Effect of academic stream and gender on attitude of research scholars towards research

In modern world, attitude of people are considered more important than their experiences and academic preparation. A positive attitude towards research is a key to success and progress in the knowledge based societies. The present study exploredresearch scholars’ attitude towards research in relation to their academic stream and gender. The sample consisted of 97 research scholars from M.D. University, Rohtak. Attitude Scale towards Research (ASTR-SVSY) by Sood and Sharma (2012) was used to assess the attitude scores of research scholars towards research. The scale consisted of 42 items distributed in the form of fourdimensions: general aspects of research and research process, research usefulness in professional career, relevance in personal social life and research anxiety. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like Mean, S.D., Skeness, Kurtosis and inferential statistics like t-test. The results showed that research scholars have a favourable attitude towards research. Significant difference was found between the attitude of arts and science research scholars towards general aspects of research and research process, usefulness of research in professional career and relevance of research in personal and social life. No significant difference was found in attitude of arts and science research scholars towards difficulties in research and research anxiety. On the other hand, significant difference was found in attitude of male and female research scholars towards usefulness of research in professional career and relevance of research in personal and social life. No significant difference was found in their attitude towards general aspects of research and research process along with difficulties in research and research anxiety.