Opportunities for libraries to address research anxiety in undergraduate students in STEM fields

Abstract

Many students pursuing STEM fields in the United States leave these subjects early on in their undergraduate studies, and this is especially true for under-represented groups of students. STEM retention is a multifaceted problem, and one emerging factor is research anxiety. Research anxiety produces negative feelings associated with scientific research, and these feelings can lead students to change their subjects of study, creating a smaller and less diverse pool of STEM graduates. Unpreparedness is a strong indicator of whether a student will experience research anxiety, so, theoretically, research anxiety may be combated by preparing students to partake in research early in their academic careers by strengthening their information literacy and library-related skills. Librarians are uniquely positioned to help alleviate this problem by providing programs centered on preparing students to partake in research-intensive assignments. However, in order to do so, research anxiety needs to be widely recognized, and librarian-led intervention needs to be specifically targeted towards this significant issue.