Predictors of Positive Attitudes Towards Statistics in University Students

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Statistics education; attitudes; self-efficacy; perceived usefulness; perceived enjoyment; PLS-SEM

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the predictive relationships among perceived enjoyment of using statistics, perceived usefulness of statistics, and self-efficacy in using statistical tools, and university students’ attitudes towards statistics. The research employed a quantitative approach with an explanatory, non-experimental, cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 637 undergraduate students from six private universities in Arequipa, Peru. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that measured the main constructs of the proposed model. The instrument was examined through exploratory factor analysis, while the measurement and structural models were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The most important finding was that perceived enjoyment in using statistics emerged as the strongest predictor of positive attitudes towards statistics. It was also positively associated with perceived usefulness and self-efficacy, indicating that enjoyable learning experiences are related to students’ recognition of the value of statistics and to greater confidence in using statistical tools. The study concludes that positive attitudes towards statistics are strengthened when university teaching integrates engaging, practical, and meaningful learning experiences. Therefore, statistics instruction should move beyond procedural content and incorporate contextualized activities, authentic data, and technological resources that promote enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and confidence among students during their education.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - R. E. Morales-Fano
AU  - L. M. Oliart-Murillo
AU  - M. Cayllahue-Huaman
AU  - A. Benavente-Suyo
AU  - R. Falcón-Soncco
AU  - O. Gutierrez-Aguilar
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/16
TI  - Predictors of Positive Attitudes Towards Statistics in University Students
BT  - Proceedings of the VI International Conference on Communication and Applied Technologies 2026 (ICOMTA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 133
EP  - 145
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_14
ID  - Morales-Fano2026
ER  -