STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS STATISTICAL SOFTWARE USAGE: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING

Statistical softwares providing the implementation of statistical techniques with the help of computer are widely used in the analysis of problems that are complex, have multiple variables and include mass data in different disciplines today. The attitudes and acceptance of users are important in recovering and developing these softwares whose number is increasing day by day. In this study, the viewpoints of students who study in the department of Statistics and are the basic users of statistical softwares in university education related to these softwares have been examined. The attitudes towards the softwares have been dimensioned with explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and an infrastructure has been formed to the structural equation modelling with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The attitude scale of Statistical softwares developed by the writers has been used as the data collection tool. In the study, according to the structural equation models (SEM) formed related to the acceptance of software; as the hardship perceptions of students in using statistical software decrease, their attitudes towards the easiness in the use of these softwares positively increase. In addition, the behaviors related to statistical software have a strong relationship with the benefit to be attained from the use of these softwares in a positive way.

[1]  Gilberte Schuyten,et al.  Towards an electronic independent learning environment for statistics in higher education , 2004, Education and Information Technologies.

[2]  Albert E. Bartz,et al.  Computer and Software Use in Teaching the Beginning Statistics Course , 2001 .

[3]  Pannee Suanpang,et al.  Student Attitudes to Learning Business Statistics: Comparison of Online and Traditional Methods , 2004, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[4]  Hassan M. Selim,et al.  An empirical investigation of student acceptance of course websites , 2003, Comput. Educ..

[5]  Ramazan Basturk,et al.  The Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction in Teaching Introductory Statistics , 2005, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[6]  Carmelita Ragasa,et al.  A Comparison of Computer-Assisted Instruction and the Traditional Method of Teaching Basic Statistics , 2008 .

[7]  Donna Harrington,et al.  Teaching Statistics: A Comparison of Traditional Classroom and Programmed Instruction/Distance Learning Approaches , 1999 .

[8]  Karen H. Larwin,et al.  A Meta-Analysis Examining the Impact of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Postsecondary Statistics Education , 2011 .

[9]  Nuri Doğan,et al.  Bilgisayar Destekli İstatistik Öğretiminin Başarıya ve İstatistiğe Karşı Tutuma Etkisi , 2010 .

[10]  William W. Cooley.  COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION IN STATISTICS , 1969 .

[11]  Edwin P. Christmann,et al.  The comparative effectiveness of various microcomputer—based software packages on statistical achievement , 1999 .

[12]  Abbot L. Packard.  A Comparison of Three Presentation Methods of Teaching Statistics. , 1993 .

[13]  James C. Raymondo,et al.  ASSESSING THE INTRODUCTION OF A COMPUTER LABORATORY EXPERIENCE INTO A BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE STATISTICS COURSE , 1998 .

[14]  Yung-Chen Hsu,et al.  The effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in statistics education: a meta-analysis , 2003 .