The relationship between race and library anxiety among graduate students: A replication study

Abstract

Despite the large volume of literature on racial differences in academic performance between African Americans and Caucasian Americans at various educational levels, there has been a dearth of research examining whether the academic library experience is an important variable that helps explain the racial differences observed in educational outcomes. To date, only one empirical study has examined the racial differences in library anxiety among college students. Specifically, Jiao et al. [Jiao, Q. G., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Bostick, S. L. (2004). Racial differences in library anxiety among graduate students. Library Review, 53(4), 228–235] found that African-American graduate students reported statistically significantly lower levels of library anxiety associated with three library anxiety dimensions than did their Caucasian-American counterparts. However, because the two racial groups selected for the study differed in the types of institution they attended, the researchers were unable to conclude whether the differences found in the library anxiety levels were the result of race or the groups’ educational experience/aptitude. Therefore, the present study replicated Jiao et al.’s earlier research while addressing this concern. Findings revealed that the African-American graduate students (n = 25) reported consistently lower levels across all five dimensions of library anxiety than did the Caucasian-American graduate students (n = 155). These two studies suggest that racial differences in library anxiety exist in the college student population.