The effect of students’ attitudes and concerns on statistical concepts performance: A SEM approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the attitudes and concerns of higher learning students made an impact on their performance in the fundamental concepts of the statistics course. Despite being classified as one of the important areas of scientific, industrial, or social problems, students generally perceive statistics as a challenging course to understand.  This negative perception leads to a set of complex emotional reactions that may cause great discomfort, resulting in negative consequences, such as anxiety. A sample of 248 UiTM Pahang Branch students, enrolled in a basic statistics course, was randomly selected using a stratified sampling technique. This study employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method to assess the linear relationship model between students' attitudes and concerns, and their performance in statistics examinations. The findings indicated that both students' attitudes and concerns showed a significant negative influence on their performance in statistics examinations, resulting in poor academic performance. Hence, to foster students' academic success in statistics courses, it is essential to cultivate a positive attitude and enhance their confidence levels.