Perceived Level of Research Anxiety and Research Self-Efficacy of Twelfth Graders of a Catholic Senior High School

Research is essential in today's generation, offering significant benefits to society. It serves as a key skill for generating new knowledge and developing interventions. However, research anxiety often hinders its growth and mastery, especially in the field of education. The goal of this study was to present students’ research anxiety and research self-efficacy levels as well as to determine the relationship between these two factors regarding various variables (sex, strand/track, academic standing, and type of junior high school attended) in the Senior High School Department at Saint Mary’s University. The study employed a descriptive-comparative-correlational research design and utilized both qualitative and qualitative methods. The findings showed that the research anxiety of the students was moderate, and sex, academic standing, and type of junior high school attended did not significantly affect the level of research anxiety. However, it was found that respondents’ strands significantly affected the research anxiety level. Additionally, the research efficacy level of the students was moderate, and sex, strand, and type of junior high school attended had no perceptible effect on these levels. However, it was found that academic standing had a significant effect on the research self-efficacy of the students. Moreover, there is a high correlation between research anxiety and the research self-efficacy of the students. The students’ responses to what exacerbated their research anxiety indicated that deadline pressure and conflicting schedules increased their research anxiety. The respondents coped with it by managing and balancing their time well and by engaging in recreational activities. These findings can be used to establish and initiate programs or workshops that would develop and enhance the skills of students in engaging research.