Reliability and Validity of a Novel Instrument to Quantify Psychology Students’ Perception of Statistics Learning

Mitra Jazayeri; Xia Li; Birgit Loch; Daniel Laurence

doi:10.30722/IJISME.32.04.003

Authors

Mitra Jazayeri La Trobe University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8560-3243
Xia Li La Trobe University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1890-5548
Birgit Loch University Of New England https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6497-9447
Dan Laurence La Trobe University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30722/IJISME.32.04.003

Abstract

This study reports on the validity and reliability of a modified survey tool based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The tool was designed to help identify the factors that affect psychological sciences students’ perceptions of the ease of use and usefulness of statistical concepts and their application in psychology using the statistical software, SPSS. The proposed survey instrument was tested for its reliability and structural validity using data from 530 students enrolled in a first-year statistics for psychology subject during the global pandemic. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 168 of 191 respondents who completed a pre-intervention survey to explore the structure of the constructs of students' attitudes, confidence, and perceptions. Out of the 42 questions which were divided into 8 sections, five factors of confidence, attitude, dependent learner belief, independent learner belief, and mindfulness were identified. These findings provide a valid and reliable assessment of students’ attitudes, confidence, and beliefs toward statistics learning for predicting academic performance. Consequently, this may help as a guide for effective decision-making in the design and development of the study of statistics for non-mathematical background students. This research is conducted in accordance with La Trobe University's ethics approval license- HEC19013.

Author Biographies

Mitra Jazayeri, La Trobe University

I have extensive experience in teaching introductory and intermediate statistics subjects to undergraduate and postgraduate students across fields. In 2022, I received the UK FHEA (Fellowship in Higher Education Academy) and La Trobe University SCEMS Teaching Excellence awards.
My research focus is on factors such as AI and other technologies that impact student learning and assessment with a prior interest in statistical techniques applied to medical and health data. I have served as a bio-statistician consultant for the NHMRC and NICS, resulting in a publication in Emergency Medicine Australasia in 2013. I also researched environmental and lifestyle factors that impact ED presentations for asthma in children and published a systematic review in the Journal of Allergy in 2017.
In 2018, I was seconded from my lecturer role to a teaching-focused lecturer role and have published two articles in the International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (IJEMST) regarding the effect of anxiety on psychology students' statistics learning. From 2021- the present, my research team and I have been involved in research into the effect of hybrid teaching on health science students' learning.
Xia Li, La Trobe University

Xia Li is a University Statistics Consultant in Statistics Consultancy Platform https://www.latrobe.edu.au/research-infrastructure/research-facilities/statistics-consultancy-platform.

Xia's principal research interests are applied statistics, biostatistics, especially longitudinal data analysis, survival data analysis, latent based model data mining methods and statistical learning methods with expertise in data analysis and statistics modelling. She is skilled in a variety of data analysis and statistics software packages (SAS, R, SPSS, WINBUGS, MPLUS, SQL, AMOS), very proficient in using many different R packages and writing functions, and coping with large data sets in R. As an early career researcher in the area of statistics, Dr Li has published more than one hundred research publications in peer reviewed journals. Xia also collaborates with the researchers from a variety of disciplines at or out of La Trobe University. She also provides statistics supports for the grant applications including NHMRC grants.
Birgit Loch, University Of New England

Professor Birgit Loch commenced as Dean of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law at the University of New England in November 2021. She joined UNE from La Trobe University, where she was Chair Teaching and Learning, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Coursework and Deputy Provost Learning & Teaching in the College of Science, Health and Engineering. She has also held acting appointments as Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning Quality and Innovation and as College Provost.

Professor Loch has over 17 years of experience in the higher education sector. Prior to joining La Trobe, she was Academic Director Digital Learning and Technologies at Swinburne University of Technology and also Head of the Maths and Stats Help Centre between 2010 and 2016. Prior to that, she was Principal Advisor Learning and Teaching in the Division of ICT at the University of Southern Queensland.

Professor Loch is a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE (PFHEA) and Fellow of the Australian Mathematical Society. Her academic qualifications include a PhD in computational mathematics from the University of Queensland, a Diploma in Mathematics (Dipl.-Math.) from the University of Essen and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching & Learning from USQ. Professor Loch is an expert in educational technology including online learning, in mathematics support, and she has driven innovative approaches in learning and teaching including virtual reality and 360 video projects. She has widely published on open educational resources, blended and online learning and pen-enabled technologies. She is the recipient of several university teaching awards for her own teaching and for leadership in learning and teaching, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation and the Australian Award for University Teaching.

Professor Loch is also a founding member of the WATTLE program, the Australian version of NZUWiL with currently 13 Australian university members, and has served on the In2Science Advisory Board.
Dan Laurence, La Trobe University

Dan Laurence is a senior educational designer of many years standing and also teaches Graduate Certificate students on the subject of game principles in education. Recent journal publications and commercialisations of his work have won numerous awards. In 2015 and again in 2017 he has been awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence award for his work designing and employing game principles at Swinburne University. His work was recently awarded the prestigious 2017 AFR Educational Technology award reflecting a long prior history working in interactive media and producing games that are used in around 140 universities and institutions around the world.