REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Education in a broad sense is the process of exposing the individuals to concepts and

activities which physically, mentally, morally and spiritually help equip him/her with the

knowledge of things around him. Education also exposes the individual to further knowledge

by means of books, mass media and academic institutions (Elepon & Balogun, 2016).

School, colleges and universities have no worth without student. Students are most

essential asset for any educational institute. The social and economic development of the country

is directly linked with student academic performance. The students’ performance (academic

achievement) plays an important role in producing the best quality graduates who will become

great leader and manpower for the country thus responsible for the country’s economic and

social development (Ali et.al, 2009). Student academic performance measurement has received

considerable attention in previous research, it is challenging aspects of academic literature, and

science student performance are affected due to social, psychological, economic, environmental

and personal factors. These factors strongly influence on the student performance, but these

factors vary from person to person and country to country.

In recent years, statistics educators have been very concerned about the pedagogical

strategies and traditional curricular materials used in statistics courses that have not been

effective in developing conceptual understanding of statistics topics (Cobb, 1992; Gal, 2003).

Traditional approaches were also found by many researchers to play a rather limited role in

improving statistical reasoning abilities and promoting statistical literacy among students

(Garfield et al., 2002; Hassad, 2008; Moore, 2007).

 Growing frustration and dissatisfaction experienced by students and faculty with statistics

courses over the years has led researchers to investigate reasons for this lack of understanding of

the material. At the heart of statistics education reform lies the question of how the teaching and

learning of statistics can be improved. The reform movement over the past decade has supported

efforts to transform teaching practices to include an emphasis on students’ development of

conceptual understanding rather than a sole focus on mechanical calculations (Chance &

Garfield, 2002).

The traditional methods of learning are either students passively listening to lectures or

working in isolation. These methods have been identified as leading causes for statistics and

mathematics to be viewed as a sequence of disjointed topics padded with a series of techniques

and rote memorization of fragmented facts (Begg, 2004). The development of Introductory

courses in statistics in the United States can be divided into roughly two periods, one during the

first half of the twentieth century with large groups of students using classic books such as

Snedecor’s from 1937 Statistical Methods. The second episode starts toward the end of the

twentieth century with small groups and active learning processes. During the first period,

students were assumed to be quantitatively skilled, but in the 1960s the ideas about teaching

statistics courses began to change. First of all data analysis became a more independent scientific

activity, and second a number of suitable analytical tools were introduced and students no longer

had to spend hours behind a mechanical calculator (Aliage et al., 2005).

Toward the end of the seventies, the era of the modern statistics courses begins (Aliage et

al., 2005). The growth in enrollment, the introduction of placement tests and the publication of

two statistics books by Freedman (1978) and Moore (1985), made a change in the way of

teaching statistics courses. The importance of being able to understand and interpret statistical
output increased which led to greater emphasis on statistical applications. The number of

requirements for introductory courses in statistics rose, since the importance of being able to

understand and interpret statistical output increased over the years. This also resulted in a shift

from a highly motivated and quantitatively skilled student population to a population of students

who only took the course in order to meet the departmental requirements. Furthermore, the latter

students were not quantitatively skilled. The article published by Cobb in 1992 recommended

that the statistical curriculum should change to emphasize statistical thinking (Bryce, 2005). This

article was seen as the main driving force behind the changes in statistics courses, as Cobbs

suggested the use of fewer formulas, reliance on more automatic computations, real-life data

analysis and greater use of active learning tools instead of lecturing. His suggestions started a

major change in statistics education. In 2001, the American Statistical Association launched a set

of curriculum guidelines that emphasized a constructivist way of looking at statistics courses.

The guidelines were meant for undergraduate programs at universities and colleges, especially

for students who major in statistics. These guidelines distinguished between mathematics and

statistics, as statistics is considered to be a more practical education in statistical reasoning.

Besides a number of skills (e.g. computer skills, to a certain extent mathematical skills, and

statistical skills), students have to master more general academic skills such as writing, doing

team projects, and presenting. Furthermore, students also have to master a few methodological

skills (research skills) in the field of study (Am Stat, 2001). As these guidelines have been

developed for students who major in statistics, they will not be further discussed, because this is

beyond the scope of the subject of this study.

Furthermore, the introduction of statistics courses in Lebanon began in late seventies

(Skaff & Habib, 2008). Universities consider mastery of statistics to be part of essential
academic skills. These skills involve the mastery of research processes such as the collection and

analysis of data, interpretation of results and presentation of results and conclusions. According

to the content of statistics courses in Lebanon’s universities, students learn to think and learn to

communicate within these introductory courses (Skaff & Habib, 2008). They learn how to

develop a research question and a research plan and, most of all; they learn how to analyze

quantitative data. Most of the course objectives are driven by learning to think, but part of the

course is also based on learning how to communicate, as students have to present exercises and

reports and work together in groups. Lebanese students find these courses very hard; in this study

the researcher will investigate the relationship between several factors and students’

performance.

