Self-efficacy beliefs in college statistics courses

• Published in: Contemporary educational psychology Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 161 - 186
• Main Authors: Finney, Sara J, Schraw, Gregory
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-04-2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Educational psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; Learning; Human; University; Attitude; Test anxiety; Self efficacy; Mathematics; Student; Statistics
• ISSN: 0361-476X; 1090-2384
• DOI: 10.1016/S0361-476X(02)00015-2

We developed measures of current statistics self-efficacy (CSSE) and self-efficacy to learn statistics (SELS) to address whether statistics self-efficacy is related to statistics performance, and whether self-efficacy for statistics increases during an introductory statistics course. Both instruments yielded reliable, one-factor solutions that were related positively to each other and to two measures of statistics performance (i.e., specific statistics problems and overall course performance). The CSSE and SELS also were related positively to math self-efficacy and attitudes towards statistics, but related negatively to anxiety. Changes between two different testing occasions using the CSSE indicated that statistics self-efficacy increased almost two standard deviations over a 12-week instructional period.