Library anxiety among international graduate students

Abstract

While few studies have explored library anxiety among international graduate students in the United States, Jiao and Onwuegnuzie's study (1999) of international graduate and undergraduate students identified mechanical barriers as the greatest source of library anxiety among international students. Building on this, the current pilot study investigated the level of library anxiety among 15 international graduate students in the United States, using a modified version of Bostick's (1992) Library Anxiety Scale (LAS) with a proposed Language & Cultural Barriers sub-scale. Findings from the pilot study revealed that mechanical barriers were the smallest source of library anxiety, and affective and staff barriers were the greatest sources of library anxiety. No significant gender or disciplinary differences were found in terms of the level of library anxiety among international graduate students. The results of this pilot study also provided the basis for the refinement of instrument.