On the other hand, student achievement in statistics is assumed to be linked to the

perception of being successful in the course. In other words, if students perceive their ability to

be successful in statistics positively, they will have higher expectations and values toward their

achievement, and they will be better motivated to work hard. What the researcher needs to know

is the students’ perception of their ability to do statistics (cognitive competence) and their

perception of difficulty of the statistics tasks and their feelings toward the course (more positive

experiences result in more positive feelings about the course). Furthermore, the researcher needs

to know what task value students attach to the task before them. The model predicts expected

achievement (student outcomes as part of course outcomes) using four types of attitudes toward a

task/course, such as affective feelings, perception of difficulty, cognitive competency and task

value. They will be elaborated below. These attitudes derive from the motive for success and the

motive to avoid failure, and from the evaluation of the success rate in a given situation. As the

motive to be successful derives from experiences in achieving success in a previous learning

situation (such as in high school mathematics), the motive to avoid failure derives from similar

learning situations where the student was unsuccessful. Experiences of success result in high

achievement motivation, and a lack of success results in motives to avoid failure (Motivation,

2006). In turn, these motives are shaped by the interpretation of previous experiences and the

expectancies of the social surroundings (peer pressure, expectation and socialization). Lastly,

society plays an important role in affecting those beliefs and motives.

Valentin and Sajise (2017) determined the factors affecting performance in basic

statistics course. Results revealed that students have a positive attitude towards statistics. Sex and

year level of students have direct effects on attitude towards the difficulty of the subject, which

in turn have indirect effects on the students’ performance in statistics. Also, degree of students,

performance in math, schedule of classes, attitude towards the value of the subject, and attitude

towards the difficulty of the subject have direct effects on the students’ performance in statistics.

Instructors should align and personalized the examples and applications along the degree of

students to develop the value of statistics among students.

 METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, research respondents’, research instrument,

data gathering procedures and statistical treatment of the study that were used in the analysis of

data.

Research Design

The researcher utilized the descriptive correlation method of research. Descriptive

research was used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena with

respect to variables or conditions in a situation.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were the fifth year engineering students of Northeastern

College who were currently enrolled during the second semester of academic year 2019-2020.

Research Instrument

Survey instruments were used to gather the information needed which were divided into

two parts.

The first part of the questionnaire consisted of questions grouped around the demographic

profile of the respondents such as age and sex. The second part of the questionnaire was

ascertained the factors affecting the statistics performance of the respondents. Responses were

anchored through a five-point likert scale with descriptive equivalents of 5 for Always (A), 4 for

Often (O), 3 for Sometimes (S), 2 for Rarely (R) and 1 for Never (N). The scores were converted

to mean scores and given the corresponding values as follows:

Weights Ranges Descriptive Equivalent

 5 4.50-5.00 Always
4 3.50-4.49 Often
3 2.50-3.49 Sometimes
2 1.50-2.49 Rarely
1 1.00-1.49 Never

Data Gathering Procedure

These procedures guide the researcher to achieve the objectives of the study.

The researcher asked permission to conduct the study by means of a formal letter

addressed to the Dean of the College of Geodetic Engineering. After which, availability of the

students who took part in the study were ascertained. For a comprehensive and valid result, the

survey questionnaires were administered and retrieved by the researcher; explain the objectives

of the study, instructions on each of the questionnaires were thoroughly explained assuring that

the answers of the participants are truthful and are their own.

Statistical Treatment of the Study

The data obtained were organized, tabulated, and computer-processed using Statistical

Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software employing frequency counts and percentage to

describe the demographic profile of the respondents’. Weighted mean was utilized to determine

the factors affecting the statistics performance of the respondents’.

PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

 This chapter presents the analysis of data gathered in this study on the factors affecting

the statistics performance of the geodetic engineering students of Northeastern College, Santiago

City.

Table 1. Frequency Distribution and Percentage of the Respondents’ Profile

VARIABLE FREQUENCY (n = 20) PERCENTAGE (n = 100%)

AGE
20-21 20 71.4 %
22- 23 4 14.3 %
24 and above 4 14.3 %
TOTAL 28 100%

SEX
Male 21 75%
Female 7 25%
TOTAL 28 100%

The profile of the respondents’ as to age and sex are as follows: when grouped according

to age, 71.4% belongs to the bracket 20-21 year old, 14.3% belongs to 22-23 year old and the

remaining 14.3% were 24 year old and above. Evidently, most of the respondents’ were under

20-21 and with a frequency count of 20 while that in 22-23 and 24 and above year old has a

frequency count of 2 and 2 respectively.

As to the sex of the respondents, 75 % or 21 of the respondents’ were male and female

respondents’ comprises of 25% or 7. A higher percentage of male compared to female indicates

that there are larger numbers of men nowadays who pursued geodetic engineering.

