Students' perceptions on factors of statistics anxiety and instructional strategies.

Students' perceptions on factors of statistics anxiety and instructional strategies. We explored students" experiences in a statistics class toinvestigate what factors contributed to students' anxiety and howinstructional strategies helped students learn statistics effectively.The participants were graduate students in the social sciences at alarge Midwest university. The findings from the study demonstrate thatfactors contributing to statistics anxiety include math phobia phobia:see neurosis. phobiaExtreme and irrational fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. A phobia is classified as a type of anxiety disorder (a neurosis), since anxiety is its chief symptom. , lack ofconnection to daily life, pace of instruction, and instructor'sattitude. The results also show that using multidimensional mul��ti��di��men��sion��al?adj.Of, relating to, or having several dimensions.multi��di��men instructional methods and instructor's being attentive at��ten��tive?adj.1. Giving care or attention; watchful: attentive to detail.2. Marked by or offering devoted and assiduous attention to the pleasure or comfort of others. tostudents' anxiety are helpful strategies to reduce students'anxiety.Key words: statistics anxiety, learning statistics, teachingstatistics**********Statistics anxiety is defined as anxiety that occurs as a result ofencountering statistics in any form and at any level (Onwuegbuzie,DaRos, & Ryan 1997). In classrooms, statistics anxiety is noticeably no��tice��a��ble?adj.1. Evident; observable: noticeable changes in temperature; a noticeable lack of friendliness.2. Worthy of notice; significant. common among students whose academic background includes little previousstatistical or mathematical training. Onwuegbuzie, Slate, et al. (2000)stated that 75% to 80% of graduate students in the social sciencesappeared to experience uncomfortable levels of statistics anxiety whichnegatively affected learning (Onwuegbuzie & Seaman SEAMAN. A sailor; a mariner; one whose business is navigation. 2 Boulay Paty, Dr. Com. 232; Code de Commerce art. 262; Laws of Oleron, art. 7; Laws of Wishuy, art. 19. The term seamen, in it most enlarged sense, includes the captain a well as other persons of the crew; in a more confined 1995).Consequently, statistical analysis became the lowest academic skillfor graduate students in the social sciences (Huntley, Schneider, &Aronson 2000). The dilemma is that almost all graduate students in thesocial sciences need to take statistics as part of their academictraining. How training programs should help graduate students addressstatistics anxiety and help them learn statistics more effectively isimportant.Statistics anxiety is not only due to the lack of training or toinsufficient skills, but is also due to misperception mis��per��ceive?tr.v. mis��per��ceived, mis��per��ceiv��ing, mis��per��ceivesTo perceive incorrectly; misunderstand.mis about statisticsand negative experiences in previous statistics classes. For instance,students often think they do not have enough mathematics training to dowell in statistics classes. The fear of failing the course causes adelay in enrolling in statistics courses for as long as possible, andthe delay often leads to failure to complete degree programs(Onwuegbuzie 1997). The lack of self-efficacy self-efficacy (selfˈ-eˑ·fi·k and the high anxiety instatistics keep many students away from engaging in research work orfurthering an academic career (Blalock Bla��lock, Alfred 1899-1964.American surgeon who developed surgical techniques for repairing congenital defects of the heart and associated blood vessels. 1987; Caine et al. 1978; Schacht& Stewart 1990; Zeidner 1991).The prevalence of statistics anxiety among graduate students in thesocial sciences has called for researchers' and educators'growing attention in the last decade. In the literature, statisticsanxiety has been extensively studied in two major areas--measurement ofand factors contributing to statistics anxiety. In the early stage,statistics anxiety instruments were derived from measurement of mathanxiety, including the Statistical Anxiety Scale (Pretorius & Norman1992) and the Statistics Anxiety Inventory (Richard & Woolfolk1980). The Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS), developed by Cruiseand Wilkins Wil��kins, Maurice Hugh Frederick 1916-2004.British biophysicist. He shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for his contributions to the determination of the structure of DNA. (1980) and Cruise, Cash, and Bolton (1985), is recentlystudied by Baloglu (2002) for its psychometric psy��cho��met��rics?n. (used with a sing. verb)The branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and properties. Morerecently, Watson et al. (2003) incorporated the STARS along with asurvey of attitude toward statistics into a multimedia program--EncStat(Encouraged About Statistics)--that aimed at identifying students