Notes on Attitudes to Statistics among Swedish Psychology and Education Science Students: The Effects of Self-perception and Anxiety
| Document type: | Conference Papers |
|---|---|
| Peer reviewed: | No |
| Full text: | |
| Author(s): | Bo Schenkman |
| Title: | Notes on Attitudes to Statistics among Swedish Psychology and Education Science Students: The Effects of Self-perception and Anxiety |
| Translated title: | Anmärkningar om attityderna till statistik hos svenska psykologi- och pedagogikstudenter: effekterna av självuppfattning och ångest |
| Journal: | Rapportserie från avdelningen för Högskolepedagogisk utveckling |
| Conference name: | LÄRARLÄRDOM: Högskolepedagogisk konferens 2009-2010 |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Pagination: | 121-129 |
| ISBN: | 978-91-7295-974-3 |
| Publisher: | Blekinge Tekniska Högskola |
| City: | Karlskrona |
| Other identifiers: | Rapportserie från avdelningen för Högskolepedagogisk utveckling No 2011:01 |
| Organization: | Blekinge Institute of Technology |
| Department: | School of Management (Sektionen för management) School of Management S- 371 79 Karlskrona +46 455 38 50 00 http://www.bth.se/mam/ |
| Authors e-mail: | bo.schenkman@bth.se |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | A number of studies have pointed out the resistance to statistics courses and the anxiety it induces among social science students. The attitudes to statistics among psychology and education science students in a new university in Sweden were studied. Seven students were from a higher level course eight were from a course at a second year level. The students were asked voluntarily to respond to a questionnaire. The higher level students were given the questionnaire both before and after the course and they were also interviewed for about one hour each. Although all students experienced anxiety about statistics, some of them had become more positive to statistics after the course. This shows that feelings of interest and anxiety can exist at the same time. The anxiety might often be a result of low self perception of one’s own mathematical abilities. This self-perception must be made more positive. Teaching statistics at the same time to both distance and campus students is not to be recommended. The students expressed a wish for a more continuous teaching of statistics, repetitions, more practical examples and practice in using statistical packages. |
| Subject: | Psychology\General Education\General Mathematics\Probability and Statistics |
| Keywords: | psychology, statistics, education, self-perception, anxiety |
| Note: | Redaktörer: Christina Hansson, Marie Jedemark och Åse Nygren |
