Gender differences in statistics anxiety among graduate students learning English as a foreign language

Abstract

Learning a foreign language arouses anxiety (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). Lalonde and Gardner (1993) contend that learning statistics is similar to learning a foreign language. It is, therefore, not surprising that students enrolled in statistics courses often experience statistics anxiety. Because the study of statistics, as an essential component of the graduate curriculum, can lead to students’ anxiety, helping students manage their statistics anxiety has been a concern of teachers. Alleviation of anxiety first requires an understanding of its causes, one of which has been identified as gender. However, empirical investigations have generated mixed results about the effects of gender on statistics anxiety. DeCesare (2007) reported that females experience greater statistics anxiety than do males; Baloglu (2003) did not find such a difference; and Zeidner (1991) found that gender differences vary according to type of statistics anxiety.