Anxiety toward statistics and the use of computers: A study of graduate level education majors

RESEARCH has shown that introducing computing technology into a statistics class can have a gender-specific, negative effect on achievement. In order to better understand this phenomenon, the purpose of this study was to investigate one construct, learner anxiety, that has been shown to be highly correlated with achievement. During the study, a control group of graduate level education majors (n=44) used hand-held calculators for computation during the statistical portion of an educational research course, whereas an experimental group (n=43) used statistical software. Results from theState Trait Anxiety Inventory showed no statistically significant differences in anxiety by treatment group. However, a significant treatment group by gender interaction did exist. When compared to the control group, females using the software showed significantly higher levels of anxiety, whereas males using the software demonstrated significantly lower levels of anxiety. Given these findings, careful consideration should be given as to how and when it is appropriate to introduce technology. Interventions that are designed to address one problem may wind up creating other problems that negatively affect student achievement. Educators should be prepared to deal with the problems as well as the opportunities that educational technology presents.