withstatistics anxiety or negative attitudes toward statistics.The factors contributing to students' anxiety are broad. Forte(1995) found several factors that were applicable to social workstudents who experienced statistics anxiety. These factors were minimalprevious math preparation, late-in-career introduction to quantitativeanalysis Quantitative AnalysisA security analysis that uses financial information derived from company annual reports and income statements to evaluate an investment decision.Notes: , general anti-quantitative bias, lack of appropriation The designation by the government or an individual of the use to which a fund of money is to be applied. The selection and setting apart of privately owned land by the government for public use, such as a military reservation or public building. for thepower of analytical analytical, analyticpertaining to or emanating from analysis.analytical controlcontrol of confounding by analysis of the results of a trial or test. models, and lack of mental imagery useful inthinking about quantitative concepts. Another investigation found thatevaluation concern, fear of failure, and perfectionism per��fec��tion��ismn.A tendency to set rigid high standards of personal performance.per��fection��ist adj. & n. were responsiblefor statistics anxiety (Walsh & Ugumba-Agwunobi 2002).Onwuegbuzie and Wilson's (2000) comprehensive reviewclassified the factors associated with statistics anxiety into threecategories: (a) situational factors, such as math experience (Baloglu2001, 2003; Betz 1978; Hong & Karstensson 2002; Pan & Tang tang, in zoologytang:see butterfly fish. ,2004; Roberts & Bilderback 1980; Tomazic & Katz Katz, Bernard 1911-2003.German-born British physiologist. He shared a 1970 Nobel Prize for the study of nerve impulse transmission. 1988; Wilson1997; Zeidner 1991), statistics experience (Sutarso 1992), computerexperience (Zimmer & Fuller 1996), and research experience (Trimarco1997; Pan &Tang, 2004); (b) dispositional factors, such as mathselfconcept or self-esteem self-esteemSense of personal worth and ability that is fundamental to an individual's identity. Family relationships during childhood are believed to play a crucial role in its development. (Zeidner 1991), scholastic competence ormultiple intelligences (Birenbaum & Eylath 1994; Daley &Onwuegbuzie 1997; Onwuegbuzie 2000c), perfectionism (Onwuegbuzie &Daley 1999; Walsh & Ugumba-Agwunobi 2002), hope (Onwuegbuzie 1998a),and procrastination (Onwuegbuzie 2000a; Walsh & Ugumba-Agwunobi2002); and (c) personal factors, such as learning style (Onwuegbuzie1998b; Wilson & Onwuegbuzie 2001), age (Baloglu 2003: Pan &Tang, 2004), gender (Baloglu 2003; Benson 1989; Benson & B&alos1989: Betz 1978; Demaria-Mitton 1987; Hong & Karstensson 2002;Roberts & Bilderback 1980), and ethnicity ethnicityVox populi Racial status–ie, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic (Bell 1998; Onwuegbuzie1999).Unfortunately, few studies have examined methods to reduce theanxiety in learning statistics for graduate students in the socialsciences (Onwuegbuzie & Wilson 2000). Schacht and Stewart (1990)found that students in statistics classes where humorous cartoon cartoon[Ital., cartone=paper], either of two types of drawings: in the fine arts, a preliminary sketch for a more complete work; in journalism, a humorous or satirical drawing. examples were incorporated felt a reduction in their level of anxiety.Smith, Miller, and Robertson (1992) and Sgoutas-Emch and Johnson (1998)reported that journal writing was apparently effective in reducinganxiety, although these authors did not find a statistically significantdecrease in anxiety levels. Forte (1995) argued for an effectiveteaching approach that incorporated computer usage, real-worldapplications, humor humor,according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was , statistical language practice, and group-learningprinciples. Dolinsky (2001) suggested creating a collaborativeenvironment in which active learning strategies were used as the primarymethod to teach statistics. Recently, Pan and Tang's (2004) studyshows that the combining application-oriented teaching methods withinstructors' attentiveness at��ten��tive?adj.1. Giving care or attention; watchful: attentive to detail.2. Marked by or offering devoted and assiduous attention to the pleasure or comfort of others. to students' anxiety is asignificantly effective way to reduce students' anxiety in learningstatistics. These teaching methods reveal promising, initial efforts toreduce students' statistics anxiety, but more innovationalstrategies of teaching statistics are needed (Huntley et al. 2000).The purpose of this current study was to gain more understanding ofstudents' perceptions on factors contributing to their anxiety inlearning statistics and potentially helpful instructional strategies. Afocus group study was used to explore what factors students think impede im��pede?tr.v. im��ped��ed, im��ped��ing, im��pedesTo retard or obstruct the progress of. See Synonyms at hinder1.