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Attitudes towards Statistics among Business Students: Do Gender, Mathematical Skills and Personal Traits Matter?

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  • Leiv Opstad

    (NTNU Business School, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Leiv Opstad, 2020. "Attitudes towards Statistics among Business Students: Do Gender, Mathematical Skills and Personal Traits Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:6104-:d:391545
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marianne Johnson & Denise Robson & Sarinda Taengnoi, 2014. "A Meta-analysis of the Gender Gap in Performance in Collegiate Economics Courses," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(4), pages 436-459, October.
    2. Jiaming Shi & Changxu Wu & Xiuying Qian, 2020. "The Effects of Multiple Factors on Elderly Pedestrians’ Speed Perception and Stopping Distance Estimation of Approaching Vehicles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Heyeon Park & Hyunjin Oh & Sunjoo Boo, 2019. "The Role of Occupational Stress in the Association between Emotional Labor and Mental Health: A Moderated Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-12, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leiv OPSTAD, 2022. "Attitudes Of Master Students Working In The Public Sector Towards Management Education. Does Economics’ Theory Matter?," Management Research and Practice, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 14(4), pages 37-46, December.
    2. Leiv OPSTAD, 2021. "Factors Explaining Business Students’ Performance In An Introductory Mathematics Course. What Are The Impacts Of Gender, Academic Ability, Personality Traits, And Attitudes Towards Mathematics?," Advances in Education Sciences, Department of Communication, Journalism and Education Sciences, University of Craiova and Center of Advanced Studies in Education Sciences (CASES), vol. 3(1), pages 23-43, August.

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