Abstract
The purpose of this article was to investigate different variables, by combining mathematical skills and personal traits using The Big Five Model, to see which have the most influence on business students’ attitudes towards statistics. The Big Five personality traits make up a model for capturing various personal characteristics. Specifically, we aimed to understand why there is a gender difference in attitudes towards statistics. Statistical skills are a key factor for success in business studies. The chosen methods were pairwise comparisons (t-test) and a linear regression model, using a sample from a Norwegian business school. The finding was that there is a substantial gender gap towards attitudes towards statistics but taking mathematical skills and personal characteristics into consideration then results in this gap becoming much smaller. Furthermore, mathematical skills and personal traits were shown to have an impact on students’ attitudes towards statistics.
Highlights
Attitudes towards statistics influence students’ learning in this subject [1]
Business statistics is an important tool in quantitative business courses and especially in courses for a finance major [2]
This study shows a gender difference based on the Big Five personal traits
Summary
Attitudes towards statistics influence students’ learning in this subject [1]. Business statistics is an important tool in quantitative business courses and especially in courses for a finance major [2]. Many students’ quantitative skills do not meet the expectations of the instructors in these fields. In a subject like business law, there is an advantage to having statistical abilities [3]. By allowing students to use statistical methods to analyze real data, one can improve students’ statistical skills. According to Gal and Garfield [4], students’ attitudes towards statistics are important since statistical thinking and application are useful tools in many contexts. Attitudes towards statistics matter for undergraduates in business fields
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