[Latin imped their statistics learning and contribute to their anxiety in learningstatistics and whether the instructional strategies employed in theclassroom helped them reduce their statistics anxiety and learnstatistics effectively. The research questions were (a) What factors dostudents perceive to be contributing to their anxiety in learningstatistics? (b) What instructional strategies do students feel helpfulto lessen less��en?v. less��ened, less��en��ing, less��ensv.tr.1. To make less; reduce.2. Archaic To make little of; belittle.v.intr.To become less; decrease. their statistics anxiety and to learn statistics effectively?The importance of understanding students' perceptions lies in thefact that no strategies will work if students cannot make any sense oftheir learning process.MethodParticipantsSeven voluntary students were recruited from a 30-student graduatecourse on statistical methods offered by the College of Education at aMidwest urban university. Specifically, these 7 students included 1Asian student, 2 African Americans African AmericanMulticulture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.See Race. , and 4 Caucasian Caucasianor Caucasoid:see race. Americans. Therewere 2 male and 5 female students. The mean age was 33.86 with astandard deviation In statistics, the average amount a number varies from the average number in a series of numbers. (statistics) standard deviation - (SD) A measure of the range of values in a set of numbers. of 6.20. All but one was pursuing a doctoral degree.Three of the students majored in Counseling, two in EducationalFoundations, and two in Communication Sciences and Disorders. All ofthem had at least one (M = 3.43, SD = 1.27) mathematics, statistics, orother quantitative courses in their previous degrees. The participantsalso reported that they had research experience (M = 2.86, SD = 1.07)rated on a 5-point Likert scale Likert scaleA subjective scoring system that allows a person being surveyed to quantify likes and preferences on a 5-point scale, with 1 being the least important, relevant, interesting, most ho-hum, or other, and 5 being most excellent, yeehah important, etc (1 = little experienced through 5 = veryexperienced).Data Collection MethodWe conducted a focus group interview as the data collection method."A focus group interview is an interview with a small group ofpeople on a specific topic" (Patton 2002, p. 385) and "it canget high-quality data in a social context where people can considertheir own views in the context of the views of others" (p. 386).The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceptions onthe factors contributing to their statistics anxiety and instructionalstrategies that might be helpful for them to learn statisticseffectively. The format of focus group aligns well with the researchgoal because seeking reaction to shared experiences is one of thefunctions of the focus group interview. Interactions among participantsalso enhance data quality. It is a cost-effective cost-effective,n the minimal expenditure of dollars, time, and other elements necessary to achieve the health care result deemed necessary and appropriate. data collection methodas well.The participants were in the same statistics class. In that class,several instructional strategies were employed to reduce the anxiety andenhance learning outcome. The instructional strategies used in the classwere classified into two categories: application-oriented teachingmethods and instructor's attentiveness to students' anxiety.In the first category, the students were requested to write an essaybiweekly bi��week��ly?adj.1. Happening every two weeks.2. Happening twice a week; semiweekly.n. pl. bi��week��liesA publication issued every two weeks.adv.1. Every two weeks. to their bosses or friends about what they have learned in theclass using layperson's language based on a real example from theirwork or daily life. The students were also asked to critique a publishedquantitative journal article, which allowed students to apply the coursecontent to evaluate quantitative research Quantitative researchUse of advanced econometric and mathematical valuation models to identify the firms with the best possible prospectives. Antithesis of qualitative research. .In regard to reducing the anxiety, the instructor had tried thefollowing strategies: (a) an orientation letter was sent out a weekprior to the class to get the students oriented o��ri��ent?n.1. Orient The countries of Asia, especially of eastern Asia.2. a. The luster characteristic of a pearl of high quality.b. A pearl having exceptional luster.3. to the expectations ofthe class, such as textbooks, necessary background knowledge in math,and available resources for help if students had any concerns orquestions; (b) the instructor maintained flexible and extra office hours office hours,n.pl See business hours. and conducted an interim class survey addressing the students'concerns; (c) the students could