Factors Affecting the Statistics Performance of the Respondents

The factors affecting the statistics performance of the were gathered using a survey

questionnaire.
Table 2. Computed Mean Score and Descriptive Equivalent of the Factors Affecting the
Statistics Performance of the Respondents

Statement Mean Descriptive

Equivalent
1. I make myself prepared for the statistics subject. 4.21 Often
2. I listen attentively to the lecture of my teacher. 5.00 Always
3. I actively participate in the discussion by answering exercises. 5.00 Always
4. I want to get good grades on tests, quizzes, assignments and activities. 5.00 Always
5. I get frustrated when the discussion is interrupted. 4.21 Often
6. I do my assignments regularly. 4.43 Often
7. I exert more effort when I do difficult assignments. 4.43 Often
8. I spend my vacant time studying my lessons. 4.07 Often
9. I study lessons I missed if I was absent from the class. 4.18 Often
10. I study and prepared for quizzes and tests. 4.82 Always
11. I study harder to improve my performance when I get low grades. 5.00 Always
12. I spend less time with my friends during school days to concentrate on my studies. 3.82 Often
13. I prefer finishing my assignments before watching any television program. 3.21 Sometimes
14. I see to it that extracurricular activities do not hamper my studies. 3.50 Often
15. I have a specific place of study at home which I keep clean and orderly. 5.00 Always
Grand Mean 4.39 Often
Legend: (4.50-5.00)- Always (A), (3.50-4.49)- Often (O), (2.50-3.49)- Sometimes (S), (1.50-2.49)- Rarely (R)
and (1.00-1.49) - Never (N).

The table presents the different factors that affect the statistics performance of the

geodetic engineering students of Northeastern College. It shows that these factors Often affect

the respondents with a grand mean of 4.39.

Moreover, factors such as “I listen attentively to the lecture of my teacher”, “I actively

participate in the discussion by answering exercises.”, “I want to get good grades on tests,

quizzes, assignments and activities.”, “I study and prepared for quizzes and tests.”, “I study

harder to improve my performance when I get low grades.”, and “I have a specific place of study

at home which I keep clean and orderly.”Always affect the respondents with a computed mean of

5.00, 5.00, 5.00, 4.82, 5.00 and 5.00 respectively.

 Furthermore, the respondents were Often affected by the following factors such as “I

make myself prepared for the statistics subject.”, “I get frustrated when the discussion is

interrupted.”, “I do my assignments regularly.”, “I exert more effort when I do difficult

assignments.”, “I spend my vacant time studying my lessons.”, “I study lessons I missed if I was

absent from the class.”, “I spend less time with my friends during school days to concentrate on

my studies.”, and “I have a specific place of study at home which I keep clean and orderly.” with

a computed mean score of 4.21, 4.21, 4.43, 4.43, 4.07, 4.18, 3.83, and 3.50 respectively.

Lastly, the respondents were Sometimes affected by “I prefer finishing my assignments

before watching any television program.” with a computed mean score of 3.21. The implication

of the result is that, those positive factors like giving attention to their school related works and

spending time to study the subject matter helps the students improve their performance in

learning statistics.

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study was conducted with the primary aim of determining the factors that affect the

statistics performance of the geodetic engineering students of Northeastern College, Santiago

City.

Summary

The demographic profile of the respondents as to age and sex were determined. All fifth

year geodetic engineering students of Northeastern College took part in the study. The

descriptive method of research was employed by means of integrating descriptive. Frequency,

Percentage and Weighted Mean were used to describe the respondents according to the profile

variable as well as their responses on the factors affecting their performance in statistics.

The instrument used to gather the necessary data was a survey questionnaire comprises of

two (2) parts; the first part includes the informed consent and gathers the profile variables of the

respondents; and the second part assesses the factors that affect the statistics performance of the

respondents.

The result shows that the distribution of the respondents according to age has a large

difference yielding a frequency count of 21 or 71.4% were 20-21 year old, 22-23 year old were

14.3% and the remaining 14.3% belongs to 24 year old and above; as to sex, a large difference

on the distribution is observable where male has a frequency count of 21 or 75% and female has

a frequency count of 7 or 25%.

Moreover, the data gathered reveals that the overall factor that affects the statistics

performance of the respondents obtained a descriptive equivalent of Often. However, it appeared

that Sometimes the respondents were affected by the statement “I prefer finishing my

assignments before watching any television program.” with a computed mean score of 3.21

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, the following were drawn;

1. Factors such as “I listen attentively to the lecture of my teacher”, “I actively participate in

the discussion by answering exercises.”, “I want to get good grades on tests, quizzes,

assignments and activities.”, “I study and prepared for quizzes and tests.”, and “I have a

specific place of study at home which I keep clean and orderly.”Always affect the

respondents.
 2. The respondents were Often affected by the following factors such as “I do my

assignments regularly.”, and “I exert more effort when I do difficult assignments.”.

3. Sometimes the respondents were affected by “I prefer finishing my assignments before

watching any television program.”

4. Generally, those aforementioned factors Often affect the respondents with a grand mean

of 4.39.

Recommendations

Based on the results of the study, the following are deemed worthy for consideration:

Teachers.

 Teachers will continue to provide adequate learning experience to their students so that

the students will be able to fully master their skills in mathematics specifically in

statistics.

Students.

 Students should continue to spend more time in learning new skills that is applicable in

statistics course and they must continue to be motivated in learning statistics.

Future Researchers.

 To conduct further studies to validate the different factors that affects the statistics

performance among the geodetic engineering students.