Research Mentorship as Correlates of Attitude Towards Thesis Completion Among Post Graduate Students in Cross River State, Nigeria

This study examined research mentorship and attitude towards thesis completion among post graduate students in Cross River State, Nigeria. To realize the stated objectives, two null hypotheses were formulated to direct the study. The review of related literature was based on the sub-variables of the study. The research design adopted for the study was correlational research design. The population of the study consists of is 252 spillover post graduate students in 2023/24 session (masters M.Ed / M.Sc ) and doctoral (PhD) programmes), made up of 153 males and 99 females drawn from University of Calabar and University of Cross River. Purposive sampling procedure was employed in this study. Due to the small number of the population, the entire population (census) was used as the sample. Hence, the sample size for the study consists of 250 (151 males and 99 females). The questionnaire titled Research Mentorship and Attitude Towards Thesis Completion Questionnaire (RIAQ) was the instrument for data collection. The Face validity of the instrument was explored to check for the appropriateness of the items. The Cronbach reliability estimate of the instrument gave a range of 0.63-0.83. The null hypotheses were analyzed using simple linear regression analysis. The result indicated that building of mutual trust/friendship and effective communication significantly predicts attitude towards thesis completion among postgraduate students. Based on the findings of the study, it recommended among others that Postgraduate school should establish regular feedback processes where students can express their concerns and successes. Open communication can enhance trust with mentor which can predict attitude towards thesis completion.