Research Attitudes of African-American Graduate Students  

This two-stage study examined attitudes toward research of African-American 
graduate students. Stage 1 involved the development and score validation of 
the Attitudes Toward Research Design Survey (ATRDS). Stage 2 involved 
comparing ATRDS subscale scores between African-American students enrolled 
at an institution located in an urban setting and those enrolled in a rural 
setting. Comparisons were made with regard to research self-efficacy, 
perceived professional utility of research, and learning preferences. 
Stage 2 revealed that African-American graduate students enrolled at the 
urban institution reported moderately higher levels of research self-efficacy 
than did their rural counterparts.