José Darío Guamán Tacuri

Introduction: Ecuadorian higher education has experienced different dynamics in scientific production, presenting a significant challenge regarding the integration and participation of university students. The problem lies in a lack of knowledge analyzing the correlation between academic anxiety and scientific production in a university context in the city of Ambato, Ecuador. Objective: To determine the correlational association between academic anxiety and scientific production among university students in the city of Ambato in 2025. Methodology: The research employed a correlational approach, a quantitative methodology, and a non-experimental design. Data was collected using a structured survey administered to 248 university students, selected through convenience sampling. Results and Discussion: The main results show that 31.45% of students experience physical fatigue when conducting research activities, 57.26% perceive that they are not meeting the demands of a research project, 47.58% avoid engaging in scientific research, and a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.027 was obtained, demonstrating a negative association between the variables studied. Conclusion: The university students experience physiological, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties when producing a scientific product, where a lack of experience and student support makes scientific research a difficult and uninteresting field for university students to explore.