ERIC Number: EJ1336281
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1855-9719
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
That Old Devil Called 'Statistics': Statistics Anxiety in University Students and Related Factors
Levpušcek, Melita Puklek; Cukon, Maja
Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, v12 n1 p147-168 2022
The present study investigated relationships between statistics anxiety (SA), trait anxiety, attitudes towards mathematics and statistics, and academic achievement among university students who had at least one study course related to statistics in their study programme. Five hundred and twelve students from the University of Ljubljana completed the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and answered questions about their perceptions of mathematics and statistics. The results showed below-average mean scores on the STARS dimensions, except for the Test and Class Anxiety with the average score around the midpoint of the scale. Female students reported higher levels of SA than male students did. The highest levels of SA were reported by students who perceived mathematics and statistics as a threat. The subscales of the STARS correlated positively with students' trait anxiety. Students who reported less enjoyment in mathematics in high school perceived statistics to be a less worthy subject and had a lower computation self-concept. Students who had better mathematics performance in high school and higher average study grades also reported a higher computation self-concept. In the present study, we translated the STARS questionnaire into Slovenian and confirmed the six-factor structure of the questionnaire. The results provide a basis for further research on statistics anxiety and further validation of the STARS questionnaire. The results can also aid statistics teachers in better understanding students' worries, fears, and attitudes towards statistics and in learning about the factors that affect students' statistics anxiety and their work in the course.
Descriptors: Statistics Education, Anxiety, Test Anxiety, Gender Differences, Correlation, Scores, Self Concept, Mathematics Skills, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Mathematics Achievement, Rating Scales, Computation, Factor Analysis, Slavic Languages, Translation, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education. University of Ljubljana Kardeljeva plošcad 16. Slovenia. Tel: +386-1-5892-344; e-mail: editors@cepsj.si; Web site: https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Slovenia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A