bring a note sheet to the final exam Noun 1. final exam - an examination administered at the end of an academic termfinal examination, finalexam, examination, test - a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; "when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new set of .Preparing the note sheet functioned as a means of reviewing the coursematerials and summarizing course content; and (d) the students also hadan option to take the course on a Pass/Fail basis as an alternative tothe regular letter grading system, which dramatically reduced theiranxiety about doing poorly in the class.At the end of the class after the final exam, the students wererecruited to participate in the study using focus group to exploreeffective statistics learning. 7 students out of 30 students in theclass volunteered to participate. The questions in the focus groupinterview solicited the participants' responses on the followingfour areas: (a) what factors made them anxious about learningstatistics, (b) positive and negative experiences in learningstatistics, (c) teaching methods that helped them reduce the anxiety,and (d) teaching methods that helped them learn statistics. Theparticipants were also asked to provide any suggestions that would helpgraduate students learn statistics more effectively.ProceduresAt the end of the quarter, the focus group was conducted in aquiet, private room in the same building where the students took theirclass. One of the researchers played the role of moderator moderator - A person, or small group of people, who manages a moderated mailing list or Usenet newsgroup. Moderators are responsible for determining which email submissions are passed on to the list or newsgroup. , and theother was in charge of video taping the interview session. Theparticipants were briefed about what a focus group was and what theyneeded to do in the interview. They were informed about their rights towithdraw from the study and were told that their confidentiality wouldbe guarded. The moderator also ensured that everyone had an opportunityto express their views and concerns if there were any. At the end, bothresearchers thanked the participants for their contributions.The focus group interview lasted about 1 hour. The moderator askedthe questions and then invited the participants to provide theirresponses and reactions to the questions. Every participant was givenopportunity to respond; if the participants did not have any reaction toa particular question, they might choose to pass. The participants werebriefed on the process of focus group interview and encouraged torespond not only to the questions from the moderator but also theresponses from their group members. The participants did interact wellbecause they knew each other from class and seemed comfortable to eachother. The researchers noticed that the group agreed with each othermore often than differing on the issues. The moderator also emphasizedthat there were no right or wrong answers and that all input wasappreciated.The videotaping of the focus group interview was transcribedverbatim ver��ba��tim?adj.Using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word: a verbatim report of the conversation.adv. by a research assistant and the transcribing process wasdouble-checked by the researchers to secure the validity of thetranscription transcription/trans��crip��tion/ (-krip��shun) the synthesis of RNA using a DNA template catalyzed by RNA polymerase; the base sequences of the RNA and DNA are complementary. tran��scrip��tionn. . The transcripts were independently coded by theresearchers for analysis. In their independent coding process, theresearchers looked for the common themes from the participants'responses to the same questions and then grouped the same or similarresponses into a category. The data were reduced into several categoriespertaining per��tain?intr.v. per��tained, per��tain��ing, per��tains1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident.2. to two major themes: factors contributing to statisticsanxiety and helpful instructional strategies. Finally, the researcherscompared and discussed their coding and themes identified for consensus.The researchers did not find any major disagreement on coding orinterpretation of the repeated words.ResultsFactors Contributing to Statistics AnxietyIn responding to several questions probing factors contributing tostatistics anxiety, the participants provided a variety of responses(see Table 1 for a summary). Four patterns were identified: fear ofmath, lack of connection to daily life, pace of instruction, andinstructor's attitude. The anxiety of math deficiency was echoed byalmost all the participants. One participant said, "I was neververy good at math so that's what makes me more anxious."Another student said, "For me too, I have a fear of math I may getstuck half way in solving the problem." "I have a mathphobia," still another agreed. Several students indicated thatstatistics had little to do with their daily-life