The Utility of Statistics in Psychology: A Classroom-Based Intervention Study

• In Event: Innovation in Introductory Statistics Instruction: Student Attitudes, Motivations, and Peer Support as Key to Learning

Abstract

Objectives
Look at a standard college course catalogue, and you will see a slew of statistics courses. Not only will you find these courses hosted in Mathematics or Statistics departments, but also in departments that might come as a bit of a surprise such as Horticulture, Business, Chemistry, and Psychology among others. Despite the importance of statistics courses for a myriad of careers and everyday tasks, many undergraduate students harbor anxieties and negative attitudes regarding enrolling in and completing a course in statistics. Here, we present a classroom-based intervention technique designed to improve students’ attitudes and anxieties about statistics courses. This study was pre-registered, and all data and materials are available on the Open Science Framework.

Perspectives
Negative attitudes toward statistics courses have been associated with poorer performance in statistics courses (Wise, 1985; Zimmer & Fuller, 1996). Students’ anxiety and poor attitudes may place them at a disadvantage. Therefore, these anxieties and attitudes must be addressed by instructors to promote equity in statistics classrooms, as well as to promote the highest quality statistics training possible for all students.

Methods
The intervention was implemented across five sections (N = 322) of “Basic Statistics for Psychology” taught in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A utility value intervention was included within a weekly writing activity designed to promote student reflection. In the control group, students were required to report and summarize their learning on two topics from that week’s content, whereas students in the intervention group were required to describe how they would apply both topics to their daily or future lives, in addition to reporting and summarizing their learning on the two topics. Students’ attitudes toward and anxiety about statistics were measured using a modified version of the Attitudes Toward Statistics scale (Wise, 1985) and the Statistics Anxiety Scale (Pretorius & Norman, 1992) at the beginning of the course before they completed any writing assignments (Beginning-Course), after seven weeks of instructions (Mid-Course), and during the final week of instruction (End-Course) across a single semester.

Results
Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted. Contrary to prediction, students who were treated with the intervention did not report better attitudes or improved anxiety from the Beginning-Course Assessment to the End-Course Assessment. However, all students reported improved anxiety from the Beginning-Course to End-Course assessments.

Scientific Significance
Despite the lack of predicted results, this research presents important implications for designing statistics courses. A common process that all students engaged in, regardless of their experimental group, was identifying and describing the materials they were learning. Because all students reduced their anxieties from the beginning of the course to the end, this process may be an effective strategy for improving attitudes and lessening anxiety in statistics classrooms. Additional research is underway on this important topic.

Authors

• Chelsea M. Andrews, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Morton Ann Gernsbacher, University of Wisconsin - Madison