Attitudes towards statistics and statistical performance: A mediation model of statistics anxiety and academic procrastination.
attitudes towards statistics
course performance
higher education
procrastination
statistics anxiety
Journal
The British journal of educational psychology
ISSN: 2044-8279
Titre abrégé: Br J Educ Psychol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 0370636
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
12 Sep 2024
12 Sep 2024
Historique:
received:
04
04
2024
accepted:
25
08
2024
medline:
13
9
2024
pubmed:
13
9
2024
entrez:
12
9
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Students often harbour negative attitudes towards research methods and statistics courses, and such attitudes may be associated with harmful cognitive and behavioural responses. Research on these effects has been restricted to the investigation of direct links between attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, academic procrastination, and course performance. This study sought to examine the interconnected impact of attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, and procrastination, on course performance in a cohesive model. It was predicted that attitudes towards statistics would indirectly affect statistical performance via statistics anxiety and procrastination in a sequential manner. The sample comprised 171 undergraduate psychology students from Australian universities. An online questionnaire collected information on participant demographics, attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, procrastinatory behaviours, and performance in participants most recently completed statistics course. Data were collected cross-sectionally. All responses were anonymous. A sequential mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of statistics anxiety and procrastination, controlling for age and gender. The results showed that more negative attitudes towards statistics are associated with greater statistics anxiety, which is in turn associated with greater procrastination, and finally with lower statistical performance. It was concluded that students who view their statistics courses as a threatening experience may fail to see value in their statistical education, which is associated with heightened statistics anxiety, increased avoidance of course-related activities, and in turn poorer course performance. Practical implications of the findings are also discussed.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Students often harbour negative attitudes towards research methods and statistics courses, and such attitudes may be associated with harmful cognitive and behavioural responses. Research on these effects has been restricted to the investigation of direct links between attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, academic procrastination, and course performance.
AIMS
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to examine the interconnected impact of attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, and procrastination, on course performance in a cohesive model. It was predicted that attitudes towards statistics would indirectly affect statistical performance via statistics anxiety and procrastination in a sequential manner.
SAMPLE
METHODS
The sample comprised 171 undergraduate psychology students from Australian universities.
METHODS
METHODS
An online questionnaire collected information on participant demographics, attitudes towards statistics, statistics anxiety, procrastinatory behaviours, and performance in participants most recently completed statistics course. Data were collected cross-sectionally. All responses were anonymous.
RESULTS
RESULTS
A sequential mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of statistics anxiety and procrastination, controlling for age and gender. The results showed that more negative attitudes towards statistics are associated with greater statistics anxiety, which is in turn associated with greater procrastination, and finally with lower statistical performance.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
It was concluded that students who view their statistics courses as a threatening experience may fail to see value in their statistical education, which is associated with heightened statistics anxiety, increased avoidance of course-related activities, and in turn poorer course performance. Practical implications of the findings are also discussed.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
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