Student Concerns and Perceived Challenges in Introductory Statistics, How the Frequency Shifted during COVID-19, and How They Differ by Subgroups of Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic and shift to remote instruction disrupted students’ learning and well-being. This study explored undergraduates’ incoming course concerns and later perceived challenges in an introductory statistics course. We explored how the frequency of concerns changed with the onset of COVID-19 ( 1417) and, during COVID-19, how incoming concerns compared to later perceived challenges ( 524). Students were most concerned about R coding, understanding concepts, workload, prior knowledge, time management, and performance, with each of these concerns mentioned less frequently during than before COVID-19. Concerns most directly related to the pandemic—virtual learning and inaccessibility of resources—showed an increase in frequency. The frequency of concerns differed by gender and URM status. The most frequently mentioned challenges were course workload, virtual learning, R coding, and understanding concepts, with significant differences by URM status. Concerns about understanding concepts, lack of prior knowledge, performance, and time management declined from the beginning to the end of the term. Workload had the highest rate of both consistency and emergence across the term. Because students’ perceptions have an impact on their experiences and expectations, understanding and addressing concerns and challenges could help guide instructional designers and policymakers as they develop interventions.