problems and made itdifficult to learn. For instance, one student said, "It's notconnected to anything that I normally do.'" Another studentechoed, "It doesn't feel important by day to day." Thepace of instruction was mentioned because some students felt thatintensity of graduate curriculum (i.e., one quarter for one subject)seemed to be a problem, compared to undergraduate courses where onespends a whole academic year on a particular subject. There was onestudent who stated that she did not have anxiety about learningstatistics because she liked problem-solving process.In regard to negative experiences, several students mentioned howan instructor in their previous statistics class had harmful impact ontheir view of themselves and statistics. The sample statements were:"You didn't want to ask a question, some people wereridiculed;" and "I didn't feel like the instructor wasinterested in how I was doing in the class or cared, and that did make alot of differences." Taking an exam was another difficult thingthat the participants agreed upon Adj. 1. agreed upon - constituted or contracted by stipulation or agreement; "stipulatory obligations"stipulatorynoncontroversial, uncontroversial - not likely to arouse controversy as negative experience. Lastly, theintensive pace of instruction was again mentioned as a negative impacton their learning. One student said, "I need soak time [to digestthe materials]." Helpful Instructional StrategiesThe majority of the students listed examination methods andevaluation criteria as the important instructional strategies that wouldbe helpful for them to reduce the anxiety (see Table 1 for a summary).They preferred to have many small quizzes, case studies, and projectsfor course evaluation A course evaluation is a paper or electronic questionnaire, which requires a written or selected response answer to a series of questions in order to evaluate the instruction of a given course. rather than a heavily weighted final exam. Onestudent said, "I would prefer we do the exercise and have to showour work, what would work for me, I thought the exam was too timeintensive." "It's very anxious because you have so muchto do and such a chunk of your grade and if I bomb there, then I justget a bad grade," another student expressed the same feeling. Beinggiven an option to take the course on a Pass/Fail basis also helped somestudents because they knew they could pass but not necessarily got a Bor above grade which is required by the graduate school. "Notesheet" was generally liked by the participants; however, onestudent felt that the note sheet was not so helpful because ofdifficulty in organizing information on one sheet.Pertaining to the helpful instructional methods for learningstatistics, the responses of the participants could be categorized cat��e��go��rize?tr.v. cat��e��go��rized, cat��e��go��riz��ing, cat��e��go��riz��esTo put into a category or categories; classify.cat into3 major areas (see Table 1). Practical application was the mostfrequently brought up strategy in the discussion. The specificapproaches included working on real-world problems, applying thestatistics in a research project, reinforcing the concepts throughhomework, and communicating what has been learned in class to otherpeople. They stated, "I would like more practice in solving moreproblems," "developed a study and then applied what welearned," "more examples, more problem solving problem solvingProcess involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. ... kind ofwalking through the steps, ... and I think I learn by repetition REPETITION, construction of wills. A repetition takes place when the same testator, by the same testamentary instrument, gives to the same legatee legacies of equal amount and of the same kind; in such case the latter is considered a repetition of the former, and the legatee is entitled ,""I really liked the assignment where we had to explain to a friend,because again.... once I started to type it out I realized that I had alot of questions, do I really understand this," and "I evenlike the overlapping of the assignment with the exercise." Theother helpful ways were flexible availability of assistance by theteaching staff as well as by lecture notes which were available prior toclass. "Presentation of the lectures are very helpful," and sowas "their availability" (referring to teaching assistant andinstructor). The third area the participants felt helpful was their hopeto have a small class size and some in-class small group activities.When asked about their positive experience in the statistics class,the participants expressed their appreciation of real-world examples andpractical exercises/problem solving (see Table 1). They particularlyliked the example being carried through for illustrating differentconcepts. The participants indicated their "aha" moments camewhen "pulling things together in the real world" and"things come together and make you understand." They felt"real stories help" and "examples were really good."The other positive experiences the participants identified includedorientation of the class, lecture notes on the Electronic Blackboard (1) See Blackboard Learning System.