Predicting Success in Psychological Statistics Courses.
Many students perform poorly in courses on psychological statistics, and it is useful to be able to predict which students will have difficulties. In a study of 93 undergraduates enrolled in Statistical Methods (18 men, 75 women; M age = 22.0 years, SD = 5.1), performance was significantly associated with sex (female students performed better) and proficiency in algebra in a linear regression analysis. Anxiety about statistics was not associated with course performance, indicating that basic mathematical skills are the best correlate for performance in statistics courses and can usefully be used to stream students into classes by ability.
Stockton University, NJ, USA David.Lester@stockton.edu.
David
D
Lester
D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000193:education*; D055815:Young Adult
academic achievement; sex differences; statistics anxiety; statistics learning