Investigating the relationship of achievement goals, statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles to statistics achievement

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

The aim of investigating the relationship of achievement goals, statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles to statistics achievement, 323 students from Fars Payame Noor University were chosen through multi-stage cluster sampling and answered to a questionnaire consisted of achievement goals, statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles scales. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine instruments’ reliability and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to determine construct validity. The results of path analysis showed that performance-avoidance goals affect students’ statistics achievement indirectly and negatively, through the mediating role of statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles. Moreover, mastery goals affect students’ statistics achievement indirectly and positively, through the mediating role of statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles. However, the indirect effect of performance-approach goals on students’ statistics achievement through the mediation of statistics anxiety, statistics self-efficacy and coping styles was not confirmed. It is worth saying that performance-avoidance goals have also direct negative effect on statistics achievement.

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