Time Management Proficiency and Thesis Writing Anxiety among Library and Information Science Doctoral Students in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between time management proficiency and thesis writing anxiety among Library and Information Science (LIS) doctoral students in South-West Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted with a population of 375 doctoral students in six selected public and private university, South-West, Nigeria.  In all, 315 questionnaires were found usable, accounting for 84.0% rate of return. Data collection instrument was a structured and validated questionnaire tagged “Time management Proficiency and Thesis Writing Anxiety Questionnaire” (TMPTWAQ), yielding a reliability index of 0.93, and 0.97 for thesis writing anxiety and time management respectively. Primary data collected were analyzed using simple percentages, Mean, SD and Regression analysis at 0.05 level.  Findings revealed that thesis writing anxiety was rarely experienced among doctoral LIS students, with cognitive symptoms occurring more frequently than somatic symptoms and avoidance behaviors. However, findings further revealed that self-doubt, and negative self-talk were the most prevalent indicators of cognitive anxiety. Conversely, students exhibited a high level of time management proficiency, with the strongest performance in time management attitude, followed by long-range planning and then by short-range planning. In addition, findings revealed a significant negative relationship between time management proficiency and thesis writing anxiety among doctoral LIS students.  The findings thus suggested that while doctoral students in LIS demonstrate commendable time management skills, internal cognitive stressors remain a prominent source of anxiety during thesis writing. The study underscores the importance of strengthening psychological support alongside time management training to mitigate anxiety and enhance doctoral completion rates.