Abstract
Research methods courses commonly include an empirical project. This quasi-experimental study examined whether using Bayesian statistics to analyze data would be associated with more positive student perceptions of research methods projects. At a private university in the U.S., two research methods courses were taught using frequentist statistics and two using Bayesian statistics for the project analyses. Students (N = 88) reported their attitudes towards research three times across the semester, and their perceptions of the project at the end of the course (Time 3). At Time 3, there were no significant differences between frequentist and Bayesian classes in their perceptions of the project or research usefulness, with anecdotal evidence for no difference. However, students in the frequentist classes had significantly less research anxiety at Time 3 compared to those in the Bayesian classes. The findings provide insight into students’ perceptions when a Bayesian approach is introduced in a methods course.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Rode, Jacob B.
(2026)
"Bayesian or frequentist? Testing the association between statistical approach in a research methods class project and research attitudes,"
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning:
Vol. 20:
No.
1, Article 7.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2026.200107