TY - JOUR
T1 - Feedback Timing: The Impact on Undergraduates’ Statistics Anxiety, Self-Efficacy and Perceptions
AU - Jones, Abigail
AU - Wood, Jeffrey
AU - McDonald, Emma
AU - Abbott, Keeley
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
PY - 2026/2/27
Y1 - 2026/2/27
N2 - Statistics anxiety (SA), negative attitudes and low self-efficacy persist as barriers to engagement and performance in research methods and statistics. In digital learning environments, multiple-choice quizzes (MCQs) with automated feedback are commonly used, yet the optimal timing of feedback remains underexplored. This study examined how feedback timing (each question, blocks or score-only) affected SA, self-efficacy and feedback perceptions. A total of 332 undergraduate students completed the Abbreviated Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) pre- and post-test of the 25-item online statistics MCQ, followed by perception questions. A between-subjects multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed significant differences in feedback timing on post-quiz SA, feedback understanding and perceived benefit. No differences were reported for pre- to post-test SA or self-efficacy. A within-subjects MANCOVA indicated significant pre- to post-test SA reductions in test and class anxiety and help-seeking anxiety, but increased interpretation anxiety. Block feedback led to the highest performance, offering practical insights for reducing anxiety and improving digital tools.
AB - Statistics anxiety (SA), negative attitudes and low self-efficacy persist as barriers to engagement and performance in research methods and statistics. In digital learning environments, multiple-choice quizzes (MCQs) with automated feedback are commonly used, yet the optimal timing of feedback remains underexplored. This study examined how feedback timing (each question, blocks or score-only) affected SA, self-efficacy and feedback perceptions. A total of 332 undergraduate students completed the Abbreviated Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) pre- and post-test of the 25-item online statistics MCQ, followed by perception questions. A between-subjects multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed significant differences in feedback timing on post-quiz SA, feedback understanding and perceived benefit. No differences were reported for pre- to post-test SA or self-efficacy. A within-subjects MANCOVA indicated significant pre- to post-test SA reductions in test and class anxiety and help-seeking anxiety, but increased interpretation anxiety. Block feedback led to the highest performance, offering practical insights for reducing anxiety and improving digital tools.
KW - Feedback timing
KW - multiple choice quiz
KW - online learning
KW - self-efficacy
KW - statistics anxiety
KW - undergraduate statistics
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105031443147
U2 - 10.1177/14757257261427206
DO - 10.1177/14757257261427206
M3 - Article
SN - 1475-7257
JO - Psychology Learning & Teaching
JF - Psychology Learning & Teaching
ER -