Undergraduate Study IDENTIFIERS *Business Statistics

This study examined the student characteristics, affective or cognitive, which predict academic success in undergraduate and graduate business statistics courses. The issue was found to be important because most business curricula require courses in business statistics and because both undergraduate and graduate students come to business programs with limited mathematics preparation. A survey instrument was developed containing a number of different affective and cognitive variables and allowing for a simple check-off indicating the range of response for the category. The survey was distributed to a total of six undergraduate introductory statistics sections, and six introductory graduate statistics sections. The final sample contained a total of 325 completed surveys from 174 undergraduates (50 percent male, 50 percent female) and 151 graduate students (60 percent male, 40 percent female). Analysis found that the cognitive variables of grade point average, mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test score, and high school grade point average were significant determinants of success in statistics. The affective variables of whether or not the student postponed taking statistics and the predicted grade for the course were not found to be determinants of success in statistics. However, postponement was a more important factor for graduate students than for undergraduates. Included are two tables and four references. (JB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. o.