Title: Student assignment involving perceptual mapping via multidimensional scaling and multi-attribute models

Authors: Stefan Linnhoff; Katherine Taken Smith

Addresses: Department of Management and Marketing, Murray State University, 451 Business Building, Murray, KY 42071-3314, USA ' Department of Management and Marketing, Murray State University, 451 Business Building, Murray, KY 42071-3314, USA

Abstract: Research shows that college students are deficient in statistical skills. There is a need today for the development of learning tools that can help students overcome their anxiety of statistical applications. This study seeks to respond to that need by describing a student assignment involving multivariate statistics. The assignment integrates aspects of perceptual mapping via multidimensional scaling and multi-attribute models. A feedback questionnaire revealed that the assignment was well-received by students and successful in increasing their knowledge of statistics. Students felt the assignment did increase their knowledge of perceptual maps, multi-attribute models, and multidimensional scaling. Students showed an interest in learning more about statistics and marketing research. Since the assignment increased the student's interest in statistics and willingness to learn and use statistics, findings suggest that the students anxiety regarding statistics was reduced.

Keywords: enhanced learning; perceptual mapping; multidimensional scaling; multi-attribute modelling; statistics anxiety; undergraduate assignments; multivariate statistics; statistical tools; research methods; active learning; marketing research; higher education; statistics education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2015.072356

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2015 Vol.10 No.3, pp.203 - 219

Published online: 10 Oct 2015 *

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