Sex differences in the relation between statistics anxiety and cognitive/learning strategies

Three hundred twenty three students were recruited in order to investigate sex differences on measures of statistics anxiety and learning strategies. Data was analyzed using descriptive discriminant analysis and canonical correlation analysis. Findings indicated that sex differences on these measures were statistically significant, but with small effect sizes. However, the relationship between statistics anxiety and learning strategies varied between men and women. Men showed a much more clear relationship where procrastination was positively related to fear of asking for help and organization, peer learning, and procrastination was positively related to test and class anxiety and interpretation anxiety. For women, all of the learning strategies except procrastination and peer learning were negatively related to aspects of statistics anxiety. Procrastination was positively related to statistics anxiety. Results are discussed evaluating the role of procrastination as a means of avoiding anxiety. Suggestions are provided to instructors based in the framework of exposure to the anxiety-provoking stimulus (statistics) as a means of helping students maximize their potential in statistics courses.