The Relationship between Statistics Anxiety and Statistical Performance

Abstract

Background. Many students experience statistics anxiety, which is a feeling of worry that is experienced when statistics are encountered in any form. Self-efficacy, previous academic experience, attitudes towards statistics and big five personality traits seem to be related to statistics anxiety, which in turn seems to have a negative effect on performance in statistics. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate 1) the relationship between statistics anxiety and statistical performance, 2) the relationship between self-efficacy, previous academic experience, attitudes towards statistics, the big five personality traits conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion, and statistics anxiety, and 3) the role of statistics anxiety as mediator between self-efficacy, previous academic experience, attitudes towards statistics, big five personality traits and statistical performance. Method. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate psychology students. Questionnaires were used to assess the different study concepts. Data were analysed using multiple regression. Results. Statistics anxiety is not related to statistical performance. Self-efficacy and the big five personality traits neuroticism and agreeableness are related to statistics anxiety. However, previous academic experience, attitudes towards statistics and the big five personality traits conscientiousness, openness and extraversion are not related to statistics anxiety. Statistics anxiety does not mediate the relationship between self-efficacy, previous academic experience, attitudes towards statistics, big five personality traits and statistical performance. Discussion. This study found self-efficacy and the big five personality traits neuroticism and agreeableness to be related to statistics anxiety, but other factors to be unrelated. These results differ from some other studies, although there are studies with similar results. Possible explanations for the different results might be differences in study design, small sample size, and its non-randomised sample.