(2) The traditional classroom presentation board that is written on with chalk and erased with a felt pad. Although originally black, "white" boards and colored chalks are also used. available prior to the class, and flexible availability of assistance byinstructors and teaching assistants.DiscussionStatistics anxiety is prevalent among graduate students in thesocial sciences. Measurement of and factors affecting statistics anxietyhave been focuses of much research during the past 20 years. Few studieshave examined what students' experiences were in learningstatistics in class. This study used a focus group study to explore whatfactors contributed to students' anxiety about learning statisticsand what instructional strategies could be potentially helpful inreducing their anxiety and to assist them to learn statisticseffectively. The findings revealed that contributing factors range frommisconception mis��con��cep��tion?n.A mistaken thought, idea, or notion; a misunderstanding: had many misconceptions about the new tax program. or mystified mys��ti��fy?tr.v. mys��ti��fied, mys��ti��fy��ing, mys��ti��fies1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle.2. To make obscure or mysterious. belief about statistics to instructor'sattitude to lack of connection to real-world problems. The results alsoillustrated that practical application was the most effective teachingstrategy identified by the participants of the focus group.In addition to the math phobia and misconception about statistics,the instructor's attitude was another important factor forstudents' statistics anxiety. If the instructor can be sensitive tostudents' concerns and attentive to their worries, it is possibleto help graduate students in the social sciences learn statistics moreeffectively. The participants in this study revealed that theorientation letters from the instructor prior to the class were helpful.The reasons were probably not only because the letter informed thestudents about what to expect and how to be ready for the class, butalso it was a sign that the instructor cared about students'learning. Encouragement from instructors (Wilson & Onwuegbuzie2001), humorous teaching style (Forte 1995; Schacht & Stewart 1990;Wilson 1998), and addressing the anxiety and providing coping strategies The German Freudian psychoanalyst Karen Horney defined four so-called coping strategies to define interpersonal relations, one describing psychologically healthy individuals, the others describing neurotic states. to students (Dillon 1982; Pan & Tang, 2004; Wilson 1998) weresuggested in the literature to be effective instruction practices forreducing students' statistics anxiety.The responses from the participants consistently favored theteaching strategies that use more practical application, real-lifestories and case examples. One of the contributing factors forstatistics anxiety was lack of connection to the real world. It seemsthat when the lectures and assignments gear towards real-life problemsand illustrate how statistics can be useful, misconceptions Misconceptions is an American sitcom television series for The WB Network for the 2005-2006 season that never aired. It features Jane Leeves, formerly of Frasier, and French Stewart, formerly of 3rd Rock From the Sun. aboutstatistics can be dispelled. Applying the class contents to daily lifeand actual research articles makes learning statistics more meaningful.Many participants also stressed the importance and helpfulness of havingone example carried through so that they can see clearly how statisticscan address different aspects of the problem. The literature, in fact,supports the findings of this study. Forte (1995), Pan and Tang (2004),and Wilson (1998) suggested that applying statistics to real-worldsituations be helpful in alleviating anxiety in statistics classes. Dunn(1996), Dolinsky (2001), Pan and Tang (2004), Smith, Miller, andRobertson (1992), and Sgoutas-Emch and Johnson (1998) also found thatwriting assignment was an effective way to help students to formpositive attitudes toward to statistics. Applying the statisticalconcepts to solve real-life problems also give students opportunities toreinforce what they have learned, which addresses the pace issues thatmany participants feel as a problem.The participants indicated that fear of failure was one of thecauses of anxiety. Therefore, if instructors can eliminate the sourcefor their failure--examination, students at least can focus more onlearning rather than outcome evaluation. For instance, several methodsused in the class, such as optional grading system, more flexible officehours, orientation letter, and the note sheet, were all measures thatmade it easier for students to pass the course. From theparticipants' responses, it was clear that these measures werehelpful in addressing