Statistical and Mathematical Self-Efficacy of Incoming Students at a Large Public University

• Activity Number: 38
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Sunday, August 3, 2014 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Ulrike Genschel*+ and Andrea Kaplan and Alicia Carriquiry and Elgin Johnston and Wolfgang Kliemann and Kenneth Koehler and Ian Mouzon and Xuan Hien Nguyen
• Companies: Iowa State University and Iowa State University and Iowa State University and Iowa State University and Iowa State University of Science and Technology and Iowa State University of Science and Technology and Iowa State University of Science and Technology and Iowa State University of Science and Technology
• Keywords: STEM ; self-efficacy ; gender

Abstract

All participants in the ongoing STEM education discussion agree that, in addressing national priorities, a key concern is the critical transition of students from high school (or community college) to a four-year college program in the mathematical sciences in particular. We present the results of a statistical investigation that explores perceived self-efficacy and self-confidence in mathematics and statistics of incoming students at a large public university. We consider the mathematical background of these students and investigate the association between various levels of mathematical preparation at the high school or community college and these students' self-efficacy beliefs as well as choice of major. Attention is paid particularly to gender differences. Preliminary results indicate much higher levels of self-efficacy/-confidence in statistics compared to mathematics. Additionally, for statistics these results are consistent across gender, which is seemingly not the case for mathematics.