Sources of Anxiety Related to Clinical Education in Undergraduate Speech-Language Pathology Students

One hundred and twenty seven speech-language pathology students participated in a questionnaire survey which examined factors that may be associated with anxiety in clinical education. The students were in their second, third and fourth years of a university degree program. The study identified a number of factors which contributed to anxiety levels in each year of the program. Significant contributors to anxiety common to all years were perceived ability to apply theory to practice, students' high expectations of themselves, the amount of preparation required for clinic, amount of prior relevant clinical experience, and ability to fulfil university and clinical demands simultaneously. Students beginning clinical practice, in second year, reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, closely followed by students in the fourth and final year, with students in third year reporting the least anxiety. Implications of these results for students, clinical supervisors and program administrators are discussed.