the psychological part of their statisticsanxiety. Availability of assistance is important because knowing theycan ask for help any time, students will not feel frustrated frus��trate?tr.v. frus��trat��ed, frus��trat��ing, frus��trates1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: when theyare stuck.The findings of this study revealed that teaching statistics moreeffectively required instructors be attentive to students' anxietyand to employ multidimensional teaching approaches. Anxiety can beaddressed by instructors' attitudes and multiple ways of evaluatingstudents' learning outcome. The grades of the course can becomposed of different assignments with each weighting not too much, sothat if students do not well in one particular assignment, they stillhave chance to make up their grade from other assignments. Theassignments should be designed to give students opportunities toreinforce learned concepts. More importantly, the instruction in theclass as well as the assignments need to be application-oriented, i.e.,practical real-world problem solving. Problem-based learning problem-based learningMedical education An instruction strategy in which groups of students are presented with clinical problems without prior study or lectures. See Cooperative learning. (PBL PBL Problem-Based LearningPBL Phi Beta LambdaPBL Performance Based LogisticsPBL Planetary Boundary LayerPBL Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (Australia)PBL Philippine Basketball LeaguePBL Peripheral Blood Leukocyte ; Boud& Feletti 1991) may be a reasonable choice for instructional method.Other suggestions based on the findings from this study were small classsize, although implementing small class size sometimes is beyondinstructors' control: small group exercises: and cases/examplescarried through for illustrating various notions.Some researchers may be concerned about the generalizability of thecurrent study with a single focus group interview on only 7 voluntaryparticipants. Although the information was sought from the single focusgroup, the purpose of this study was not to make general statement aboutstatistics anxiety for all graduate students in the social sciences.Rather, this study was to try to provide potentially useful suggestionsfor instructors and students to explore a means of reducing statisticsanxiety. In further research, it would be desirable to conduct multiplefocus groups and target on each subpopulation sub��pop��u��la��tion?n.A part or subdivision of a population, especially one originating from some other population: microbial subpopulations.Noun 1. by one of the multiplefocus groups. The multiple focus groups would give us a more completepicture of students' perceptions on factors contributing tostatistics anxiety and instructional strategies that would help them tolearn statistics effectively. Moreover, it would be also interesting tohave the qualitative findings in this study followed by experimentalquantitative researches looking at the relationship between a decreasein anxiety and an increase in students' performance.In summary, the statistics anxiety prevalence among graduatestudents in the social sciences can be addressed from both supportiveenvironment and multidimensional instructional strategies. Thesupportive environment helps students reduce their anxiety, and theapplication-oriented instruction makes it easier for students to learnstatistics more effectively.ReferencesBaloglu, M. (2001). An application of structural equation modeling Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relationships using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions. techniques in the prediction of statistics anxiety among collegestudents. 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Ranked as one of America’s top 25 public research universities and in the top 50 of all American research universities,[2] .Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr.Wei Pan, Division of Educational Studies, University of Cincinnati, P.O.Box 210002, Cincinati, OH 45221-0002; Email: wei.pan@uc.edu.This research was supported by a pedagogy grant from the College ofEducation, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University ofCincinnati. The authors are indebted in��debt��ed?adj.Morally, socially, or legally obligated to another; beholden.[Middle English endetted, from Old French endette, past participle of endetter, to oblige to Robert Kallmeyer for collectingand managing the focus group interview data. The authors are alsothankful thank��ful?adj.1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile. to Haiyai Bai for useful comments.Table 1Summary of Results from Focus Group Interview Theme FactorFactors contributing to statistics anxiety Math phobia Lack of connection to daily life Pace of instruction Instructor's attitudeHelpful instructional strategies Practical application Real-world example carried through Orientation prior to class Multiple evaluation criteria Flexible availability of assistance