In this article, we exam students' motivations and expectations in introductory statistics. An interview study was conducted to investigate student motivations and expectations before taking the introductory statistics course. The study was conducted in four different types of institutions. Interviews were conducted two to three months after completing an introductory statistics course. Interviewees were chosen to represent the grade distribution by selecting three students from each grade level of A, B, and C or lower. Students' motivations are analyzed and classified into five types based on the existing motivation theories. Four scenarios that commonly occur in introductory statistics are analyzed using existing motivation frameworks. It is suggested that learning goals, instructor's expectation of students, and instructor's caring for student's learning progress are important strategies for motivations.
The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education