‘Sociologists Shouldn’t Have to Study Statistics’: Epistemology and Anxiety of Statistics in Sociology Students

Abstract

Worry about learning maths and statistics has been widely researched internationally but very little of this work has focussed on sociology. It is well documented that sociology students can be reluctant to engage with statistical methods. This article provides an exploration of the relationship between anxiety of statistics and its antecedents in sociology students. The analyses presented are based upon data collected from over 30 universities in the UK and is the most comprehensive sample of its type. The primary aim of this article is to analyse whether the perceived epistemological legitimacy of statistics, among sociology students, is associated with reported statistics anxiety. The results show that epistemological legitimacy is highly associated with reported statistics anxiety. Confidence in maths is also strongly associated with statistics anxiety. The implications of acknowledging these and other pedagogical issues in teaching quantitative research methods are complex and layered. Measures capturing whether students accept the epistemological legitimacy of statistical methods should be routinely incorporated in research examining statistics anxiety.

Mediating factors of statistics anxiety in university students: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…It seems that the way in which university students perceive their ability for statistics can tended to present an inverse relationship with SA in our analyses. 9,31,52,53 Further insights from our meta-analysis attest to this trend, showing that across studies, the higher a student's reported assuredness in their capacity for statistics (self-efficacy), the lower their presentations of SA. This, perhaps, indicates a prospect for statistics instructors to employ teaching strategies and encourage learning behaviours which aim to increase self-efficacy among students to reduce SA.…”

“…Most of the studies examined SA and participant gender and found conflicting results. In Ralston's research, women had a higher probability of reporting SA 52 . Baloğlu and colleagues reported higher levels of SA among women, but only on the Interpretation Anxiety and Test/class Anxiety subscales of the STARS 55 .…”

“…In all studies, relationships were found between SA and self-efficacy, or indeed, student's perceptions of their capabilities in statistics. 9,31,[51][52][53] In the research of Cendales and colleagues, higher scores in self-concept, self-perception and attitudes were related to increased SA levels, particularly in women, in both the STEM and Human Sciences areas. 51 Furthermore,…”

Relationship between Statistics Anxiety and Academic Dishonesty: A Comparison between Learning Environments in Social Sciences

“…Macher et al [27] contended that anxiety has a positive influence on learning behaviors. Nonetheless, the assertion that introductory statistics courses in social sciences induce anxiety, and subsequent negative outcomes underpin many studies and literature reviews [28]. Despite a growing body of literature comparing performance as manifesting in POE and F2F statistics students [29], the scholarly research comparing the manifestations of Statistics Anxiety in F2F, POE, and ERT environments, and their relation to academic misbehavior is scanty.…”

No Anxious Student Is Left Behind: Statistics Anxiety, Personality Traits, and Academic Dishonesty—Lessons from COVID-19

“…Otherwise stated, current socioeconomic and health circumstances (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) have revealed that there is a need to promote the development of skills and knowledge focusing on the formation of statistically literate citizens [23], for which statistics education is imperative. Hence, identifying students' propensity to develop statistics anxiety in introductory statistics courses as determined by their specific personality traits may allow to prepare instructors for intervening [24] and preventing academic dishonesty whenever needed.…”