%0 Journal Article
%T Overcoming Statistical Helplessness and Developing Statistical Resilience in Learners: An Illustrative, Collaborative, Phenomenological Study
%A Sue Johnston-Wilder
%A Janet Goodall
%A Hani Almehrz
%J Creative Education
%P 1105-1122
%@ 2151-4771
%D 2018
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ce.2018.97082
%X Many people suffer from statistics anxiety or helplessness in the UK; this is true even in the context of PhD students studying at prestigious universities. There is a risk that anxiety or helplessness results in students avoiding engagement with statistics, and consequent underachievement. Here, we illustrate the application of the construct ¡°statistical resilience¡± to developing positive engagement in statistics. We used the method of a collaborative phenomenological study. The collaboration is between a researcher and a PhD student acting as a research assistant. The relevant concepts include learned helplessness, self-agency and statistical resilience. As the PhD student gained statistical resilience, he was able to leave behind learned helplessness. This resulted in emancipation from statistical anxiety, an effective contribution to a research project, raised self-esteem and increased ability to engage with formal statistical thinking. The paper ends with recommendations for policy and practice.
%K Statistical Resilience
%K Statistics Anxiety
%K Learned Helplessness
%K Growth Zone Model
%K Emancipation
%K Agency
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=85398