Using a Self-Management Project to Improve Student Performance in an Online Introductory Statistics Course

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a self-management project on student performance in an online introductory statistics course. Two classes were compared: students in one class set daily goals for their study behavior and monitored this behavior; the other class set daily goals for their study behavior, monitored this behavior, and arranged self-delivered consequences for meeting their goals. Statistics anxiety, self-regulation, self-management skills, motivation, technology use, and digital literacy variables were measured to help compare the two classes on pre-existing characteristics. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine the effects of using participation points as an incentive for posting questions to an online discussion board using a within-class ABA design. The class with the self-management project performed significantly better on quizzes and exams. Thus, the project appeared to improve student performance. Providing participation points for posting questions increased the number of questions posted, and the number of questions decreased significantly when the incentive was removed. Limitations and future direction are discussed