Statistics Anxiety: What are the Antecedents?

Abstract

Study curriculums of higher education institutions on all levels of study (bachelor, master, and PhD) incorporate statistics courses. Such courses are more or less mandatory in higher education and specialisation. Research has shown that students report high levels of stress while attending statistics courses, high levels of anxiety while preparing and taking the exam and developing negative opinions of the statistics as a scientific field. In order to revert the negative connotation that is easily developed among students, it is of outer importance to explore the factors which impact their opinions on statistics. To do so, a survey was conducted among students who were attending a statistical course at the bachelor's level. The survey encompassed four parts: background information, previous experience with mathematical subjects, elements of the statistical course they feel anxiety about, and their opinion on the final outcome of the exam and the overall course. The conducted analysis was two-fold: first, to explore are there gender differences and study programme differences in opinions and attitudes and second, to construct a conceptual model to explore the impact of previous experience with mathematical subjects on anxiety and opinion. Statistical analyses used to answer the defined task is structural equation modelling (SEM). It is believed that the obtained results could shed light on the antecedents of statistical anxiety among students who are attending a statistical course at the university level for the first time. Professors and teaching assistants could be provided with valuable insights which can help them adjust their curriculum and in-class dynamics so as to reduce the possibility for students to develop statistics anxiety. Besides improving the grades and percentage of students who pass the statistics exam, they could improve the students' perception of the scientific field, thus encouraging them to pursue a career in statistics and data analysis, leading to the popularisation of the scientific field.