Perceived usefulness of the introductory statistics course as a correlate of student engagement in statistics

Abstract

Some non-academic factors, particularly perceived usefulness, are salient determinants of student success, and engagement in a discipline. This study explored the association between college students’ ratings of the usefulness of an introductory statistics course, their beliefs about where statistics will be most useful, and their intentions to take another statistics course. A cross-sectional study of 106 students was conducted. The mean rating for usefulness was 4.7 (out of 7), with no significant difference by gender and age. Sixty-four percent reported that they would consider taking another statistics course, and that subgroup rated the course as more useful (p = .01). Thirty-five percent reported that statistics would be most useful for graduate school, 32% research, 14% their job, and 19% were undecided. The “undecided” students rated statistics as less useful (p = .001). Instructors should emphasize practical examples of the use of data in real-world problem-solving and decision-making. Qualitative research methods could help to elucidate these findings.