investigating the relationship between research anxiety and academic self-concept in master’s and doctoral students

Background: research anxiety and academic self-concept are among the factors that can be effective in improving the level of students’ capabilities in research in the field of medical education.objectives: the present study was conducted to determine the relationship between research anxiety and academic self-concept in master’s and doctoral students of shahrekord university of medical sciences.methods: this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical research was conducted on 102 graduate students of shahrekord university of medical sciences in the master’s and doctoral degrees in 2019. sampling was performed using a convenience method. the data collection tool included the higgins research anxiety inventory and the academic self-concept questionnaire (ascq). the data were analyzed by calculating the mean and standard deviation, the independent t-test, and the pearson correlation coefficient in spss software.results: in master’s students, research anxiety was inversely and significantly correlated with academic self-concept (r = -0.339, p = 0.002) and academic self-confidence (r = -0.425, p < 0.001). also, academic self-concept was directly and significantly associated with academic self-confidence (r = 0.876, p < 0.001) and academic effort (r = 0.821, p < 0.001). in doctoral students, academic self-concept also showed a direct and significant association with academic self-confidence (r = 0.835, p < 0.001) and academic effort (r = -0.753, p < 0.001).conclusion:  research anxiety was associated with academic self-concept in master’s students of shahrekord university of medical sciences, but such a relationship was not found in doctoral students.