Date
3-10-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision (PhD)
Chair
Stacey Lilley
Keywords
epistemology, research self-efficacy, mentorship experience, statistics anxiety, research methodology
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Vaile, Caroline Suzanne, "The Influence of Epistemological Beliefs, Research Self-Efficacy, and Affective States on Doctoral Students’ Research Methodological Selections" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8028.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8028
Abstract
This quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study examines the extent to which epistemological beliefs predict research methodology choice and whether this relationship is mediated by mentorship experiences or research self-efficacy and moderated by statistics anxiety. The study is grounded in Hofer and Pintrich’s Epistemological Beliefs Theory, Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, and Kram’s Mentor Role Theory. Data were collected using self-report measures via an online survey hosted by Qualtrics. Participants included current CES doctoral students and graduates within the past five years (N=47). The study utilized binary logistic regression and PROCESS mediation and moderated mediation analyses, indicating that epistemological beliefs did not significantly influence research methodology choice. Additionally, mentorship experiences and research self-efficacy did not mediate the relationship between epistemological beliefs and research methodology choice. Finally, statistics anxiety did not moderate any of the proposed pathways. While the five hypothesized relationships were not supported, the findings suggest that factors beyond epistemology, mentorship quality, research self-efficacy, and statistics anxiety influence CES doctoral students’ choice of research methodology for their dissertation. Limitations included sample size, limited demographic selection, and unforeseen use of bot technology in the data collection. The findings also point to meaningful directions for future research including the use of broader and more diverse samples, longitudinal designs to examine developmental change over time, and exploring qualitative measures such as interviews, focus groups, or case studies to further explore CES doctoral students’ experiences with research methodology selection.
