Basic math skills and performance in an introductory statistics course

Abstract

We identify the student characteristics most associated with success in an introductory business statistics class, placing special focus on the relationship between student math skills and course performance, as measured by student grade in the course. To determine which math skills are important for student success, we examine (1) whether the student has taken calculus or business calculus, (2) whether the student has been required to take remedial mathematics, (3) the student's score on a test of very basic mathematical concepts, (4) student scores on the mathematics portion of the ACT exam, and (5) science/reasoning portion of the ACT exam. The score on the science portion of the ACT exam and the math-quiz score are significantly related to performance in an introductory statistics course, as are student GPA and gender. This result is robust across course formats and instructors. These results have implications for curriculum development, course content, and course prerequisites. Copyright © 2006 by Marianne Johnson and Eric Kuennen all rights reserved.