A comparison of learning preferences and perceptions of students for statistics concepts and techniques

Abstract

This paper is an extension of a comparative study on learning style and method preference of students from culturally different parts of the world. The first sample (TMB) was selected from the undergraduate students in the University of Southern Queensland in the Darling Downs region of Queensland in Australia and the second sample (KTM) was selected from the same level of students in Apex College, Kathmandu, Nepal. Although both groups of students possess similar characteristics in terms of topic and level, they have been exposed to different cultural and country backgrounds. The findings however, appear to be very similar in terms of both groups of students' in all research questions including learning styles and methods preferences. It is interesting to note that both groups have indicated their high preference for more visually oriented teaching materials in Statistics. The study has also demonstrated that the country and cultural differences do not play a significant role in students' preferences for learning methods. Both groups of students have indicated their preference for learning the concepts first and then finding out about the applications.