analysis) using SPSS statistical software. Findings revealed that doctoral LIS students rarely experienced thesis writing anxiety, with cognitive anxiety being the most frequently experienced subcomponent. The results further showed a high level of mastery and vicarious experiences among doctoral students. Study findings further revealed that both mastery and vicarious experiences significantly influenced thesis writing anxiety individually and jointly, with mastery experience exerting a slightly stronger negative influence. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing doctoral students’ self-efficacy through targeted interventions to mitigate writing-related anxiety. The study recommends institutional support for structured mentorship, peer modelling, and self-regulated learning strategies to foster academic resilience among doctoral candidates.
Institutions: Olabisi Onabanjo University, Babcock University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7084620955